Contents

1. Supporting Graduate Student Success

2. Supporting Postdoctoral Research and Development

3. Advancing Research Excellence

4. Strengthening Academic Quality

5. Innovating Operational Practices

Showing graduate program applicants what Western makes possible

The Why Western for Graduate Study video gave prospective students a clearer picture of Western’s academic community and research environment.  This new video showcased the graduate student experience, by real students, learning in graduate degree programs across campus.  The video complemented Faculty and program-specific recruitment efforts by communicating what Western offers on a broad scale: more than 160 graduate programs and collaborative specializations, opportunities to learn from leading researchers, access to advanced research facilities and equipment, and support for students’ academic and professional development.

Uncovering where a Western PhD leads

SGPS created The Value of Western's PhD:  Impact to Canada and the World, Western’s most comprehensive report available showing where our PhD graduates contribute to the workforce, giving students, programs, and university leaders evidence and insights that support career planning, professional development, recruitment, and program improvement.

Supporting a new initiative focused on international recruitment for Professional Master’s programs

As the first university in Canada to work with Navitas to offer an alternative entry point for international graduate applicants, SGPS helped create and administer clearly defined academic pathways through Western International College into the MEng and MDA programs.  The pathways offer additional learning activities to prepare students for successful progression in their respective degree programs.

Attracting the next generation of research leaders

SGPS produced the Why Western for Postdoctoral Research? video to help prospective postdoctoral scholars understand the wider research environment available at Western.  The video presented postdoctoral research as both a contribution to Western’s larger research mission, and a formative stage in an emerging scholar’s career. It highlighted opportunities to undertake advanced research, work with world-class faculty mentors, develop greater scholarly independence, and prepare for future careers.

Building Western’s Postdoctoral Research Capacity

The Western Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, offered through a joint partnership between SGPS and Western Research, attracts outstanding scholars and advances institutional research priorities. The program offered a minimum annual stipend of $70,000, recoverable benefits, and a $5,000 annual research allowance for two years. This investment advanced Western’s goal of growing its postdoctoral community, while building research capacity and positioning emerging scholars for success.

Strengthening the environments where postdoctoral scholars succeed

SGPS converted postdoctoral supervisory responsibilities and best practices into an actionable learning experience that supported and strengthened research environments and postdoctoral career development. The self-paced Excellence in Postdoctoral Scholar Supervision and Mentorship module comprehensively addresses the postdoctoral supervisory relationship, from establishing expectations and communication practices to supporting responsible research, career development, inclusion, and well-being.

Showcasing postdoctoral research across disciplines

The Postdoctoral Research Forum brought postdoctoral scholars together to share research, strengthen communication skills, and build connections across disciplines. It showcased the breadth of postdoctoral expertise and how this group contributes to Western’s research community.  A centrepiece was the Postdoc 120-Second Research Sprint, which challenged participants to explain the significance of complex research in accessible, compelling language. The forum enhanced the visibility of postdoctoral research, while supporting scholars’ professional development and interdisciplinary engagement.

Launching guidance and resources on the responsible use of GenAI

SGPS launched the Harnessing GenAI for Research workshop to help graduate student researchers make informed and responsible decisions about using generative AI in their research and creative activities.

The Graduate Studies GenAI Conversation Starter Series provided practical guidance and discussion prompts for GTA Course Instruction and Thesis Research and Writing to help graduate students, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), supervisors, and instructors establish shared expectations around the use of generative AI.

Both initiatives were developed as companion pieces to Western’s Guidance for the Use of Generative AI in Graduate Studies.

Supporting the development of niche graduate programs and curriculum renewals for an evolving world

SGPS worked with faculties and academic units through the Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) to advance new graduate programs and generate significant curriculum renewal across campus.

The new Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, and the new Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) expand opportunities in areas responding to changing professional and societal needs. Program modifications renewed curricula across disciplines through new options, earlier thesis engagement, Indigenous-led learning, professional development, and enhanced fieldwork preparation. SGPS’s academic quality and governance leadership helped turn innovative ideas into rigourous graduate program offerings while maintaining clear learning outcomes and institutional standards.

Showcasing doctoral supervision excellence

SGPS launched the SGPS Award for Excellence in Doctoral Supervision to recognize those faculty members whose sustained guidance and mentorship support doctoral students’ academic success and well-being.

Nominees are assessed on their responsiveness to students, availability and feedback, support for timely thesis completion, connection of students with scholarly communities, encouragement of career and professional development, and commitment to academic integrity and inclusive supervisory environments.

Fostering guidance and support for Graduate Academic Leadership

SGPS strengthened its engagement with Graduate Chairs through orientation, timely information sessions, and small-group discussions. These opportunities connected graduate chairs with SGPS leadership and staff and campus experts, provided guidance on emerging policies and priorities, and created space to raise program-level concerns directly with SGPS leadership. The exchange helped Graduate Chairs lead their programs with greater clarity, and gave SGPS valuable insight into the experiences of students, faculty, and staff across Western. Together, these activities strengthened the connection between institutional policy and effective implementation within graduate programs.

Putting graduate student success at the centre of Western’s teaching and learning future

SGPS worked with the Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, and partners across campus, to develop Western’s Future of Teaching and Learning: Strategic Action Areas, ensuring graduate education was included as a distinct institutional priority.  The resulting framework focuses on stronger supervisor-student relationships, closer integration of professional development with graduate programs and more flexible pathways through graduate education.  Planned actions include enhanced supervision resources, expanded access to asynchronous learning and digital credentials, and exploration of industry partnerships and alternative program models. Through this collaboration, SGPS connected supervision, research development and career preparation within a shared university-wide framework for graduate student success.

Strengthening inclusive and accountable graduate practices

SGPS advanced equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, decolonization, and Indigenization in graduate education through practical support for admissions decision-making and Indigenous research. The admissions decision-making session encouraged academic leaders and staff to consider how structural and systemic factors may shape applicants’ academic pathways. The new online resource consolidated guidance on Indigenous affirmation, community-informed research, allyship, thesis formats and the participation of Indigenous Knowledge Keepers in thesis examinations. Together, these initiatives translated Western’s commitments into clearer guidance and more reflective practice across the graduate lifecycle.

Upgrading a critical step in the international applicant journey

SGPS launched a new Letter of Acceptance (LOA) Portal in January 2026, creating a dedicated self-service process through which international graduate applicants can obtain documentation required for a Canadian study permit application.  Once applicants accept their offer and, where required, pay the tuition deposit, they can obtain their letter through the Graduate Student Web Services Portal. SGPS supported implementation with advance communications and operational guidance. The new process provided clearer access to time-sensitive documentation while strengthening the consistency and scalability of Letter of Acceptance processing across Western’s graduate programs.