Higher education

Universities are guiding light for Canada's recovery, President Gertler tells University Affairs

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 17:49:59 +0000

Universities are guiding light for Canada's recovery, President Gertler tells University Affairs

geoff.vendeville Mon, 01/10/2022 - 12:49

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(Photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

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City & Culture

Diversity and Inclusion

Higher education

President Meric Gertler

The pandemic has exposed new challenges for pluralism, diversity, and opportunity and universities must play a leadership role in tackling them head-on, University of Toronto President Meric Gertler says.

In an op-ed published this month in University Affairs, President Gertler says universities have three key responsibilities related to Canada’s recovery.

“The first is to ensure that our campuses remain places that accommodate, foster and enable important discussions about difficult and contentious issues,” he says. The second responsibility is closely related to the first: universities “must foster diverse excellence in all its forms.”

“A broad and diverse range of people, experiences, and perspectives must be able to thrive on our campuses,” President Gertler says.

Lastly, he says universities must uphold “equality of access to university education for students, and equality of opportunity for diverse faculty and staff.”

As we think about the role of universities, "let’s focus on breaking down barriers to access, educating citizens, fostering debate, and engaging difference,” President Gertler says. “In doing so, we will demonstrate to society how to do these things well, and why it matters.”

Read the University Affairs op-ed

How can universities build a better future for Ontario?

lanthierj — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 13:05:25 +0000

How can universities build a better future for Ontario?

lanthierj Wed, 02/15/2017 - 08:05

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If you have ideas about how Ontario’s universities can help ensure a bright future for the province, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) wants to hear from you.

The COU, the voice of the province’s 21 universities, says it wants to see how universities can work with others to help build stronger industries, strengthen growing service sectors, support artists, protect Ontario’s natural heritage and promote good health.

To get the conversation started and the ideas flowing, the COU has created a quick and simple online survey to tap ideas of students, parents and others.

Along with the survey, the COU is also holding one-on-one meetings and roundtables across Ontario with business and cultural leaders, public sector service providers, researchers and municipal leaders.

“We’re asking people ‘what keeps you up at night?’” says David Lindsay, president and CEO of the COU. “Disruptive technology, demographic shifts and globalization bring tremendous opportunities but all that uncertainty can also make people anxious.”

The campaign has the support of university presidents across Ontario, including U of T president Meric Gertler.

“Universities are vitally important to this province and this country,” President Gertler said. “They produce well-educated graduates and prepare them for a lifetime of success. They connect their host cities with the world, and enable these places to reinvent themselves over time. At the same time, they’re an important stabilizing force within their local economies.

“To build on these strengths, and to help us excel nationally and internationally, I’m encouraging all members of the U of T community to get involved. Take the survey or start a discussion on these important issues. We need to know what you think.”

The survey and province-wide discussions will continue until the end of the 2016-17 academic year. The findings will be made public later in the year through online postings, blogs and reports, culminating in a summit on Ontario’s future and how universities can partner to help Ontarians succeed.

Take the survey

After Trump win, a surge in visits to U of T web site from American, international students

lanthierj — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 16:17:22 +0000

After Trump win, a surge in visits to U of T web site from American, international students

lanthierj Thu, 11/17/2016 - 11:17

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(photo of students at U of T Mississauga campus by Paul Orenstein)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Author legacy

Geoffrey Vendeville

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“Canada is a model for tolerance and inclusivity and many students are looking for an opportunity to study in that environment”

The day that followed Donald Trump’s surprising election triumph coincided with a surge in American interest in a University of Toronto website for prospective students.

On Nov. 9, nearly 10,000 Americans visited future.utoronto.ca, a site for students which features graduate biographies, program descriptions and information on how to apply to the University.

That’s about 12 times the traffic from U.S. visitors that the site saw roughly same time last year, said Vice-President, International Ted Sargent.

And there were nearly 1.4 times more visits to the site by Americans than Canadians, web statistics show.

“Overall, the trend makes sense to us: The University of Toronto has been consistently committed to attracting the best students from around the world to our university,” Professor Sargent said.

U of T is consistently ranked one of the top 10 public universities in the world. If U of T were in the United States, Sargent added, it would rank among that country’s top-five public universities, including Berkeley, UCLA, the University of Michigan and the University of Washington. “This testifies to our world-class stature in both research and in teaching.”

An ugly and divisive presidential campaign may have made studying in Canada and at U of T more appealing.

“Canada is a model for tolerance and inclusivity and many students are looking for an opportunity to study in that environment,” said Richard Levin, executive director, enrolment services and University registrar.

The New York Times reports American university admissions officials are worried Trump’s election as president could also discourage international students from attending schools in the United States. Post-election, McGill University and U of T have seen an increase in interest from students overseas, The Times reports, while international education experts are seeing concerns about the United States particularly among students in India and China.

Read ‘Is It Safe?’ Foreign Students Consider College in Donald Trump’s U.S in The New York Times

Writing in The Collegian, the daily newspaper at Kansas State University, one professor raised concerns Trump's policies could discourage not only international recruitment of students but faculty as well.

"If a Muslim engineering international student is trying to decide between attending K-State in America or the University of Toronto in Canada, don’t you think President-elect Trump’s proposal will make it very difficult for us to recruit this student?" Jon Mahoney, associate professor of philosophy, wrote. "And if a Muslim biology professor from Europe is thinking about whether to take a teaching or research position at K-State, don’t you think President-elect Trump’s proposal will make it difficult for us to recruit that professor?"

U of T News spoke with international students about the potential impact of the new president's policies:

About 290 American citizens were enrolled in an undergraduate program at U of T last fall and about 340 were working toward a graduate degree. The University has tried to attract even more Americans this year by assigning two student recruiters and an admissions officer to the U.S.

The relatively low value of the loonie – hovering around 74 cents USD – may also explain why more Americans appear interested in studying at U of T, Levin said.

And there is the additional perk of studying away from home, but in a familiar environment.

“It’s not a huge transition” for American students to study at U of T, Levin said. “There are some differences, as we know, when we cross the border, but it’s easy to go back home for the holidays.”

Read Trump win sparks flurry of American interest in Canadian universities at The Globe and Mail

Read the Huffington Post story

U of T is holding two panel discussions in the U.S. for alumni and prospective students looking at university options north of the border.

The panels are:

Saving the World: Innovative Sustainable Development at the University of Toronto
New York City: Tuesday Dec. 13, 2016, 6:00-8:00 pm

Aftershocks: A Global View on the U.S. Election
Washington D.C., Thursday Dec. 15, 6:00-8:00 pm