2023 President’s Annual Report

President’s Message

Right the Future
 

Rhonda Lenton 

President & Vice-Chancellor 


In 2022-23, York University took up the challenges associated with the realities of a new higher education landscape fundamentally impacted by three years of the pandemic.  We did so with a renewed commitment to address persistent, global issues such as inequality, food security, and the climate crisis. And as a modern and progressive institution, we were determined to leverage what we had learned from adapting to an ambiguous, complex and uncertain future to continue advancing the priorities set out in our University Academic Plan 2020-2025: Building a Better Future (UAP).

Each of the six Priorities focuses on a key dimension of positive change that York University will pursue. The Priorities are conceptualized as a wheel to reflect their fluidity and interdependence.

We have made great strides this past year across all six priorities and we have responded to the call for action to advance our contributions to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an aim to support prosperity for people and the planet. In addition to establishing a Sustainability Framework for the University and announcing new goals for meeting net-zero sooner, York’s global leadership in advancing the SDGs has been highly noted by the prestigious Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, placing us in the top 40 universities worldwide.  

Our accomplishments above all else reflect our ability to come together as a community to problem-solve and to collaborate on shared objectives as reflected in the myriad of initiatives and actions undertaken across the University – only a fraction of which are captured in this Report.  Importantly, we continue to anticipate and respond to the needs of our students and the communities we serve by developing urgently needed new programming including microcredentials, experiential education, professional Masters’ programs and much more. We have retained high quality online and technology-enhanced learning programs that are accessible, flexible and designed to meet the needs of our diverse student population. Our new School of Continuing Studies, featured in this report, stands out as a shining exemplar of our commitment to those seeking to upgrade, reskill or enhance their education.

Ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of the School of Continuing Studies "Twisted Building." Pictured are Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, Interim AVP, School of Continuing Studies; Kim Wheatley, who blessed the land; Perdita Felicien, Canadian Olympian and keynote speaker; York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton; Paul Tsaparis, Chair of the Board of Governors; and Tracey Taylor O'Reilly, Founder of the School of Continuing Studies.
Ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of the School of Continuing Studies “Twisted Building.” Pictured are Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, Interim AVP, School of Continuing Studies; Kim Wheatley, who blessed the land; Perdita Felicien, Canadian Olympian and keynote speaker; York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton; Paul Tsaparis, Chair of the Board of Governors; and Tracey Taylor O’Reilly, Founder of the School of Continuing Studies.

In 2024, the Markham Campus will officially open its doors, expanding Canada’s talent pipeline with a focus on entrepreneurship and technology. Similarly, our proposal for a School of Medicine submitted to government this past year is based on an integrated and community-based approach to health care, responding to the urgent unmet needs in primary health care. And our Glendon Faculty has undertaken a transformative revisioning initiative which will uniquely position it as an immersive, multilingual environment for talented and diverse students.

A group of people standing alongside President Lenton at the Markham Campus ‘topping-off ceremony’ behind a construction beam.”
A group of people standing alongside President Lenton at the Markham Campus ‘topping-off ceremony’ behind a construction beam.

York also continues to expand our research and creative activities building on our historic strengths in interdisciplinary scholarship. In addition to a significant increase in our external sponsored research funding, York was awarded its largest ever research grant for the $318.4 million Connected Minds initiative. Launching a bold new Strategic Research Plan will accelerate the development of research, scholarship, creative activity and fuel innovation over the next five years to further propel this growth.

Picture in front of YorkU red logo wall at the CFREF celebration. In picture from left to right are: Vice Director Gunnar Blohm; Vice Director Pina D’Agostino, AVP Partnerships and Innovation Jim Banting, York President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton, VP Research and Innovation Amir Asif, Scientific Director Doug Crawford, and Associate Director Sean Hillier.”
Picture in front of YorkU red logo wall at the CFREF celebration. In picture from left to right are: Vice Director Gunnar Blohm; Vice Director Pina D’Agostino, AVP Partnerships and Innovation Jim Banting, York President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton, VP Research and Innovation Amir Asif, Scientific Director Doug Crawford, and Associate Director Sean Hillier.

A welcoming and inclusive campus, we challenged ourselves to develop new programs and initiatives that provide students with the financial support, mentorship and career guidance they need to succeed. In addition, the new Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEDI) Strategy, will continue to ensure York’s leadership in creating access and success opportunities for equity-deserving groups across all stakeholder groups, and further embed the values of DEDI into the fabric of our institution.

York University 2023-2028 DEDI Strategy diagram.
York University 2023-2028 DEDI Strategy diagram.

We have begun to implement our new Global Engagement and Internationalization Strategy as a central component of our expanding network of local and global partnerships that continue to create unique opportunities for York including the UN CIFAL Training Centre and UNITAR Global Water Academy that we host.

I want to close by recognizing and thanking the exceptional students, staff, instructors, faculty, alumni, volunteers, community partners, and supporters of York, all of whom exemplify our institution’s pillars of connectedness, access, excellence and impact.   

York University community members pictured after tree planting event, holding shovels and signs representing the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.”
York University community members pictured after tree planting event, holding shovels and signs representing the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.

Rhonda Lenton
President & Vice-Chancellor