The Council of Ontario Universities announced the new $3 million Economics and Cross Cultural Studies Chair today, along with seven additional endowments for chairs in public policy research. All eight were announced in the Ontario government’s May 2005 budget. York’s proposal was chosen from among 37 proposals submitted by 14 universities.

“This Chair represents a strong commitment to public policy research that serves the community and Canada’s economy,” says York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna Marsden. “This gives us an opportunity to bring together policy makers, business leaders and academics to evaluate cutting-edge practices that are effective in a range of jurisdictions.”

Evidence suggests that Ontario is not producing as many internationally-competitive firms as it should be. For that reason, the Chair will examine international policies and practices in regions where a greater proportion of businesses are growing quickly with a view to assessing whether and in what ways these might be adapted for Ontario.

“The Government of Ontario’s investment in creating these Ontario Research Chairs recognizes the important public policy contribution of research in the social sciences, humanities and professional programs,” says York’s Vice-President Research & Innovation, Stan Shapson. “The cross cultural search for solutions fits perfectly with York’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research. York’s strength in areas such as social diversity, immigration and politics will allow us to look at these issues from many perspectives.”

One of the goals of the Chair will be to research how Canada can benefit from the multicultural, social and economic ties of people who migrate to this country. With York University’s geographic location at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area, the Chair is ideally situated within an increasingly diverse community which has a growing number of SMEs in fields such as information technology, medical devices, and entertainment technologies.

“SMEs are critical to Ontario’s long-term ability to complete globally. The Schulich School’s breadth of international expertise, its strengths in entrepreneurial studies and its extensive network of global partners will ensure that the research carried out by the new Chair will significantly strengthen the ability of Ontario SMEs to compete internationally,” says Dean Dezsö Horváth, of the Schulich School of Business.

A research partnership between York University and the Town of Markham has already led to the creation of the Innovation Synergy Centre in Markham (ISCM) which helps SMEs diagnose their barriers to growth and provides technological and business management expertise from the local community and the University. The new Chair will collaborate with organizations such as the ISCM to develop measures to assess the effectiveness of actual support delivered to SMEs.

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 22 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

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For more information, contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22101/wallsj@yorku.ca