York University’s Glendon Campus is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with an official commitment to provide French-language programs and services and bilingual education for many more years to come.
The Ontario government has granted York University partial designation under the French Language Services Act, which designates the Glendon Campus as a French-language service provider. This partial designation formalizes the university’s commitment to provide francophone and bilingual education now and into the future.
“This is a wonderful acknowledgement of York University’s dedication to bilingual education, and of our commitment to provide increased access to francophone students,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “The bilingual nature of the Glendon campus makes it a key player in the development of the Francophone community in central and southwestern Ontario, where nearly half of French-speaking Ontarians will reside by 2020.”
Approximately 700 francophone students attend Glendon along with 2,000 francophiles who chose the bilingual campus in order to immerse themselves in a second language. Students choose from more than 20 undergraduate programs, two professional programs (education and translation), seven certificates and four master’s degree programs (in French Studies, translation, conference interpreting and public and international affairs), as well as a PhD program in Francophone Studies.
“Partial designation ensures that funding for French-language programs is protected, and York, through Glendon, is committed to expanding those programs,” said Provost and Vice-President Academic, Rhonda Lenton. “This year, Glendon launched science programs in biology and psychology, and next fall it will offer new programs in business and communications.”
Glendon Principal Donald Ipperciel said this announcement is particularly meaningful as Glendon celebrates its 50th anniversary.
“Glendon has grown beyond its original vision to embrace internationalization and is carrying its tradition of liberal arts programming into new professional programs,” said Ipperciel. “We are the only university campus in southern Ontario to offer a range of university programs in French and we are adding new programs to ensure we continue to meet the needs of francophone students and employers.”
The Hon. Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, announced the partial designation today.
“Our government is proud to grant York University, Glendon Campus partial designation as a French-language service provider. Ensuring that francophone students in Ontario have widespread access to quality French-language programs is a key priority for our government, and I look forward to continuing to work with our institutions to support environments that allow students to learn in their own language and get the skills they need to get good jobs,” he said.
The Hon. Madeleine Meilleur, Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, will speak at the closing ceremony of the annual Toronto Francophonie Forum later today.
“The designation reflects York University’s commitment towards French-language postsecondary education. It strengthens access to College and University-level studies and programs in French as well as representing an important lever for fostering the growth of the Francophone community. This is a significant investment in the province’s prosperity,” she said.
Partial designation requires universities to take a number of steps including the following: ensure an active offer of services in French and create a complaint process for students to evaluate the quality of those services; ensure effective representation of Francophones on the Board of Governors and university committees as well as in management, and make the Board and senior managers accountable for the quality of French language services.
York University has established an Advisory Board on Francophone Affairs, has appointed two Francophones to its Board of Governors and is partnering with a number of other educational institutions in Ontario to improve access to postsecondary programs for Francophones and Francophiles.
York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. As Canada’s only fully bilingual campus, Glendon is one of the faculties of York University dedicated to excellence in bilingual postsecondary education.
Media Contact:
Janice Walls, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca
