Current and prospective Glendon students and community members: Please be advised that there are no planned changes to Glendon’s courses, organizational structure or location. While a proposal to transition Glendon is under consideration, nothing has been decided. Academic programs and campus activities are continuing as normal.
York University Interim Provost Laina Bay-Cheng has asked Glendon colleagues to consider the possibility of relocating York’s bilingual academic offerings and French-language services from Glendon Campus to Keele Campus. This would entail transitioning Glendon College from a standalone Faculty into a college that serves as a University-wide hub for bilingual education, with a dedicated physical home in the building where the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) is currently located. Under the proposal, French-language learning, services and community life would be anchored at the University’s Keele campus where it can be more readily integrated across the University. A comprehensive proposal has been offered for collegial discussion and assessment and would only proceed given collegial support and in accordance with governance processes.
How best to deliver and sustain York’s bilingual mandate has been a long-standing question for the University, including in the 1992 green paper, Vision 2020. In 2025, the Faculties of the Future project sought to identify approaches to address student access, program duplication, academic quality and long-term sustainability. Among other possibilities, it revisited some of the enrolment, academic pathway, and budgetary challenges related to Glendon.
In November 2025 and in response to the Faculties of the Future, Glendon Faculty Council requested that the University administration return with comprehensive proposals for addressing these issues and supporting Glendon’s academic mission.
The proposal offered by the interim provost is in response to that request. It is intended to prompt further consideration of how best to address challenges Glendon is facing while also fortifying and even expanding its bilingual mandate. This is a commitment for the entire University, not only Glendon.
The timing and content of the proposal also reflect the University’s current resource challenges and priorities. York as a whole is at a moment when we must collectively and collaboratively find ways to stabilize our finances and advance our academic mission.
The academic mission and structures of the University are wholly within the purview of academic colleagues through Faculty Councils and Senate. Normally, proposals for modifications would originate there. In this instance, Glendon Faculty Council requested that the administration put forward comprehensive proposals for Glendon to address issues surfaced through the Faculties of the Future project.
Given its tentative and preliminary nature, that it is not a defined or formal plan, and that it was formed in response to a request from Glendon Faculty Council, the proposal was brought first to Glendon colleagues for their consideration. Should there be collegial support to advance the proposal, those steps will be led by Glendon Faculty Council and follow normal governance processes.
No. A comprehensive proposal has been offered to Glendon Faculty Council for their consideration and to assess its value. It requires colleagues’ input and insight in order to be more fully formed and requires their support and direction in order to move forward through the University’s governance processes.
Yes, other options were explored. However, none addressed as many challenges, opened up as many opportunities, and worked within our financial resources while honouring Glendon’s academic mandate as well as the model shared by the interim provost. Furthermore, given the substantive changes entailed in the proposed option, it warranted focused attention and significant time.
This page will be updated throughout the process. Questions or feedback can be submitted using the Revitalizing York's Bilingual Mandate: Feedback Form.
Yes. For information in French, please visit the French language webpages.
Financial sustainability must be a factor in any University actions and decisions, but it is not the sole motivation behind the proposal. In fact, one of the proposal’s advantages is its potential to address multiple priorities: bolstering student enrolment and experience; providing students with clear and enriching academic pathways; and most importantly, strengthening and invigorating our bilingual mandate by expanding access to more students and integrating it in more fields of study.
Approximately 70 per cent of York’s Francophone students study at Keele Campus, not to mention a larger population of students who might take advantage of bilingual offerings if readily available. Keele also offers a broader range of programs, services and supports, including housing, student well-being resources and a larger academic community. Locating Glendon College at Keele would place bilingual and French-language learning, services and community life closer to the majority of York students.
Relocating other academic or administrative units to the Glendon Campus would not address some of the key issues currently under review, including low enrolment in Glendon’s programs and academic duplication with other Faculties. It could also negatively impact enrolment in other units by moving programs away from their existing student base and infrastructure.
Maintaining Glendon as a Faculty at the Keele Campus would not address issues related to academic duplication across the University. A structural transition would create opportunities to rethink the funding model for French-language and bilingual academic offerings, services, programming, recruitment, and marketing. It would also lead to operational savings that could be reinvested in bilingual placemaking, student experience, and community building. It would also help integrate and broaden French-language and bilingual course offerings across multiple Faculties, expanding access to these learning opportunities.
Three broad categories were carefully examined: academic models that leverage the Glendon campus’s size and setting; creating a multi-Faculty presence at Glendon; and moving Glendon to Keele while keeping it as a standalone Faculty.
All potential options were assessed in relation to: their potential to strengthen York’s bilingual mandate and broader academic mission; relevant data from York and the broader sector; and the feasibility of implementation within the University's current means. While we explored appealing possibilities, none hewed as closely to York’s mission, institutional and sector data, or the University’s means, or hold as much promise, as the proposed strategy.
The comprehensive proposal is modeled on a notional opening of Glendon College at Keele in Fall 2029. This date was used in order to provide a detailed example of transition timeline and steps. It incorporates time for planning, advance communication and information, system changes, and governance. No timeline has been confirmed. The proposal will only move forward if it receives collegial endorsement and proceeds through the University's governance processes.
York has no intention of ceasing academic activities at Glendon. The criteria for future campus activities include maintaining existing community relationships and partnerships.
Glendon College would be the primary occupant and the building could be renamed to reflect this. School of Continuing Studies would maintain a presence, though their space needs have diminished considerably since the building was opened with changes in enrolment and increases in online courses. Preliminary mapping of space and scheduling indicate that SCS’s needs can be met even with the building being Glendon’s home base. It is worth nothing that the SCS student body is itself culturally diverse and multilingual, therefore aligning well with Glendon College.
Different bilingual academic pathways could be possible if the bilingual mandate is transitioned to Keele Campus and integrated across Faculties. In addition to bilingual programs, new bilingual streams within programs could be established and bilingual certification could also be made available to students across York, including those in fields where there is labour market demand for bilingual capacity (e.g. health care and social services). These possible pathways are detailed in the proposal.
The proposal offers to preserve, and ideally expand, the current number of French-language and bilingual courses. They could also expand into new fields and programs that currently do not have any French-language courses, including in fields where there is labour market demand for bilingual capacity (e.g. health care and social services). It would also be possible for French-language courses to be delivered in the new Glendon College building on the Keele campus, where there is space to accommodate large and small class sizes. Such possibilities are explored in the proposal.
Glendon's identity and future
No. While the proposal is being considered and further developed, Glendon will continue to operate as it currently does.
If the proposal receives collegial support and moves forward, Glendon would evolve in structure and location, but its bilingual mandate would be preserved and even strengthened.
If the proposal does not receive support, Glendon will continue to operate as it currently does in the near term and the challenges facing Glendon, including declining enrolment and mounting deficit, will remain unresolved. If the proposal offered is not supported, it will be essential for the Glendon community to work with the University to identify and develop another academically, financially and practically viable solution because Glendon is not sustainable in its current form.
York’s partial designation under the French Language Services Act is an important commitment. Maintaining that designation is a priority. The stated goal of this work is to strengthen French-language services and access across the University.
As part of considering the proposed model, the University is exploring means of offering bilingual academic pathways, French-language learning opportunities, and associated credentials to students across York. This expansion of access and engagement is a primary goal of the proposal to move Glendon and our bilingual mandate to Keele Campus.
This is a matter of collegial governance. The current proposal must first be considered by Glendon Faculty Council and developed further through collaboration with Glendon colleagues and other relevant constituencies, such as students and non-academic staff. It is up to Glendon Faculty Council to determine whether, when, and in what form the proposal moves forward. Any further steps will adhere to the University’s governance processes and engage governance bodies, including Senate and Senate committees and the Board of Governors if applicable.
No. Academic changes such as those being considered are matters of collegial governance through Faculty Council and Senate bodies. A preliminary proposal has been presented to Glendon Faculty Council to begin discussion. The proposal must follow the University’s governance processes, and include feedback from faculty, staff, students and other community members. No implementation has begun or will be initiated without collegial support.
The University is committed to maintaining ongoing academic presence at Glendon Campus. This proposal does not change that.
Our first priority is to understand how to best serve our bilingual academic mission. Decisions about the use of the Glendon Campus land are a distinct matter and are not driving the academic proposal.
Our first priority is to understand how to best serve our bilingual academic mission. Decisions about the use of the Glendon Campus land are a distinct matter and are not driving the academic proposal. Interim President Philipps committed to sharing more information with Glendon Faculty Council. The Phase 1 report contains commercially sensitive information, which was removed from the summary document and shared on June 5.
How the proposal would affect the Core Curriculum and other academic programs and pathways is something that colleagues are invited to consider as they assess the proposal. Any desire to alter academic programming would necessarily follow regular collegial governance processes.
Marco Fiola, principal of Glendon College, has been confirmed for a second five-year term and we expect he would remain Glendon’s leader, even if its structure changes during that term. He has been fully engaged is committed to supporting the process of elaborating it and assessing its merits. Should the proposal receive collegial support, Principal Fiola will be well-positioned to guide its implementation and realizing its potential.
Analysis done for the proposal found demand for bilingual skills across several sectors, indicating opportunities to expand French-language and bilingual programming at Keele.
One area where this demand is evident is the health care sector. The market analysis identified that in areas such as nursing and other hospital-based roles, demand for bilingual candidates was at least three times higher across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. These findings suggest employers value bilingual skills and that graduates who can work in both English and French may have access to a broader range of career opportunities.
The findings also highlight opportunities to strengthen connections between bilingual education and workforce needs, supporting further identification of areas where French-language and bilingual programs may enhance student learning, career development and community needs. York University community members can refer to Section 2: Strategy Components & Implementation.
Process
Updates will be shared during the consultation process and this website will be updated as new information becomes available.
If the proposal does not receive collegial support, Glendon will continue to operate as it currently does, while we continue to look for other means of addressing its declining enrolment and mounting deficit while also fulfilling our bilingual mandate. Other proposals are welcome and will be assessed for their viability.
York U's French-language mandate
No. On the contrary, the proposal’s stated intent is to expand access to French-language education by increasing visibility and integration across the University. York considers fulfilling its bilingual mandate a public responsibility.
York’s partial designation under the French Language Services Act is an important commitment. Maintaining that designation is a priority. The stated goal of this work is to strengthen French-language services and access across the University.
York is in contact with Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, Ministry of Francophone Affairs, the Commissioner of French Language Services in the Office of the Ombudsman Ontario regarding the proposal. They are aware that the proposal is subject to the University's collegial governance processes.
The proposal is presented as York-specific and based on York’s size, the distribution of its Francophone student population, prospects for reaching more students, and institutional responsibilities.
Students
No changes to student services are being made or planned. We are still in the preliminary stages of exploring the proposal.
Students will retain the option to complete their degree according to Glendon's academic requirements, providing continuity and flexibility throughout the transition.
Yes. Supporting students in graduating on time is our top priority. If any change were to affect program delivery, students would receive information in advance and have access to advising support.
There are no changes to residence at this stage. Students currently living on the Glendon Campus can continue to do so. If changes were considered in the future, students would be provided notice and guaranteed housing options at Keele.
Yes! Glendon College remains open and active. Students interested in bilingual education and Francophone community life are encouraged to apply. The proposal is only just that: a proposal. It will proceed only if there is collegial support for it. Prospective students with questions about programs and admissions can contact the Admissions team.
No changes to student services are being made at this stage. If changes were considered in the future, maintaining access to high-quality student services would be a key consideration, including Francophone student services, academic advising, mental health supports and accessibility services.
No tuition changes are suggested as part of this proposal.
Students have shared their feedback through meetings with University and Glendon administration, online feedback submissions through the website, and also through student-directed means, such as a survey conducted by Glendon Council Student Union (a report of those findings was shared with the Interim Provost on September 10). There are future meetings with student leaders scheduled, including a meeting with Glendon student levy groups in mid-September. Engagement with students is ongoing and will continue.
Glendon alumni are active and valued members of our global alumni community. graduates from Glendon will remain Glendon alumni. Graduates from York’s colleges also maintain strong ties to those colleges and the alumni communities within them.
Faculty and staff
Faculty members have voluntary transfer options available to them through the York University-YUFA Collective Agreement.
If the proposal receives collegial support and Glendon’s relocation proceeds, the transfer of faculty appointments will be governed by the relevant provisions in the collective agreement.
If the proposal receives the collegial support required to proceed, staffing will be considered at the appropriate time. The University recognizes that employment uncertainty can be stressful, any affected staff will be supported in accordance with the applicable collective agreement or university process.
It is worth noting that even if Glendon transitions to Keele campus, the University will continue to uphold its obligation to provide French language services.
The proposal images that programs unique to Glendon could move under the auspices of another Faculty at Keele, with associated faculty members’ appointments also being transferred. All academic transitions will be guided by colleagues and relevant governance processes and faculty members’ appointment transitions would be guided by the York-YUFA collective agreement. Details of these transitions are provided in the proposal.
No. Transfers within Glendon took place effective September 1, 2024 in concert with the disestablishment of the previously existing 14 academic units, where Glendon faculty had held their appointments, and establishment of the four current departments. There have been and are no plans for involuntary transfers related to this new proposal. In fact, the only transfers contemplated in the proposal are ones that would proceed voluntarily in accordance with the York-YUFA collective agreement.