York University Academic Plan 2020-2025

Advancing Global Engagement

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York University draws people from around the world who seek to learn from each other and to gain the global fluencies needed to work locally and across borders toward a better future.


More than ever, universities have a responsibility to contribute to positive change through global cooperation and borderless education. York’s reputation is strong in global languages and internationally engaged research and teaching, with alumni and partners around the world. Our Glendon campus provides a unique environment for cross-linguistic and cross-cultural teaching, research, and dialogue. We have an eco-campus in Las Nubes, Costa Rica and offer global management education at our campus in Hyderabad, India. In addition, we are embedded in one of Canada’s most multicultural and economically vibrant urban regions, where many employers seek highly qualified personnel with a global orientation. 

More than ever, universities have a responsibility to contribute to positive change through global cooperation and borderless education.

York University is launching an Internationalization and Global Engagement Strategy (2020), which sets the stage for a new phase of development that will bring greater resources and coordination to our efforts in this area and will reinforce our commitment to ethical internationalization. The pan-university consultation informing this Strategy reinforces our values of integrity, reciprocity, reflexivity, inclusivity, and sustainability in our international programs and activities. It sets an agenda for action in four areas: 

  • global outlook and fluency informing curricula and global learning, while leveraging our own diversity
  • global nature of research attracting international scholars and supporting international collaborative research
  • robust recruitment of international students from a multitude of countries for whom we create a nurturing and inclusive environment that supports their transitions to careers or further study 
  • communicating more actively, cultivating new partnerships, and fostering alumni connectivity to expand our global reach and profile
BEHR refugee education program participants.

York is committed to enhancing resources and activities in each of these four areas to support this agenda. In addition, we will work with Universities Canada and other partners to ensure that York can fully leverage new public investments such as the federally funded Outbound Student Mobility Program. 


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Working in Partnership

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