York University launches historic fundraising campaign

York University is launching its most ambitious fundraising campaign ever with a target of $500 million.

Impact: The Campaign for York University celebrates the University’s impact on the world – past, present and future – and acknowledges alumni and major donors whose financial support has contributed to this remarkable success. With record fundraising results achieved in the last few years, the Campaign is more than halfway to its goal, with more than $270 million already committed by alumni and friends at an important time in the history of Canada’s third-largest university.

“York is at an inflection point in its history – a time of significant change. We have established ourselves as a postsecondary leader and we have an unparalleled track record of impact on some of the world’s most pressing issues,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Now, as we face unprecedented global challenges such as climate change, chronic disease, war and resettlement, and food and economic security, we must accelerate our impact. This campaign will ensure that York is ideally positioned to do so.”

York’s Campaign is focused on three major themes. The $500 million raised will fund:

• Mobilizing News Ways of Thinking – $190 million will create 30 new research chairs, professorships and post-doctoral fellowships, build on York’s research and teaching strengths in all programs, and enhance experiential and research-based opportunities that provide hands-on experiential learning.
• Preparing Engaged Global Citizens – $140 million will provide financial aid to students who could not otherwise attend York, allow students to reduce part-time work so they can devote more time to their studies, create transformative learning experiences such as study-abroad opportunities, and fund leadership experiences for students.
• Building Stronger Communities – $170 million will help establish a new state-of-the-art campus in Markham, complete the new building for the Lassonde School of Engineering, construct a new building for the Schulich School of Business and build a new Student Centre and a multi-use athletics stadium.

York University Chancellor Greg Sorbara, President and Vice Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Rick Waugh, Chair of the Board of Governors, are pleased to announce the Honorary Patrons and Campaign Cabinet members who will provide leadership and support for the Campaign.

In addition to raising an unprecedented amount of funding, the campaign aims to double the number of alumni who are engaged in the life of the University.

For more information, see our Campaign video, a photo of the Campaign launch celebration  in the evening on Thursday, April 21, and a list below of our achievements and aspirations.

York University has always been known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 53,000 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 our 283,000 alumni worldwide 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 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. 

Media Contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 ext. 22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca

York University Achievements and Aspirations

What we have achieved

More than 283,000 alumni, who are changing the world

Top professors – 94 per cent have the highest qualification in their field

More than 200 partnerships with universities around the globe

Glendon Campus: Bilingual Centre of Excellence

Our first class of 59 students in the Dadaab refugee camp, who graduated with York certificates in educational studies

Las Nubes Rainforest Neotropical Research Centre, connecting sustainable agriculture with climate change and preserving the rainforest ecosystems

York researchers involved in Phoenix expedition to Mars recorded Martian snowfall

Osgoode Hall Law School’s Intensive Program in Aboriginal Lands, Resources & Governments exploring legal issues related to Indigenous peoples and rights, for more than 20 years.

Faculties of Graduate Studies and Environmental Studies first in Canada to permit a PhD student to defend thesis in Mi'gmaw language

Foreign-educated professionals in Information Technology and Nursing offered intensive programs for Canadian certification

Faculty of Health focused on wellness rather than disease, with innovative community-based research on Autism, Diabetes, and infant pain (our OUCH lab).

Where we are now

More than 53,000 students attending York this year, with more than 9,000 set to graduate in June

More than 200 degree programs and 5,000 courses

International students from 171 countries

Ranked in the Top 100 Universities in the World in Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities

Top ranked MBA program in York’s Schulich School of Business

Internationally renowned Osgoode Hall Law School

Twenty-six Research Centres and institutes, tackling topics ranging from refugee resettlement to muscle health, from vision research to field robotics

Thirty-four Canada Research Chairs, studying everything from Arctic sea ice to digital media, from infectious disease modelling to entrepreneurial innovation

The Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence, open to students and setting a standard for educational architecture

Leading research on bees, pesticides and invasive species ongoing in the Faculty of Science

Faculty of Health researchers zeroing in on the role a compound released by muscle tissue plays in cellular wellness

Lassonde School of Engineering leading the way in creating engineers who combine technical knowledge with a background in business development, law and the liberal arts

Climate change cluster identifying the impact of global warming on the Arctic, specifically in Greenland

Joint program in Interactive Multimedia arising out of the School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design and the Lassonde School of Engineering

Pre-eminent Urban Education program initiatives in the Faculty of Education, along with outreach to northern Inuit communities

Erivan K. Haub Program in Business and Sustainability at the Schulich School of Business focusing on sustainability challenges reshaping contemporary business

Augmented reality research underway in AMPD and Lassonde

Glendon Campus receives partial designation under the French Language Services Act as a French-language service provider.

What we are planning

A York campus in Markham Centre to become a hub for innovation in of one of Canada’s fastest-growing regions

The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health, to be a leader in addressing global health issues

Continued expansion of the wide range of university programs offered in French at York’s Glendon campus, to meet the needs of francophone students and employers