York University officials attended the School of Continuing Studies graduation ceremony. Pictured from left: Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly, assistant vice-president Continuing Studies; York President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton; Provost and Vice-President Academic Lisa Philipps.
The York University School of Continuing Studies (SCS) celebrated the success of its graduates as part of spring convocation events. The milestone represents a first for the growing school.
This year, more than 1,200 students from 14 programs earned their SCS certificates and are now ready to move forward with their future careers. The SCS graduation ceremony took place June 13 at the Keele Campus.
“In a world defined by rapid change, higher education has never been more important. To succeed, individuals need to be flexible lifelong learners. In celebrating graduates from the School of Continuing Studies, we are also celebrating the University’s commitment to innovative learning opportunities that will help graduates advance as leaders in the global knowledge economy,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “On behalf of all of us at York, I want to congratulate these graduates and I look forward to witnessing their impact on the world with the new skills, experiences and relationships they have gained at York.”
School of Continuing Studies graduates gathered on the convocation stage for their graduation
In a year of unprecedented growth, SCS has experienced more than 100 per cent increase in graduates. It launched five innovative continuing professional education certificates as part of its mission to prepare the Canadian workforce for career success in an ever-changing future of work.
“This has been an exciting year for the school, as we continue to challenge the norm of what continuing education is and the role it plays in closing the critical skills gap in an increasingly automated world,” says Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly, assistant vice-president, Continuing Studies. “We’ve infused York’s strengths of accessibility, inclusivity, interdisciplinarity and experiential education into our program design, so that we continue to position the University at the forefront of forward-thinking higher education in Canada.”
The SCS is also home to the York University English Language Institute (YUELI), a national leader in English language education for academic and professional purposes. The forthcoming SCS Annual Report shows once again the international degree students prepared through YUELI outperformed their direct entry counterparts in key areas like GPA, retention and graduation rate.
The next exciting chapter in the School of Continuing Studies story begins this fall with the scheduled start of construction on a new building at the Keele Campus that will serve as the centre of operations for Canada’s fastest-growing continuing education unit at a University.
To learn more about how the York University School of Continuing Studies is changing the way students prepare for their dream careers, visit the School of Continuing Studies website.