Dear York community,
Over the past seven years I have had the honour and privilege of serving as your president, inspired by York’s vision to provide a broad sociodemographic of students with access to a high-quality education at a research-intensive university that is committed to enhancing the well-being of the communities we serve.
This vision recognizes the transformative power of education and, in our senate-approved academic plan, is underscored by six priorities for positive change. Embedded, also, is a call to action to advance the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which are considered the blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. It acknowledges that global co-operation is essential in support of a healthy and thriving planet.
Despite the challenges that we have experienced over the past year, we have made remarkable strides in advancing the academic plan. We have pursued new opportunities to meet the evolving needs of society in what, how and who we teach, and strengthened our research and creative activities to build a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive future for all.
Some of the highlights include:
- $9 million in funding from the government of Ontario to develop a first-of-its-kind School of Medicine in Canada;
- a bold vision to achieve carbon neutrality on our campuses by 2040 or sooner;
- record-level tri-council funding to support groundbreaking research and scholarship in areas such as health, ethical artificial intelligence, the water sustainability crisis and more;
- the full endowment of the Jean Augustine Chair, a position that advances scholarly research, programs and partnerships for Black communities; and
- recognition as one of the top universities in the world by the Times Higher Education Rankings for our impact on the UN SDGs.
Our work has never been more critical. By continuing to work together, and with partners both locally and globally, we are making a difference by ensuring that no talent is left behind, and by generating solutions to complex issues such as poverty and inequalities, pandemics, climate change, antimicrobial resistance, water resiliency and more.
I invite you to read the President’s Report and hope that it will instil pride in what we have collectively achieved. I am deeply grateful for the dedication and persistence of our community in driving positive change.
Read the 2024 President’s Report.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Lenton
President & Vice-Chancellor