Since the fall of 2021, Glendon has been engaged in a repositioning exercise to ensure that program offerings are compelling, career-relevant, geared toward student needs and sustainable.
Throughout the repositioning process, faculty, staff, students, alumni and other community members have been actively engaged in a thoughtful consultation process about the future direction of Glendon College. Town hall events, community conversations, meetings with Senate and Faculty Council, and polls were regularly held as community touchpoints over the past three years.
The future direction for Glendon includes the restructuring of academic units to promote greater interdisciplinarity and to support research, teaching and the student experience. The revised structure also focused on embracing efficiency in the delivery of Glendon's programs and strengthening enrolment.
"This new structure presents an opportunity to establish an environment that supports the kind of academic renewal that is needed among today's universities, where new and innovative ideas are born at the intersection of disciplines," says Marco Fiola, principal of Glendon College. "I would like to thank all Glendon and York University community members who have participated in this process to create a vibrant future at Glendon."
On April 30, 2024, York's Board of Governors approved the restructuring of Glendon's academic units, bringing into place the following new departmental structure as of September 1, 2024:
- Glendon Department of Global Communication and Cultures;
- Glendon Department of Science;
- Glendon Department of Economics, Business and Mathematics; and
- Glendon Department of Global and Social Studies.
"A more integrated structure supports creativity in thinking across disciplines when it comes to renewing our curriculum and building our research culture. Above all else, academic programs must remain responsive to the changes we are seeing across higher education today," says Lisa Philipps, provost and vice-president academic. "I want to recognize the Glendon colleagues who will ultimately ensure the success of the repositioning. This new structure supports sustainability and enables us to deliver the best learning experience possible for our students."
In the coming months, changes will continue to unfold, including adjustments to academic programming to enhance the student experience, creating co-ordinated recruitment efforts that align with the University-wide strategy and modifications to Glendon's administrative service model. All these efforts will support the delivery of an enhanced educational experience for students at Glendon starting this fall.
"We have the know-how and we have the ingenuity to be a bold and forward-thinking part of York University," says Fiola. "This new, streamlined academic structure will help us make better use of our resources, for the benefit of our students and faculty members."
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
