Because they will navigate a knowledge economy shaped by globalization, tomorrow’s leaders must have unprecedented fluency across cultural, business, social and political spheres. Gifts to the Faculty of Arts & Science will help integrate international perspectives into our students learning experiences. These donations will provide more opportunities for students to learn a foreign language, study abroad, participate in an international field school, or conduct research outside of Canada.

Fostering global fluency

The Faculty aims to double the number of our students who participate in a significant international learning experience. This will more closely align the University with peer institutions in the United States and Europe, where study abroad is viewed as an essential part of the undergraduate experience.

One example of innovative initiatives underway is the popular International Course Module (ICM) program, which began as a pilot project and has now become a continuing feature of our undergraduate curriculum. This program allows students to add a brief and academically rigorous international component to an existing upper-level course. Students who cannot afford an extended stay abroad for a number of reasons now have the opportunity to benefit from a program of study “in the world.”

Transforming student’s lives

Although the Faculty has expanded the number and types of international learning opportunities available to our undergraduates, we require significant additional support from the private sector to meet the demand for these life-transforming educational experiences. Our campaign will seek $11 million in endowed donations to fund travel awards for students and to cover other international program costs.