Trevor Young

The ��Ƶ is continuing to invest in students – with financial aid, new housing and innovative classroom technologies – and drive forward world-class research, all while taking steps to address headwinds buffeting Canada’s post-secondary sector.

The 2024-2025 balanced budget, approved by Governing Council on April 4, plans for $3.52 billion in spending during the upcoming fiscal year, an increase of 4.9 percent over the previous period.

That includes hundreds of millions of dollars for student aid and an estimated extra $125 million related to increases in faculty, staff and librarian compensation following the repeal of Ontario’s Bill 124, which had placed strict limits on public sector pay increases for several years.

While the additional costs related to compensation required money to be redirected from other areas this year, more than $18 million will still be spent on everything from teaching innovations to upgrading classroom technologies, as well as supporting work on sustainability and inclusive research networks that seek to eliminate systematic barriers and advance members’ discoveries on a global stage.

The budget also details significant investments in capital projects that are planned or underway across the three campuses, ranging from student residences to new spaces for learning and research.

“The investments being made in teaching, learning and research across the ��Ƶ’s three campuses make it possible for students and faculty to continue to excel in their chosen fields,” says Trevor Young, U of T’s vice-president and provost.

“They also underscore the university’s dedication to supporting the well-being and success of all its community members – both in the upcoming academic year and for many years to come.”

Demand for programs remains strong. Enrolment exceeded 99,000 students last fall and there are plans to increase domestic undergraduate spaces by 2,500 in the next five years, focusing on areas like nursing and medicine, including at the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH).

However, the university is forecasting slower revenue growth in the years ahead.

“We’re heading into a new planning environment compared to where we have been over the last decade,” says Jeff Lennon, U of T’s assistant vice-president, planning and budget.

He adds that the university continues to balance its budget and has benefited from strong returns on investments which will contribute to revenue growth next year. But he stresses that U of T continues to face increasing financial pressure as a result of “extraordinary increases in compensation for faculty, staff and librarians following the repeal of Ontario’s wage restraint legislation, which has required the redirection of funds from other priorities.”

That’s in addition to the financial impact of slowing enrolment amid a more complex geopolitical environment, frozen provincial base operating grants and provincial restrictions on domestic tuition, he says.

Tuition fees for Ontario students, cut by 10 per cent in 2019, remain frozen, resulting in a $15-million impact to the university’s plan for next year. The cut and subsequent freezes to tuition have resulted in a $195-million reduction in annual revenue to the university as of 2023 relative to the pre-2019 framework that had allowed for annual domestic tuition increases of three per cent, Lennon says.

The continuing tuition fee freeze runs counter to the findings of a blue-ribbon panel, which last year recommended that the province lift the freeze on domestic tuition and called for a five-per-cent tuition increase next year for Ontario students and a minimum increase of 2 per cent in subsequent years. Last month, the Ontario government announced that it would provide $1.3 billion over three years to help stabilize the province’s colleges and universities, with particular assistance for institutions with more acute budget shortfalls.

Fees for U of T domestic undergraduate students from outside the province, meanwhile, will see a five-per-cent increase in the upcoming year, while international fees will increase by an average of 2.1 per cent – although the cost to students for the latter will continue to be offset by $90 million that U of T has earmarked for international student scholarships.

Another potential headwind is the federal government’s changes to international study applications for undergraduate students, which is meant to crack down on institutions that have rapidly recruited large numbers of students from outside Canada. While U of T is not a target of the new rules, the changes may nevertheless create uncertainty for future students, Lennon says.

Despite these challenges, U of T continues to make priority investments in several areas, including through its University Fund. For example, it is planning to spend $5.1 million to fund various divisional research and teaching initiatives, including: hiring new faculty; supporting programs that help students deal with the rising cost of living in Toronto; experimenting with AI in the classroom, flexible course delivery models and more opportunities for experiential learning; and adding programming around subjects such as data science, machine learning, global leadership, and life sciences.

There are also efforts to enhance access for underrepresented students through outreach programs, mental health supports and financial supports.

As in previous years, student aid remains a top priority in the 2024-2025 budget – with more than $380 million set aside for financial supports – part of the university’s pledge that no domestic student admitted to a U of T program will be prevented from studying because of a lack of financial means.

The university is expanding its student residences with plans to add about 1,250 new spaces to its current inventory of more than 10,500 spaces across the three campuses. This past fall saw the opening of Harmony Commons at U of T Scarborough and a deal that gives U of T preferential access to CampusOne on the St. George campus. The new Oak House residence on Spadina Avenue is under construction and plans are underway for a new Phase IX Residence at U of T Mississauga.

U of T is planning to invest $4.6 billion in 29 capital projects across the three campuses, which are to be funded through a mix of: cash reserves; debt; future cash contributions; and partnerships with donors and governments. Major projects under construction include the Lash Miller expansion and Academic Wood Tower on the St. George campus, as well as the Sam Ibrahim instructional centre and SAMIH building at U of T Scarborough.

Future projects include the James and Louise Temerty Building on the site of the west wing of the current Medical Sciences Building, a new commerce building, the redevelopment of the 215 Huron site on the St. George campus and a literature, arts and media and performance building at U of T Scarborough.

“These and other projects reflect the ��Ƶ’s commitment to enhancing infrastructure, fostering innovation and enriching the academic experience of students, faculty and staff across the three campuses,” says Scott Mabury, U of T’s vice-president, operations and real estate partnerships.

“Such forward-looking investments play a key role in making sure we remain at the forefront of academia, research and innovation on a global scale.”

New Lab for the Study of Global Antisemitism will be a hub for scholarly inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:27:17 +0000

New Lab for the Study of Global Antisemitism will be a hub for scholarly inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration 

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 01/17/2024 - 12:27

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(photo by ��Ƶ)

Faculty of Arts & Science Staff

Topic

Our Community

Antisemitism

Trevor Young

Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies

Faculty of Arts & Science

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

A new lab at the ��Ƶ’s Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies (CJS) will be a hub for scholars from across disciplines to examine the persistence of antisemitism in a global context.  

“Antisemitism has emerged in the global public discourse on a level that has not been seen in generations,” says Anna Shternshis, director of the CJS and the Al and Malka Green Professor of Yiddish Studies in the Faculty of Arts & Science. “By offering a space for convening and intellectual conversation, we hope to generate new insights on antisemitism as a phenomenon, and new responses for tackling its insidious pervasiveness around the world.”

Shternshis is a distinguished scholar with an international reputation for her expertise in Jewish culture in Russia and the Soviet Union, oral history as well as Yiddish music. Recently awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for her work on Nazi-occupied Ukraine, she lectures widely around the world and her work has been featured in print media in 45 countries in 22 languages.

The new Lab for the Study of Global Antisemitism will be housed at the CJS, and its inaugural director will be Ron Levi, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the department of sociology who is a Distinguished Professor of Global Justice. Levi’s research focuses on aspirations to law and justice, and on how we address crime, violence and atrocities during turbulent times. This includes a collaborative project studying hate and counter-hate speech that’s funded by the ��Ƶ-Hebrew University of Jerusalem Research & Innovation Alliance. Levi is director of the Global Justice Lab in the Munk School, which works with justice systems under stress, and a recipient of the Ludwik & Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize. 

“There is a long history of expertise on issues relating to antisemitism, across fields of study, within and beyond the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies,” says Levi, “and I am eager to strengthen these connections, to learn from each other, to inquire, and to build our collective understanding of antisemitism and global responses to this challenge.”

The goals for the new lab include bringing together scholars and students whose work connects, directly or indirectly, with the study of antisemitism. Among the lab’s first initiatives will be to convene an international scholarly lecture series on antisemitism across a wide range of fields of study, opening new opportunities for collaboration among researchers worldwide. The lab will develop research, teaching and study partnerships with other centres of knowledge for the study of antisemitism globally.

“The ��Ƶ is well situated for this scholarship,” says Trevor Young, U of T’s vice-president and provost. “Our academic community has long-standing reach and expertise on the social and cultural issues of societies worldwide. Within the Canadian context, the ��Ƶ offers the opportunity to study antisemitism as a global and comparative phenomenon, thereby offering a unique academic perspective within the field.” 

Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, says “it’s imperative that we continue to invest in scholarship in this area, and the connection to racism and exclusion broadly.”

She adds that she is committed to bringing together expertise within the faculty and beyond, and foresees that the lab will also help the faculty grow its research and other scholarly activities in relation to the state of democracy. 

In addition to the expertise within CJS, Woodin sees great opportunities for the lab to pursue academic collaborations – such as with the Systemic Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) in the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, which has an area of focus on the future of democratic societies and is soon to launch a new series of talks on the Middle East conflict. 

“It’s an understatement to say we are seeing a rise in antisemitism and other forms of hate, not just in places of higher learning, but in all facets of society,” says Woodin. “In search of any solutions, we must delve into the complexities before us and openly collaborate to examine how antisemitism continues to permeate the world around us.”

Randy Boyagoda appointed U of T’s provostial adviser on civil discourse

lanthierj — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 20:12:34 +0000

Randy Boyagoda appointed U of T’s provostial adviser on civil discourse

lanthierj Tue, 01/16/2024 - 15:12

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(photo by Derek Shapton)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

St. Michael's College

Professor Randy Boyagoda has been appointed the ��Ƶ’s first provostial adviser on civil discourse.

A faculty member in the department of English in the Faculty of Arts & Science and a noted novelist, essayist, book critic and scholar, Boyagoda will serve an 18-month term effective Jan. 1, 2024.

He will establish a working group that will lead community consultations and develop a plan for tri-campus events, resources and other initiatives for students, faculty and librarians to engage in and promote productive and respectful dialogue on all kinds of topics. The group will also learn from other institutions around the world that are pursuing their own efforts with respect to civil discourse.

“I was very glad to have been invited by the provost to take up this appointment,” Boyagoda said, adding that he’s looking forward to fostering “a tri-campus conversation in a variety of formats and scales that invite students and faculty to live out civil discourse.

“As part of that, we’ll be drawing on and benefiting from the excellent programming, teaching and research already taking place in this respect, in departments and programs across our three campuses.”

Boyagoda, who will continue to serve as vice-dean, undergraduate in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has previously served as principal and vice-president of St. Michael’s College and as acting vice-provost, faculty and academic life. He has also served as president of PEN Canada, the national chapter of the international non-profit organization that celebrates literature, defends freedom of expression and aids writers in peril.

“I am certain that Professor Boyagoda’s combination of skills and knowledge will serve the university well in this important role,” said Trevor Young, U of T’s vice-president and provost. “I am grateful to him for his willingness to serve as the provostial adviser on civil discourse.”

Young noted that U of T President Meric Gertler addressed the issue of civil discourse at a meeting of the university’s Governing Council in December, saying: “Disagreements on our campuses can and will be heated. But they cannot be allowed to descend into hateful, demeaning or harassing behaviour. Our university must demonstrate to the world how civil, informed debate about difficult issues can be conducted.”

Boyagoda is well-suited to the task of helping to guide the university in answering President Gertler’s call, Young said.

Boyagoda has grappled with high-profile issues around free speech and civil discourse in his own writing and scholarship, including teaching a graduate seminar last fall – “The Satanic Verses and the Public Life of Books” – that considered the impact of author Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel.

“What’s important with civil discourse is to create the conditions, inside and outside the classroom, especially at a place as inherently and variously diverse as our university, for discussions that acknowledge difference while working towards shared understandings,” Boyagoda said. “This matters throughout our shared life on campus, and not just when it comes to the most divisive issues of a given moment.”

Ultimately, he said, the goal is to create the conditions for members of the university community to have the willingness and capacity to engage productively with people who hold viewpoints opposite to their own. This might involve public events, teaching fellowships, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research opportunities and other ideas and projects that emerge from consultations.

“When I was principal of St. Michael’s College, I would propose to incoming students that it was so very important to approach your years at university as an exciting and demanding opportunity to do more than just think for yourself – which strikes me as a lonely, boring, self-confirming exercise. To my mind, university is a time and space to discern who you want to think with, who you want to think against, and how to do so, with others, for the greater good,” Boyagoda said.

“Doing this difficult thing, together, and for the greater good: that’s what civil discourse is all about.”

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Provost Trevor Young

U of T partners with leading African universities and Mastercard Foundation to advance health care in Africa

bresgead — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 18:44:25 +0000

U of T partners with leading African universities and Mastercard Foundation to advance health care in Africa

bresgead Tue, 01/16/2024 - 13:44

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The Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative Executive Steering Committee, including U of T’s Joseph Wong and Wisdom Tettey, fourth and third from right, met in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2023 (photo courtesy of Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative)

Topic

The ��Ƶ, the Mastercard Foundation and a network of leading African universities are embarking on a 10-year initiative to enhance primary health care workforce education, entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa.

The partnership, known as the Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative (AHEHC), was launched in 2022 and aims to bolster the continent’s health sectors as part of efforts to improve care for millions while supporting youth employment and economic growth. Participating institutions from Africa include Addis Ababa University, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, African Leadership University, Amref International University, Ashesi University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Moi University and the University of Cape Town.

The AHEHC partners are committed to reshaping the health-care landscape in Africa by preparing young people for meaningful work in health and wellness through contextually appropriate and sustainable primary health care.

According to a 2022 survey of 47 countries in Africa, there’s an average of only 1.55 doctors, nurses, and midwives per 1,000 people, significantly below the WHO’s recommended ratio.

AHEHC was a key topic at a 2023 meeting in Cape Town, South Africa that focused on a collective goal of enhancing the health sector to benefit African societies. The gathering included several U of T leaders: Joseph Wong, vice-president, international; Trevor Young, dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine who is now vice-president and provost; and Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough. Representatives from all partnering institutions also participated.

“The Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative is part of a larger movement – driven by Africans for Africans – aimed at enhancing the continent's economic vitality, improving access to health care and generating fulfilling employment in the health sector,” Wong said.

"The members of this collaborative are working hand-in-hand to advance local priorities and leverage our collective resources to create a healthier, more sustainable future, with each partner contributing to and learning from the others.”

Wong added that AHEHC’s work is guided by the idea of co-creation – an approach that was evident at the October 2023 convening as the partners cemented the mutual relationships, laying the foundation for the widespread adoption of African-led solutions across the network.

U of T’s participation in the AHEHC aligns with the university’s broader Africa strategy, which encompasses various initiatives from entrepreneurship exchanges to high-level summits involving representatives from universities, governments and various international development groups. It is guided by the President’s International Council on Engagement with Africa and is outlined in the university’s International Strategic Plan 2022-2027, focused on global reach, global learning and global impact.

"We aim to tap into the tremendous young talent and vast opportunities across the continent while addressing challenges facing Africa’s primary healthcare systems, including severe worker shortages,” said Penina Lam, U of T’s senior director of international relations, who is leading AHEHC’s implementation.

AHEHC’s initial focus will be in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa, aiming to strengthen health sectors. Through hands-on training in various disciplines, AHEHC seeks to prepare the next generation of health-care practitioners. The approach aims to enhance the delivery of high-quality primary care, stimulate economic growth and develop robust societies. This aligns with the Mastercard Foundation’s Health Strategy, which seeks to create three million dignified and fulfilling jobs in primary care, with an emphasis on employment opportunities for women and young people.

The 2023 Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, & Adaptation (MELA) co-creation workshop was held in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2023 (photo courtesy of Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative)

As the secretariat for the initiative, U of T plays a supportive role in co-ordinating collaborations and programs tailored to each partner’s local health priorities, needs, assets and expertise. This involves facilitating learning, development and implementation across the network, managed by a team in Canada and through three regional hubs in Africa.

For example, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of family and community medicine partnered with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Together, they co-delivered continuing education courses for primary care workers in critical areas such as palliative care. About 100 Ghanaian primary care professionals participated in the courses this fall.

This program is among many guided by AHEHC’s three pillars: health employment, focusing on workforce development; health entrepreneurship, which supports the creation of businesses that will produce health innovations and self-employment opportunities; and health ecosystems, which engages partners in government, corporations, non-profits and other institutions in the collective effort to transform the health sector.

AHEHC will also build on the success of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, ushering in a new cohort of graduate students from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to pursue their studies at U of T over ten years.

AHEHC leverages U of T’s longstanding, mutually beneficial relationships with institutions in Africa, such as the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration, which brings together U of T faculty members with colleagues at Addis Ababa University to co-develop graduate programs and train professionals, many of whom remain in Ethiopia to contribute to various sectors.

Wong said the initiative is an important one for the university.

“This collaborative aligns with our institutional mission to foster an academic community in which the learning and scholarship of everyone flourishes,” he said. “We are committed to the principles of equal opportunity, equity and justice – not just here in Canada but globally.”

Trevor Young appointed U of T’s vice-president and provost

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 20:19:58 +0000

Trevor Young appointed U of T’s vice-president and provost

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 06/27/2023 - 16:19

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Tabassum Siddiqui

Topic

Our Community

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Toronto Academic Health Science Network

Cheryl Regehr

Meric Gertler

Provost

Trevor Young, dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and an internationally recognized scholar on bipolar disorder and the molecular basis of mood disorders, has been appointed the ��Ƶ’s new vice-president and provost.

Approved Tuesday by U of T’s Governing Council, Young’s appointment is for a five-year term, effective Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2028.

Currently also serving as U of T’s vice-provost, relations with health-care institutions, Young is a professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s departments of psychiatry, and pharmacology and toxicology, and a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

He previously served as U of T’s acting provost from July to December 2021.

“As dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Professor Trevor Young has demonstrated exceptional leadership on many fronts, from launching transformational academic programs to developing important initiatives around equity, diversity and inclusion,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “He also played a key role overseeing the university’s relationship with its health-care partners – and, as the university’s acting provost, helped lead the ��Ƶ through a challenging period during the pandemic.

“I look forward to having Professor Young join the vice-presidential team and to continue working closely with him on advancing the university’s mission.”

Young, who will succeed current Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr, said his time as acting provost spurred his interest in taking on the role on a longer-term basis.

“It means a lot to me to be able to give back to the university, which has been like a second home for me in many ways,” he said. “The fact that I can contribute by making an impact as provost is really significant to me.”

Since being appointed dean at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine in January 2015, Young launched a new foundational curriculum for MD students, introduced several interdisciplinary education and research programs, advanced system-wide equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives with partner hospitals and other health sciences faculties, and led the renewal of medical sciences laboratory space.

He also advanced the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s position as the lead contributor to Ontario’s regulated health professional workforce and made significant progress in areas of equity, diversity and inclusion through his support of curricular innovation and new initiatives such as the Diversity Mentorship Program and the Black Student Application Program.

As vice-provost, Young has overseen the university’s relationships across the Toronto Academic Health Science Network, a thriving research enterprise comprised of nine fully affiliated teaching hospitals and four associate member hospitals.

“Temerty is a big, multi-departmental faculty, which has helped prepare me to take on a leadership role of this scale and complexity,” Young said. “During my time as dean, I learned how important it is to make sure that you include a lot of voices and listen closely to seek out opportunities for solutions.”

The recipient of numerous awards, Young has led several large clinical programs, including the mood disorders program at Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital, which received the American Psychiatric Services Gold Achievement Award. In 2009, he was made a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Young received his MD from the University of Manitoba and his PhD at the Institute of Medical Science at U of T, where he completed his residency training. He was a research fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and has been a professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster University; professor and head of the department of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia; and professor and chair of U of T's department of psychiatry.

“I've had the experience of being a U of T student, a faculty member and in leadership,” Young said. “I've had a chance to see lots of different sides of the university and hear perspectives from the community – and that will serve me well for this role as provost, which has oversight over so many areas.”

In January, President Gertler shared that Regehr, a professor and former dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, planned to step down as vice-president and provost at the end of the year. First appointed to the role in 2013, her many accomplishments include improving U of T’s equity and outreach programs, supporting faculty diversity, excellence and leadership, securing enhanced supports for graduate students and advancing student mental health.

“I want to thank Professor Regehr for her exceptional leadership and dedication to student success and academic excellence,” President Gertler said. “Her achievements in this integral role will continue to resonate at the university for many years to come.”

As provost, Young said he plans to build on Regehr’s work while drawing on his background in mental health and his role as chair of the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health.

“I really want to continue to work on student mental health and accessibility – I think we’ve done a remarkable job of improving that, but I think we have to do even more,” he said.

“I also want to look at how we approach AI in all the work we do in teaching and research, especially given the fact that we’ve had such a remarkable impact on the field coming from ��Ƶ and others here. And finally, I’d like to look at how the three campuses can work even better together.”

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Trevor Young