Champion Global Citizenship
We will create a more dynamic global campus that embraces diverse cultural norms and values and thrives by incorporating multiple perspectives into teaching, learning and research.
A community rich in cultural diversity will enable the scientists, artists and entrepreneurs of tomorrow to drive social change and contribute to more equitable and sustainable solutions in our increasingly connected world.
We will:
- Intensifying recruitment in regions of emphasis.
- Refining Western’s international enrolment and admissions process to be responsive, informative and easy to navigate.
- Prioritizing fundraising activities and increasing resources to support international students.
- Collaborating with London leaders, cultural communities, industry and academic partners to welcome international students and provide inclusive work-integrated learning experiences.
- Providing faculty and staff with tools, resources and intercultural training to fully support international students.
- Strategically engaging international students as ambassadors.
- Elevating opportunities for all students to participate in international and intercultural learning experiences.
- Internationalizing Western’s curriculum, integrating intercultural, Indigenous and global dimensions.
- Creating technology-enabled global classrooms and learning spaces to provide equitable access to immersive, cross-cultural learning and research experiences.
- Increasing opportunities for faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to move, teach and conduct research internationally.
- Fostering more opportunities for staff to broaden their intercultural awareness through exchange programs.
Some measures of progress
- Increase undergraduate international student enrolment to 20 per cent over the next five to seven years.
- Increase international student enrolment in professional masters programs.
- Make a new-to-Canada transition grant available to international students and postdoctoral scholars.
- Increase international student acceptances, retention, satisfaction and graduation rates.
- Enable wider access to international experiences for Indigenous, underrepresented, low-income and other equity-deserving student groups.
- Expand ‘internationalization at home’ options for students, including collaborative online international learning and virtual exchanges.
- Increase the number of funded faculty exchanges with partner universities.
Our global engagement in action
International Learning
Western’s global learning programs provide opportunities for exchange, study abroad, internships, research or participation in faculty-led experiences through more than 170 programs in over 40 countries.
International Peer Guide Program
Western’s International Peer Guide Program has provided 30 years of mentoring, friendship and support to new international students, helping them transition to a warm, welcoming community at Western and in Canada.
