A new building, new programs, and renovations
Alex Wagstaff
Executive Editor (Online)
@alexwagstaff
It’s a big year at York’s little campus.
Since the Ontario government named Glendon a Centre for Excellence for French language education in 2008, the campus has received $20-million in provincial funding. More than half of the money has gone to renovating and refurbishing Glendon’s existing facilities, with the rest earmarked for new programs and a new building.
The new facility officially opens its doors to students May 15. York president Mamdouh Shoukri; the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, minister of Francophone affairs; and the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, minister of municipal affairs and housing, will attend the opening ceremony.
Construction began on the facility in September of 2010, with an originally projected completion in December of 2011. Located just inside the gates, the building’s glass façade serves as something of a new entranceway to the forested campus. It boasts an auditorium, several lecture halls, and a café.
As well as the building, the provincial funding has provided for several new programs at Glendon, including a bachelor of education for French teachers and a doctorate in Francophone studies.
Glendon was designated the Centre of Excellence for French-Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education in Southern Ontario in February 2008. The Government of Ontario provided $20-million to the campus, citing the need for more French post-secondary education in Southern Ontario, the only region in the province experiencing growth in Francophone population. Glendon enrolment has grown from 1,700 students in 2001 to 2,800 today.
The funding came out of the Ontario government’s Access to Opportunities strategy, an investment in French education in the province.
