What happens to me?

Under York’s plan, Glendon would cease to exist as a separate faculty. One of the stated rationales for this proposal (as opposed to other alternatives) is to avoid what York views as inefficient “duplication” of courses between the Keele campus and Glendon. Under this proposal, Glendon would survive only as a college with a mandate to provide and promote French-language education, rather than as a faculty offering both French and English-language courses in the liberal arts. 

If this proposal comes to pass, not all current Glendon courses would survive the transition to Keele. It is unclear if any English-language liberal arts courses at Glendon would be preserved. This means that courses for which contract faculty have seniority and experience may simply disappear. Even if courses themselves do not disappear in the potential move to Keele, we can also expect that, with larger class sizes at Keele, course sections that would in the past have been offered to contract faculty at Glendon would no longer be available. Furthermore, Glendon contract faculty would now be competing in the same pool as contract faculty applying to teach in Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS) and other faculties at Keele.

Due to the consolidation of many course sections into large online courses, CUPE 3903 has noted sharp drops in volume of work available for contract faculty. In short, we believe that this proposal would involve extensive job losses among contract faculty – particularly those teaching English-language courses – with no plan on York’s part to mitigate these job losses or offer severance to faculty who have been teaching on contract for years or decades.

Under this proposal, tenured and tenure-track faculty at Glendon would be moved to Keele and integrated into cognate departments in LAPS, the Faculty of Science, and other faculties. This  will present significant budgetary and other challenges, as it is unclear how departments at Keele will be able to accommodate Glendon faculty and the courses that they have developed at Glendon, particularly content courses delivered in French. Part of York’s rationale for this proposal is to eliminate what they view as inefficient “duplication” of courses between York’s faculties, particularly LAPS and Glendon, without even clearly defining what they consider such duplication. Eliminating this duplication will likely mean that courses that have been developed at Glendon cease to exist, and faculty who move to the Keele campus will have to teach different courses.

York’s proposal also involves integrating French-language courses into Keele programs. It is unclear how this will be accomplished, particularly if departments at Keele are not interested in developing and running French-language offerings. It is also unclear what will happen to Glendon programs that do not have cognate programs at the Keele campus.

It is worth noting that the teaching environment at the Keele campus is quite different from Glendon, because classes are larger. This means a greater administrative and/or grading workload for faculty, in addition to making it more difficult to form meaningful connections to students, both within a particular class, and in between semesters. Faculty who have taught at both Glendon and on the Keele campus note that these differences often translate into a difference in the quality of student work, most likely because smaller classes at Glendon increase student motivation and accountability. Overall, the teaching experience at the Keele campus is likely to be less rewarding and more demanding.

Lastly, integrating Glendon faculty into Keele departments will definitely impact the timing of new tenure-track positions for receiving units.

In our view, York’s proposal would involve significant job cuts for Glendon staff. Part of the stated rationale for the plan is to eliminate what York views as the inefficient duplication of courses and services between the Keele and Glendon campuses. Attaining the “efficiencies” that York is seeking would mean the elimination of unionized administrative staff positions.

If you are a student at Glendon, you have probably chosen to come here for the small community feel, bilingual experience, and beautiful campus. We believe all of these things that make Glendon special would be lost if York’s proposal comes to pass.

The Glendon College Student Union is strongly opposed to this plan. Please read more about their position here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aecgcsu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AECGCSU/

York’s proposal doesn’t simply involve moving Glendon to Keele, but also eliminating Glendon as a separate faculty. While the proposal would take several years to accomplish and would probably be implemented after you graduate, it could mean that over the course of your time at Glendon, you would be moved to the Keele campus and would have to complete your course requirements by taking courses offered through Keele faculties. This means that you, and future potential Glendon students, would lose the small community experience that makes Glendon so enriching. Classes at the Keele campus tend to be much larger, and while there are more course offerings, this also means that it is harder to make lasting ties from semester to semester with your professors and classmates. Smaller class sizes at Glendon not only improve your learning experience, but also mean that it is easier to form lasting connections with professors and peers that help students secure letters of reference and professional contacts.

Interim Provost Laina Bay-Cheng believes that transforming Glendon into a French-language college at Keele will enable greater support for the Francophone community at York. However, in our view, this involves a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes Glendon special. Glendon is not simply a home for French-language courses, but rather a community where bilingualism and multilingualism flourishes in classrooms, campus spaces, and daily interactions. Glendon affords students the opportunity to take courses in both French and English with a peer group that is also interested in bilingualism. This would be lost with a transition to Keele, where former Glendon students would take English-language courses that are no longer part of the bilingual ecosystem of the Glendon campus.

Glendon, as a separate campus and faculty, not only allows students to take courses with their peers in both French and English, but also to interact with fellow students, professors, staff, and administrators in both French and English on a regular basis. That is, even if a student isn’t taking a course in French with a particular professor, they may speak to them in French in the hallways or at community events. They can work with Frost Librarians or receive assistance in French at all of Glendon’s student services offices, such as Academic and Financial Services. When they go to the Glendon Athletic Centre or if they live in the student residences on campus, they can expect to interact with their peers in either French and English, or both.

In short, Glendon’s smaller size and distinct campus make possible an ecosystem that promotes bilingualism as a living reality. This would definitely be lost with a move to Keele, where Francophone professors and students would find themselves isolated in a much larger, overwhelmingly Anglophone environment.

At the same time, Anglophone students who come to Glendon because they want to advance their skills in French would no longer have the campus-wide, supportive spaces that are essential for this learning. Even if there is a particular building on the Keele campus set aside for Glendon College, French would no longer be part of the daily reality for students as they attend undergraduate events, navigate the campus, interact with peers, or access student services. We do not think that a dedicated French-language space at the Keele campus is in any way equivalent to the organic, bilingual ecosystem on the Glendon campus.

If you’re concerned about this proposal, please write to York’s Interim President Philipps, Interim Provost/Vice President Academic Bay-Cheng, and the Board of Governors. Please also consider submitting a testimonial about what makes being a student at Glendon so special to you and why you think it should be preserved as a distinct faculty and campus.

As a Glendon graduate, you know what makes Glendon special: small classes where professors knew your name, a close-knit community where French and English were part of everyday life, and a beautiful campus unlike any other. For many alumni, the connections they made, the knowledge they gained, and the skills they developed at Glendon have shaped their lives and careers.

York’s proposal would put all of that at risk for future students. Under the plan, Glendon would no longer be a faculty on its own campus. Instead, it would become a college on the Keele campus, comparable to Stong or Vanier, focused on French-language programming. At Keele, colleges function mainly as social spaces, and many students don’t even know they belong to one. The Glendon you remember, a distinct campus and faculty offering the liberal arts in both French and English, would cease to exist.

As alumni, your voice carries real weight. Here’s how you can help:

• Tell the administration you disagree. Write to Interim President Philipps, Interim Provost Bay-Cheng, and the Board of Governors. Let them know you oppose the proposal and want Glendon preserved as a distinct faculty and campus.
• Share your Glendon story. What did Glendon mean to you? How did it shape your life and your career? Maybe a professor changed your path, maybe you made friendships that lasted, or maybe Glendon changed the way you see the world. Your story shows what would be lost.
• Spread the word. Share this page with fellow alumni, former classmates, and your professional networks.

York University is proposing to eliminate Glendon as one of its faculties and replace it with a French-language college on the Keele campus. This would mean that Glendon ceases to exist at its current campus at Bayview and Lawrence. 

York has also commissioned a third-party Glendon Land Use Study from Urban Strategies, Inc.,  that is investigating real estate development possibilities on campus, including the construction of residential housing.

The Glendon campus is a beloved green space for the surrounding community and city residents through its connections to ravine trails and parks. If you live close to Glendon, you likely make use of this green space, and perhaps are also a member of the Glendon Athletic Centre. If Glendon is closed, it is not clear if Glendon’s green spaces and athletic facilities would be preserved or, indeed, continue to be available for public use.

Selected details of the completed Phase 1 of the Land Use Study were presented by Interim President Philipps at Glendon Faculty Council’s February 11, 2026, meeting. Mention was made of the construction and leasing of residential housing, the maintenance of unspecified, “academic activities,” and a plan for community consultations in Phase 2. 

Despite repeated requests made over the past eight months, the full text of York’s Glendon Land Use Study has not been released to Glendon or York community members. A summary of the study was released in May 2026, but did not feature any reference to residential housing or community consultations. To date, there has been no announcement of consultations.

At the October 23, 2026, Glendon Faculty Council meeting, Interim Provost Bay-Cheng reaffirmed York’s interest in repurposing the Glendon campus, but did not provide any further concrete details. Importantly, she did not rule out future residential development.

At the very least, these redevelopment plans throw into question York University’s stated commitment to environmental sustainability as one of its core values.

As a concerned neighbour or community member, we ask that you

• write to York University administrators and the Board of Governors to request the withdrawal of the plans to close Glendon and redevelop its campus, and
• sign the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) “Save Glendon/Sauvon Glendon” petition

Glendon is a community, not just a piece of real estate!