My name is Hasani Rose, and I'm a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Toronto. Most importantly, I am a former Glendon student who did my undergraduate degree in Sociology and Philosophy from 2018 to 2023.
I was devastated to recently hear about the proposal to dissolve Glendon as a faculty, to close the campus, and to reimagine Glendon as a college and centre of bilingualism at the Keele campus.
As a former student originally from Québec, I know that Glendon's value is not limited to French-language education and bilingualism. Rather, Glendon is also a liberal arts faculty that offers small class sizes and a very supportive community within which to study the humanities and social sciences. I think that this cultivates excellence within Glendon students in a way that cannot be replicated in the larger classes at the Keele campus.
During my time there as an undergraduate student, classes were small enough that I was able to get to know my fellow students as well as the instructors. Professors were able to notice if students were absent or if they seemed to be facing challenges. Professors were able to tailor course content to the interests of particular groups. Instructors were able to plan assignments that required more time to grade and had the time to give more useful feedback to students. As students, we were able to have our voices heard in class and were better positioned to learn from each other through class discussions. I was able to get more direct support from professors in my educational and professional growth.
Having taken undergraduate courses at both Glendon and Keele, I saw the difference in the quality of the course experience, and I know that the faculty at Glendon are among the best at York. All of this would be lost by dissolving Glendon as a faculty, and turning it solely into a centre focused on bilingualism and French-language education. I also think this goal for bilingualism and French-language education would not survive in a large campus such as Keele.
In this era of AI, social media, and great political change that we are in now, there is a clear and certain need for the liberal arts, and Glendon offers an excellent liberal arts education in Toronto that is unparalleled.
Also, as a young adult, I know that young people are seeking precisely the kind of community and social connection that Glendon is uniquely able to offer, given the size and character of the campus.
I firmly believe that there are alternatives to preserve Glendon and address its enrollment challenges. Indeed, with a beautiful campus and supportive community, Glendon should be an easy sell for those interested in liberal arts education in Toronto – it just hasn't been marketed very well over the last decade. I know from experience that there are so many potential students who simply don't know about Glendon's existence and would have been happy to pursue an undergraduate degree there if they did know. I think the question is whether York is willing to truly invest in saving Glendon as a distinct campus.
I implore you to please reconsider your proposal to close Glendon, and to instead invest in helping it realize its real potential as a college. For the sake of instructors, for the sake of staff, for the sake of students, and for the sake of the city of Toronto.
My time at Glendon has had an invaluable impact on my professional as well as personal life. It contributed largely to where I am in life and who I am today. I would hate to see future students not be given the amazing opportunities for learning and growth that Glendon offered me.