The University of Toronto has joined a partnership with New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg in an effort to create the Applied Sciences NYC initiative in collaboration with various academic institutions.
The initiative plans to open three new campuses in New York City that will be accessible for graduate studies for students from various disciplines, but primarily for those concerned with sustainable growth and development of large urban centres. The program, which will feature a Centre for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), will have an urban-focused research year that takes place at U of T, in order to generate an exchange experience for students.
Former university provost Cheryl Misak, who attended the announcement in New York, stated that “the reason [the university] entered into this partnership is that the great cities of the world face important challenges and opportunities and that University of Toronto’s faculty and students want to be at the forefront of this vital area of research.”
Other institutions involved include Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Warwick, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and consortium leaders New York University (NYU) and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
Of potential challenges in the development of CUSP, Misak says, “there will be plenty of coordination challenges. Each of the partners will need to ensure that CUSP is good for them. But I think those challenges will be met.”
Vice-president university affairs at the University of Toronto Student’s Union (UTSU), Agnes So, is a little more hesitant about the potential challenges posed by the initiative. “I wonder if this will be the right time for U of T to expand its campus in New York, especially given that the university is lacking funding from the government which is already slated to have a direct impact on research for graduate and undergraduate studies and [students’] accessibility to education,” she said.
“Another thing to look into is the motivation of the university behind adopting the project,” So continued. “If it is about research, it will be great for students. But will it be a jurisdiction for the university to charge tuition fees in any amount they want as another source of revenue?”
On this point, Misak is very clear that the administration sees the initiative as another addition to a suite of impressive research collaborations the university is participating in.
This is not the first partnership for U of T, and it has become increasingly common in recent years for universities to partner with each other or build campuses overseas. The academic community has seen a Yale University campus established in Singapore, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Russia and an in-progress NYU campus in Abu Dhabi. While these can often face significant complications, such as low enrolment and an expensive faculty, universities generally perceive their overseas expansion as a way for them to provide an affordable experience for international students while growing their own reputations abroad.
Specific to its contribution to the Applied Sciences NYC initiative, U of T envisions student mobility across all partner institutions. Administrators hope that the initiative will attract students who are interested in the challenges facing urban centres in areas such as infrastructure, public health, social policy, education, and the environment.
U of T is the only Canadian university taking part in the initiative, and Misak says, “As with our hundreds of other international partnerships, we fully expect this one to only enhance our already great reputation.”
