Student-led society helps more students take on global opportunities

More Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) students will be able to get their passports stamped on their way to international learning opportunities thanks to a $100,000 gift from the Ryerson Communication and Design Society (RCDS).

The new Passport Fund is a partnership between FCAD and RCDS to make international experiences available to more students with financial need. FCAD anticipates around 60 students will be able to access this funding every year. This fund will distribute awards of up to $2,000 to current FCAD students who meet the criteria.

The fund ties into the FCAD Passport program which currently offers over 70 international opportunities including exchanges, short-term experiences, and virtual collaborations. International development has been embraced by FCAD as a way to foster innovation and prepare future creative professionals for the global marketplace.

Samuel Jacobs is the president of the RCDS (external link) , a five-year-old student-led society that represents all of FCAD’s full-time undergraduate students.

“Having the opportunity to work and learn with other students and professionals on location — like our RTA students heading to Los Angeles and experiencing the heart of the TV and film industry or our Interior Design students travelling to Cortona, Italy—will help them innovate and become leaders in communication and design,” says Jacobs.

FCAD dean Charles Falzon said that this fund will help the faculty infuse internationalization into the creative industries. “We want every FCAD student to leave having participated in at least one international experience,” he says. “Students need to learn how to work in an international market with different cultures, and these initiatives are pathways to help them become global leaders.”