International Engagement

Ryerson continues to expand and deepen its international presence. We have continued to progress toward the strategic goals established by Ryerson's Internationalization Framework while supporting the international interests and objectives of Ryerson's academic units and researchers.

Ryerson's executive group members and deans have participated in Ontario Trade and Education missions to China and India (led by Premier Kathleen Wynne) as well as a number of Ryerson-led missions around the world. These missions - ten in total - have built upon Ryerson's growing capacity for partnership and collaboration to strengthen relationships with priority countries such as South Africa and the United Kingdom, increasing Ryerson's international profile. They have led to new agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) signed with international organizations such as Tsinghua University (the top-ranked university in China) and the Warsaw School of Economics (one of Europe's most-recognized schools of business).

Through such agreements, the Canada-China Institute for Business & Development worked in collaboration with Tsinghua University and Oxford University to organize the 8th Annual Conference for the Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which was hosted in Canada for the first time. It attracted more than 200 faculty, students and business leaders from around the world, including Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade.

At Ryerson, applications for funding through the Ryerson International Work Experience Fund saw an increase over the last year, indicating a growing interest in international experiential learning. This fund supported 33 student placements and internships abroad in 2015-16. Also, 88 students received support from the International Conference and Research Support Fund to undertake research and present at international conferences.

In 2015-16, an increasing number of faculty and students from other institutions have gained insights from working with Ryerson's researchers across multiple disciplines: Ryerson welcomed 140 visiting faculty and student researchers this past year.