University of Toronto – Toronto, Canada

The Office was established based on a review of access programs across university. Faculty and adminsitrators proposed the establishment of office to support access programs across the universities, to ensure greater communication between the programs, to increase capacity, and to innovate wherever possible.

In the last two years, lectures, workshops, seminars for students, faculty and non-teaching staff with regard to equal access/inclusion/diversity were carried out.

The major vision is to increase access of underrepresented students at the University of Toronto.
In Canada national educational policies exist per provinces. On the provincial level there is a strategic mandate agreement between the provincial universities and the government, in which access is indirectly referenced
The Office is based in the institutional office, in the provost office. This way it has visibility across the tri-campus. The Office consists of 4 staff: one director, two coordination positions (hiring in progress), and one executive assistant.
The main obstacle is the budgetary pressures that exist due to different needs within the university.
There is no formal evaluation process as it is a young initiative.

Access Strategy and Partnerships Office at University of Toronto

Toronto, Canada