Concentrate on place

Western is proud to be located in London and we take that responsibility seriously. We will continue to contribute to the development and well-being of our city and our region, and to work collaboratively with community partners, while also investing in a world-class campus that is safer, more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, and biodiverse.

Our commitments:

• Strengthen our relationships with nearby communities, agencies and services
• Pursue Western’s Open Space Strategy
• Create a safer, more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, biodiverse campus
• Increase the number and quality of student gathering spaces
• Establish a new presence in London’s downtown core to provide service to the community, and enrich arts and culture

Explore our goals to transform campus and enhance partnerships  

Engage the world

Western gets its strength from its roots in Southwestern Ontario, but the curiosity that drives us also compels us to look to the horizon. We will establish a presence in downtown Toronto and create opportunities to bring Western learning to other locations around the world. We will work to deepen existing teaching and research partnerships with international colleagues, promote research mobility, offer our students robust international experiences, and attract more diverse students from around the world who will bring their unique strengths and global perspectives to our community.

Our commitments:

• Establish a larger physical presence in downtown Toronto
• Increase our international student population to 20-25%
• Double the number of international experiences for our students
• Offer a variety of learning experiences in strategic locations around the world

Discover our plans to engage the world  

Sustainability, an imperative

Sustainability is one of the grand challenges of our times. It calls for collaboration, innovation, and experimentation—to seek bold and brave solutions. We will model sustainable processes on our own campus, apply our research, teaching, learning, and community engagement to support London and Southwestern Ontario, and look to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to guide our work at home and abroad.

Our commitments:

• Achieve net-zero emissions for campus operations by 2050
• Prioritize and invest in retrofitting existing buildings with energy-saving technology
• Engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help guide our work
• Position Western as a global leader in interdisciplinary sustainability research
• Create a new sustainability research fund that prioritizes our local and regional partnerships and that creates new experiential learning opportunities for students

Learn more about our sustainability priorities