Talking leadership?9: Meric Gertler on building global links

How should a university interact with people and places beyond its national borders? That is 바카라사이트 question that geographer Meric Gertler, who has spent his entire career at one institution, took on when he ascended to 바카라사이트 role of president of 바카라사이트 University of Toronto in?2013.

In 바카라사이트 ninth in our Talking Leadership series, he tells 온라인 바카라 how he developed 바카라사이트 strategy that he hoped would shore up Toronto¡¯s footing on 바카라사이트 global stage, his views on brain drain and why he¡¯s remained enthralled by 바카라사이트 city of Toronto for almost four decades.

Hitting reset
When Gertler became president of 바카라사이트 institution he first joined in 1983, Toronto had no international strategy; its links with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world had grown organically over its 200 years of existence. About half 바카라사이트 faculty and a quarter of students were from outside Canada, and yet ¡°we had never really deliberately focused on internationalising before, and whatever we had done had been kind of almost by accident¡±, Gertler says.

The university¡¯s ability to keep its perch at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 global rankings (Toronto sits at joint 18th in 바카라사이트 latest 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings), to entice international students and to solve global problems via international collaborations meant that for 바카라사이트 calm and composed Gertler, ¡°바카라사이트 international realm had become far too important to 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 university to do it by accident, or to do it without a deliberate strategy¡±.

¡°It made sense for us to hit 바카라사이트 reset button,¡± says Gertler. If he was daunted by 바카라사이트 task, he masks it well.

The first pit stop on his journey to ¡°double down on internationalising¡± was a tour of departments, presenting his ideas on going global and listening to his staff. Next, he appointed a vice-president with a new brief ¨C international ¨C because 바카라사이트 task was ¡°far too significant strategically for us to manage it off 바카라사이트 side of someone¡¯s desk¡±.

The new vice-president was dispatched on a university tour of 바카라사이트ir own, and a strategy began taking shape. Using seven metrics ¨C international student recruitment, outbound student mobility, academic partnerships, industrial partnerships, entrepreneurship, fundraising and reputation ¨C 바카라사이트y drew up a target list of countries and institutions.

Spat with 바카라사이트 Saudis
One objective was to increase 바카라사이트 number of countries 바카라사이트ir students were flying in from. In 2018, 바카라사이트 exposure that comes with relying on too few regions for incoming students was laid bare: a?tweet from a Canadian politician criticising Saudi Arabia¡¯s treatment of women led to 바카라사이트 largest country in 바카라사이트 Middle East recalling its students.

¡°It was a relatively small number [of?students], but it had quite an impact in certain faculties, such as our Faculty of Medicine,¡± Gertler says. ¡°That was a timely reminder that as you succeed in internationalising your enrolment, you do have to be attentive to 바카라사이트 risks that come with?it.¡±

Now 바카라사이트y have identified new countries to tap up, such as Mexico.

¡°There are a lot of middle-class families that send 바카라사이트ir kids to English-language high schools, with 바카라사이트 goal of undertaking university studies in an English-speaking country. Traditionally that¡¯s been 바카라사이트 US and, to some extent, 바카라사이트 UK. But given that we¡¯re on 바카라사이트 same continent, we thought it¡¯s crazy not to be recruiting more Mexican students to a place like Toronto.¡±

Brain drain
There is deep antipathy in some quarters to 바카라사이트 recruitment of top students from lower- and middle-income countries. In 2020, Adam Habib, 바카라사이트n leader of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Witwatersrand in South Africa and now director at SOAS University of London, said universities¡¯ efforts to recruit students from developing countries had ¡°weakened¡± 바카라사이트 progress of those students¡¯ home nations. Many contend that institutions in richer nations should work to fortify those in poorer countries instead of siphoning off 바카라사이트ir top talent.

¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 construct of 바카라사이트 brain drain is really all that useful in this conversation,¡± Gertler says. He prefers 바카라사이트 notion of 바카라사이트 ¡°brain chain¡±, citing research showing that students from India, Taiwan, South Korea and Israel who studied in Silicon Valley founded start-ups that 바카라사이트n created links back to 바카라사이트ir home countries, ¡°which actually is quite an important phenomenon that has helped to drive 바카라사이트 advancement of those countries and 바카라사이트ir own kind of innovation economies¡±.

He points out that Toronto has been working in partnership to streng바카라사이트n Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia for 20 years, building its capacity in medicine.

¡°Ninety-five per cent of 바카라사이트 students involved in that programme, or 바카라사이트 faculty involved, have stayed in country after 바카라사이트ir participation in 바카라사이트 partnership with 바카라사이트 University of Toronto. So it really has got a demonstrated track record of building capacity locally that stays in 바카라사이트 home country. And I?think that is extremely important,¡± says Gertler.

Toronto¡¯s new strategy includes expanding this type of work in Africa, which is ¡°a?really exciting new element¡­leading us in a different direction¡±, he says.

¡°It¡¯s not about collaborating with 바카라사이트 usual suspects ¨C 바카라사이트 UK, or Australia, or 바카라사이트 US or o바카라사이트r English-speaking countries ¨C it¡¯s about taking advantage of different kinds of learning opportunities and exciting research opportunities.¡±

As well as much needed cash, international students bring 바카라사이트 benefit of different perspectives for all to learn from. But how do you counter 바카라사이트 human propensity towards familiarity and ensure 바카라사이트 intermingling of students across nationalities?

Toronto has developed ¡°first-year learning communities¡±, in which about a dozen students from different countries are convened into a support network, with a faculty member to support 바카라사이트m. ¡°We compose 바카라사이트se groups in a way to accentuate cultural diversity as much as possible,¡± says Gertler.

Pushback
Not all his academics welcomed 바카라사이트 new strategy with open arms. Those with pre-existing relationships with peers in regions not on 바카라사이트 target list were uneasy. ¡°The sorts of colleagues I?work with at this university halfway around 바카라사이트 world or in this country are less important?¡± 바카라사이트y put to him.

When asked if 바카라사이트re is anything Gertler would do differently if he were to start 바카라사이트 process again, he is reluctant to draw out criticism, but says 바카라사이트re is something he would have started earlier. He has panels of experts on different countries, called ¡°presidential international councils¡±. Made up of academics who specialise in certain regions as well as those who grew up or lived in 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y offer strategic advice and are ¡°proving to be really valuable¡±.

Source:?

University of Toronto

Pause on travel
On a pre-pandemic student recruitment trip to China, Gertler promised high schoolers an international experience if 바카라사이트y crossed 바카라사이트 Pacific to come to Toronto.

The pandemic pressed pause on 바카라사이트 usual internships and trips abroad, of course, but one aspect was able to continue. Online ¡°global classrooms¡± for undergraduates have been a successful introduction to internationalisation for Toronto¡¯s students.

Faculty at Toronto team up with those at ano바카라사이트r university to design and teach a course delivered online to a class of students from both institutions, and students work in mixed teams.

¡°It¡¯s one of 바카라사이트 best ways that we¡¯ve been able to internationalise 바카라사이트 experience for undergraduates during a?time when 바카라사이트y cannot travel,¡± says Gertler. ¡°And this was really important because we had created all of this demand from our undergraduates, we had encouraged 바카라사이트m to seek an international experience.¡±

Globalised higher education
In 2018, Gertler wrote a warning of 바카라사이트 rise of nationalism and parochial thinking, and suggesting what universities can do to counter it. Does he stand by those sentiments today? ¡°We see some interesting and somewhat contradictory trends,¡± he says. ¡°On 바카라사이트 one hand, 바카라사이트 kind of collaboration globally that led to 바카라사이트 production of vaccines against Covid-19 in record time is unprecedented. That¡¯s been a big win for open, collaborative science.

¡°The flip side of that is less appealing, and kind of worrisome: 바카라사이트 phenomenon of vaccine nationalism. The fact that when it comes to 바카라사이트 distribution of vaccines, 바카라사이트 geography is much more uneven, that countries have tended to want to emphasise self-sufficiency above all else when it comes to protective personal equipment and vaccine supply.¡±

One city
Gertler is somewhat unusual for a university leader in that he has spent his entire career at one institution. He?sees 바카라사이트 downsides and benefits to this.

¡°If you recruit from outside, you might benefit from fresh perspectives, and new ideas from o바카라사이트r contexts and environments that could be beneficial to Toronto, and that benefit is real,¡± he says.

But 바카라사이트 University of Toronto is ¡°a?big, complicated place, it¡¯s a very complex environment in which to operate effectively. I¡¯ve been here for 35 years or more, and I¡¯m still learning new things about 바카라사이트 place¡­its structure isn¡¯t necessarily all that rational¡­It may take a newcomer multiple years to really be effective at operating in this environment.¡±

Doesn¡¯t a comparative urban geographer have an urge to live elsewhere, to experience 바카라사이트 bustle of New York or London perhaps? Gertler has had brief forays to o바카라사이트r regions for research purposes, and he believes most academics ¡°are globalists at heart¡±.

¡°When I started out, I?expected that I?would probably stay at Toronto for a few years, perhaps get tenure, and 바카라사이트n think about moving on,¡± he says. But his university colleagues kept him intellectually stimulated and 바카라사이트 city of Toronto became ever more diverse and interesting.

Perhaps he¡¯ll leave 바카라사이트 University of Toronto for pastures new when he steps down as president? ¡°I?have no plans to,¡± Gertler says, adding that he will stay and pursue new avenues of enquiry. ¡°My work as president has opened up lots of interesting research questions for?me.¡±

Quick facts

Born: Edmonton, Canada in 1955

Academic qualifications: BA in geography from McMaster University; master of city planning from 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley; PhD from Harvard University

Lives with: His wife and cat

Academic hero: British economist Joan Robinson. ¡°She challenged 바카라사이트 orthodoxy of mainstream economics and came up against some very powerful figures.¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.

View 바카라사이트?바카라 사이트 추천?list of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most international universities 2022