McMaster’s U21 Engagement in 2024 

Recently published Impact Report 2024 highlights partnership and international collaboration that have supported positive impact, including McMaster University and its participation in leadership role memberships, engagement in various events, global research & education as well as program engagements and awards. 

As a member institution, during 2024, McMaster’s students, faculty and staff participated in a range of programs, detailed below: 

• Five McMaster faculty members complete U21 Mid-Career Researcher Programme, engaging participants across the U21’s global membership to share knowledge, perspectives and ideas as an opportunity to refocus and reset; to adopt the right mindset and identify the skills and attributes required to adapt and thrive within a creative and collaborative research culture.   

• McMaster hosted U21 Chief Operating Officer / Registrar Network Meeting in June 2024. The two-day meeting was an opportunity to discuss the shifting landscape of international student recruitment; strategy and reputation and on designing university campuses for innovation and sustainability; and topical challenges facing U21 universities. 

• 22 students completed U21 Global Citizens program, a three-week online leadership development course of ideas and skills, across borders and time zones, students need to thrive in the 21st century whilst tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems, outlined in the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).  

• 30 students applied for Sustainable Micro-internships, a virtual two-week internship program working with fellow students from across the globe, tasked with providing a solution to a real-life Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related challenge and pitched to senior stakeholders within the organisation at the end of the program. 

• 4 staff members completed Early Career Researcher Workshop, an in-person workshop held at the University of Queensland in Australia, aiming to enhance international networking and encouraging the development of interdisciplinary collaborative research in the early stages of their career. 

• 4 faculty members completed U21 Global Leadership Programme, reflecting real dynamic challenges faced by U21 universities and exploring the leadership required to meet those challenges – as individuals, as institutions and sector.   

• 1 grant awarded to Addisu Lashitew under African Research Universities Alliance & U21: Early Career Researcher Collaborative Awards for Getting African Businesses up to Speed with the Paris Climate Goals: A Collaborative Action Research” collaborative project.  

In addition, it is worth mentioning below our team’s collective contribution to various meetings and events, serving as platforms for leadership and senior leaders from across the network to explore avenues for universities to adapt to social changes and provide students with the right tools to succeed: 

• Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh’s engagement at the U21 Presidential Symposium 2024 on Preparing Next-Gen Talent for the Digital Revolution and U21 Global Education & Senior Leaders Meeting as well as his leadership role as the Deputy Chair of the Senior Leaders Group. 

• Dr. Amira El Masri’s participation in virtual U21 Officers meetings. 

• Kim Dej’s membership at the U21 Educational Innovation Steering Group between January 2023-2025 and her contribution in Global Education meetings. 

•  May Zhai’s participation in U21 Global Education & Senior Leaders Meeting  

• Gisela Oliviera’s active promotion as a focal point of Student Mobility and Employability through Student Success Centre global network. 

• Lori Goff’s participation in U21 Senior Academic Developers Group.

• Kathy Charters’ participation in virtual U21 Research Collaboration Group meetings. 

McMaster also have representatives on the following CoPs: DS3, Social Work, and Disabilities.  

To read more, please access the full impact report here. 

Upcoming events: 

McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences will be hosting the U21 Health Sciences Group 2025 Annual Meeting from 25 August to 28 August.  Population aging is one of the most significant global challenges of the 21st century. This meeting will focus on Aging Across the Lifespan. Read more about the https://u21health.org/mcmaster2025.