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TRU Internationalization

TRU approves 10-year plan to improve on including global perspectives in campus life, education and research

Mar 11, 2025 | 1:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is planning to expand global perspectives on its Kamloops and Williams Lake campuses.

TRU’s Senate and Board of Governors approved the university’s 10-year Strategic Internationalization Plan (SIP) that aims to develop a learning environment where global perspectives are seamlessly woven into curriculum, research and campus life.

“Internationalization at TRU is more than a word — it’s the weaving of global, intercultural and international perspectives into everything we do, from teaching and learning in classrooms, study abroad opportunities and field schools in many countries, to faculty-led research — enriching education for all,” Dr. Gillian Balfour, TRU provost, states in a news release issued Tuesday (March 11).

TRU says the SIP is the result of an extensive consultation process, gathering more than 1,500 insights from students, faculty, staff, Indigenous partners and the broader Kamloops community.

The SIP’s goals include:

  • Empowering TRU staff and students to become community-minded and globally conscious through curricula and support systems
  • Providing support services that ensure international learners have academic and personal success
  • Expanding access and supports for internationalization efforts with Tk’emlups te Secwepemc and T’exelc
  • Finding connections that inspire diverse cultural expressions, individual growth and foster life-long relationships
  • Sharing educational practices, exchanging knowledge worldwide and being proactive in addressing regional, national and global challenges through education and scholarship

TRU says a working group of its Senate International Affairs Committee will oversee the SIP’s implementation through an annual and adaptive framework.

The TRU SIP can be viewed here.