Created in response to the November 2023 administrative recommendation to close the BPMH program, the Dossier contains 77 letters of support from BPMH students and alumni, letters of support from 48 academics and community members, the names of 2,544 petition signatories, links to 13 articles in the global press, and more.
Read the Full Support Dossier (Updated January 2026)
The Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health (BPMH) Program is an undergraduate minor hosted by New College at the U of T. As an internationally recognized contemplative science program and the largest undergraduate Buddhist Studies program in North America, BPMH courses engage rigorous interdisciplinary research interactions between scientists, academics, health practitioners and Buddhist traditions. Emerging from two decades of global research on interactions between Buddhist traditions and the sciences, the program trains students in qualitative and quantitative research, scientific literacy, and writing skills. Decolonial / anti-colonial principles and action are at the center of BPMH curriculum design, both in terms of curricular focus and pedagogical strategies.
Program statistics
- founded in 2006, in March 2024 had 327 enrolled minors
- one of the largest college-hosted undergraduate programs at U of T
- the largest undergraduate Buddhist Studies program in North America
- in 2023-24, over 1,400 students registered in 17 courses; all courses had waiting lists
- in 2025-26, so far over 1,000 students are registered in program courses, despite temporary suspension of enrolment into the minor
- public events: e.g., in 2022-23 hosted over 1,300 local and international participants
- two active student groups, BPSU and PATH, provide peer support and mentoring through events and community programming throughout the year
- a long-running undergraduate research journal, UPAYA
- an interdisciplinary research community of faculty and students that meets monthly, the EASE Lab
- YouTube channel content has over 16,000 views
- home of Contemplative Science Podcast (with over 37,000 listens as of Aug 1, 2024)
- units with whom we share the most students are Psychology, Philosophy, Environment, Human Biology, Cognitive Science, Equity & Solidarity, Sociology, Mathematics, Religion (in order of number of students, most to least); 56% of students come from the Sciences & Social Sciences
- a long history of advancement success particularly with global Buddhist communities
- tremendous fundraising potential, with comparable programs raising hundreds of millions of dollars recently, as documented in this Dossier