University of Toronto

Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto (U of T), in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest university in Canada.

History

The University was established on March 15, 1827, when King's College at York (Toronto) was granted its Royal Charter. This institution was founded by John Strachan, Anglican bishop of Toronto and the school was strongly Anglican, which was Upper Canada's established religion at the time. Most of the population of the region was not Anglican, however, and when the colony was granted responsible government in 1848 the college was transformed into a nondenominational institution, and renamed the University of Toronto in 1849. The old King's College building, located on the current site of the provincial legislature, was closed and the new University College opened in 1853, with its large Gothic home being completed in 1858.

Related Topics:
March 15 - 1827 - Royal Charter - John Strachan - Upper Canada - Established religion - Responsible government - University College

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In 1853, was founded, as a non-denominational teaching institution within the university. Several other Toronto-area religiously affiliated universities and colleges would incorporate with University of Toronto, becoming "federated" with it. Those federated universities are the Catholic St. Michael's, Methodist Victoria, and Anglican Trinity.

Related Topics:
St. Michael's - Victoria - Trinity

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Over the next decade the school grew both by building, and by federating with smaller universities. The area around Ontario had a network of denominational schools, but these smaller private schools found it difficult to compete. Thus, often with great reluctance, they decided to affiliate with the University of Toronto. Federation meant the colleges kept their autonomy, but their students had full access to U of T facilities. The Methodist Victoria University joined in 1892, the Anglican Trinity College in 1904, and the Catholic St. Michael's College in 1910. These federated colleges retain much of their independence.

Related Topics:
Victoria University - Trinity College - St. Michael's College

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After the turbulent years of the Great Depression and the World Wars, in which many U of T students and faculty served, the school began to grow dramatically in the 1950s and 1960s due to the baby boom and the ever increasing rate of university attendance. During this period five new colleges were established. New College, Innis College, Woodsworth College were all created on the St. George campus. 30 km to the west the Erindale College was established in Mississauga and University of Toronto at Scarborough was established 30 km to the east in that suburb.

Related Topics:
Great Depression - Baby boom - New College - Innis College - Woodsworth College - Erindale College - Mississauga - University of Toronto at Scarborough

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For most of its history the University of Toronto had been a well respected institution, but not as prestigious as McGill University in Montreal or Queens University in Kingston. The 1980s and 1990s saw a dramatic change in Canadian education as years of government budget cuts forced university's to turn increasingly to the private sector for donations and sponsorships. The University of Toronto, located in the heart of Canada's financial capital, and as the traditional feeder school for the city's commercial elite, was by far the most successful in this fund raising rapidly collecting an endowment that today approaches $2 billion dollars. The 1990s and 21st century have also seen expansion resume on all three campuses.

Related Topics:
McGill University - Queens University - Endowment

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