University of Toronto

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The University of Toronto (U of T), in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest university in Canada with more than 60,000 students across three campuses.


File:UTCrest.jpg
© University of Toronto

Motto: Velut arbor aevo (Latin: "As a tree with the passage of time")
Founded 1827
School type Public
President Robert Birgeneau
Location Toronto, Ontario
Enrollment 63,109 (48,863 at St. George Campus, 6,834 at UTSC, 7,412 at UTM)
Campus surroundings Urban
Campus size 160 acres (0.6 km²) St. George Campus, 224 acres (0.9 km²) UTM, 300 acres (1.2 km²) UTSC
Sports teams Varsity Blues
Mascot True Blue

The University was established on March 15, 1827, when King's College at York (Toronto) was granted its Royal Charter. King's College became the University of Toronto in 1849.

The University is comprised of three campuses, four constituent colleges, four federated colleges, and three federated universities. (Federated colleges and universities were incorporated into the University; constituent colleges were created by the University.) U of T's four federated colleges are seminaries which are associated with the Toronto School of Theology.

Every arts and science student at U of T is a member of one of its seven "colleges" (the federated universities and constituent colleges), which acts, ideally, as a smaller-scale intellectual and social community for its members. In practice, however, they are simply residential in nature and, while U of T's colleges are based on the college system in use at Oxford and Cambridge, they do not have tutors as such. Some first-year seminars and academic programs are offered by some colleges.

The University of Toronto is widely acknowledged to be one of Canada's top schools. It attracts many of the best students from Ontario and the rest of Canada, and has a growing number of international students. The U of T has more funds than any other Canadian university, having a two billion dollar endowment. U of T has also ranked first in the Maclean's rankings of Canadian medical-doctoral universities ten years in a row (as of 2004). Its student selectivity is generally thought to be between medium to high (though not exclusive, except in certain programs like medicine). Selectivity varies from year to year and usually depends on the particular program and number of spaces available. But generally, the sheer size of the university means it has the capacity to enroll a huge number of students, thereby providing opportunities for many Ontario and Canadian students to pursue higher education.

Despite these achievements in the academic arena, U of T has a reputation for housing a large proportion of unhappy students. This is in part due to the size of its classes (exacerbated by the "double cohort" initiative of the Ontario government in 2002-2004). The immense size of the university is thought to be main reason for the university being perceived as impersonal and alienating, leading to many students to make comments like "the U of T, where you are less than just a number." This has become so pronounced in the past decade that a fairly appreciable segment of the alumni do not feel predisposed to make any contribution to the alma mater funds because of their experience at the U of T; therefore the bulk of U of T's alumni contributions come in large amounts from a select groups within the alumni. Other reasons are related to the large number of commuter students, the difficulty of finding on-campus accommodation, and the competitive nature of certain programs, particularly in science, management, and engineering.

On the other hand, the size of the U of T means that its alumni is well-spread across society and the chances that a Canadian public figure or corporate leader being a U of T alumnus/alumna are fairly high. The U of T has had its fair share of illustrious alumni which have made notable advancements in Canadian society and the world at large.

Campuses

The St. George (downtown) campus has a rich architectural history, making it a popular attraction for visitors to the city, as well as a common location for shooting movies. It is bounded by Spadina Avenue to the west, Bloor Street to the north, Queen's Park Crescent to the east, and College Street to the south. Some U of T buildings, namely Victoria College and St. Michael's College, are located east of Queen's Park Crescent. The campus is served well by the TTC, namely by the Spadina, St. George, and Queen's Park subway stations.

Located 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the St. George campus is the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) in suburban Mississauga. Set on the banks of the Credit River, UTM's 224 acre (0.9 km&sup2) campus is decidedly modern. It is located off of Mississauga Road, between Dundas Street and Burnhamthorpe Road in the Erindale area.

At the other end of the Greater Toronto Area is the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC), approximately 30 kilometres east of the downtown campus. The 300 acre (1.2 km&sup2) campus is located on the Highland Creek in the Scarborough area of eastern Toronto.

Complete List of Colleges and Divisions

Federated Universities

Constituent Colleges

Professional and Graduate Faculties

Colleges and Faculties Comprising the Toronto School of Theology

Other

List of Presidents

Noted Graduates and Faculty

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