University of Toronto

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File:UTCrest.jpg

Motto Velut arbor aevo ("As a tree with the passage of time")
Established 1827
School type Public
President Frank Iacobucci (interim)
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Enrollment 63,109 (48,863 at St. George Campus, 6,834 at UTSC, 7,412 at UTM)
Faculty 2,387
Campus Urban
Sports teams Varsity Blues
Mascot True Blue
Homepage www.utoronto.ca

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.

History

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.

Several other universities joined the University of Toronto, becoming "federated" with it. The federated universities are St. Michael's, Victoria, and Trinity. University College is the name of the original portion of the University of Toronto from before federation. The other colleges were created later, to accommodate the school's growing size.

Academics

The University comprises 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 and administrative in nature. While U of T's college system is based on the one in use at Oxford and Cambridge, U of T's colleges are not as autonomous, nor do they bear as much of an instructional responsibility to their students. However, 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. U of T's endowment is around $2 billion, larger than that of any other Canadian university. 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 law, medicine and dentistry). 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.

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 well-served by public transportation (TTC), namely by the Spadina, St. George, and Queen's Park subway stations.

Thirty kilometres (18 miles) west of the St. George campus is the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) or Erindale College in suburban Mississauga. Set on the banks of the Credit River, UTM's 224 acre (0.9 km²) campus is decidedly modern. It is off Mississauga Road between Dundas Street and Burnhamthorpe Road in the Erindale area. A shuttle bus connects the UTM and St. George campuses.

At the other end of the Greater Toronto Area is the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) or Scarborough College, approximately 30 kilometres east of the downtown campus. The 300 acre (1.2 km²) campus is on Highland Creek in the Scarborough area of eastern Toronto.

Complete list of colleges and divisions

Federated universities

Old Vic, on the campus of Victoria University.
Behind the Faculty of Law from Philosopher's Walk.
The Edward Johnson Building, Faculty of Music.

Constituent colleges

Professional and graduate faculties

Colleges and faculties comprising the Toronto School of Theology

Other academic units

Former affiliated colleges

List of presidents

Noted graduates and faculty

See also

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