The news of our renaming caught the attention of people around the world; however, it is just one of a number of significant developments helping to position Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) for a future of growth and success.
In fact, renaming the university was one of 22 recommendations from the Standing Strong Task Force. A great deal of work has begun on the remaining recommendations, including the advancement and support of Black and Indigenous scholarship, establishing a physical and interactive display to provide comprehensive information about the legacy of Egerton Ryerson and developing programming for our community to learn more about Indigenous history and colonial relations.
We know that the path toward the outcomes we seek is uncertain and will take time, but we are committed to implementing every one of the task force recommendations. As we continue to build TMU for the 21st century, our new name and its focus on our connection to the city will help us immeasurably.
Adding Toronto to our name in the most prominent way possible gives us instant recognition internationally. Toronto is viewed around the globe as a diverse, innovative, creative and open-minded city. That recognition will open doors for us and create opportunities for our community to have even greater global impact.
Similarly, the term metropolitan speaks to our urban presence, influence and mission to advance conversations on culture, technology, social innovation, health, justice, democracy and the environment, to help create safe, diverse, inclusive and sustainable communities one neighbourhood at a time.
The evolution of the university continues
To be metropolitan is to be defined by life in a big city and its suburbs—the diversity of its cultures and the creativity that comes from so many people in proximity. The collision of broad perspectives drives new ways of thinking and doing. It is both a marker of place and a statement of identity: our community’s identity.
The truth is, since its founding in 1948, our university has been an outlier in the province’s post-secondary system. We like that positioning. Our alumni and current students have been attracted to a unique form of education that offers a focus on solving real world challenges, and we are building on that tradition at a remarkable scale.
Consider that within just the past few years we have launched the Lincoln Alexander School of Law and are planning for a new School of Medicine in Brampton. Both of these professional schools were purposefully designed to be innovative, disruptive, diverse and inclusive.
The evolution of our university continues, and that includes our name. In keeping with our values, and with deep respect for our past, we sought a new name that would unite and strengthen our community, a name worthy of our accomplishments and ambition. In Toronto Metropolitan University, we found that name.
