Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson) Campus Public Realm

[kEiThZ]

In the case of Ontario, we very clearly chose, at one point, to convey that University meant degree-granting; and College meant Diploma granting.

The exception here was Ryerson itself. It was first supposed to be modeled after MIT and founded as the Ryerson Institute of Technology. It got the authority to grant degrees as the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1971. That's barely after the community colleges were getting started up in the late 60s. It was then changed to Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1993. I guess "Institute" was still a tough sell with the public. And then they dropped the "Polytechnic" in 2002 because apparently that was too difficult for a lot of people to understand.

Kinda sad actually. Because Polytechnic does reflect its unique character as a place that is focused on applied education.

The kind of broad public ignorance is why we end up with dumb names like University of Ontario Institute of Technology. They couldn't even dare to call it Ontario University-Institute of Technology. Anything that co-brands the term "university" seems to get Canadians thinking it isn't a proper university. This was one of the reason that Ryerson gave for dropping "Polytechnic" when I was there.

 

[EnviroTO]

I read the comment "we embrace all that is means to be metropolitan" I thought to myself... "you mean cosmopolitan"??

 

[TossYourJacket]

There's little dirt. The worst thing is how he regressed into a crappy NIMBY in his final years. Given that he has several things named for him in Toronto and Brampton, that should be it.

No no no, we must name so many things for him that even Hazel, the God-Empress of Mississauga, will be jealous.

 

[ARG1]

There's little dirt. The worst thing is how he regressed into a crappy NIMBY in his final years. Given that he has several things named for him in Toronto and Brampton, that should be it.

Well remember, with the way things are going, actions that are not or not that controversial today, could be death sentences to your image in 30 or so years.

 

[kEiThZ]

They'll dig up some dirt on him, and 30 years from now they'll find a reason to cancel him.

Naming universities after people is dumb North American nonsense. There's a reason most of the world's oldest universities are named after the city or province or country they are located in.

Name parks after people. Name hospitals after major donors. Maybe even constitutent colleges after major donors. But never the whole university.

Naming universities after people also really makes no sense when they aren't major benefactors or founders. John Harvard was substantially responsible for the founding of Harvard College, with a bequest from his will. Bill Davis and Hazel McCallion weren't responsible for the founding of, or even major developments at Ryerson/TorMet.

 

[lenaitch]

The debate leading up to actual naming struck me as a tad schizophrenic. Some proposing new people to name it after at the same time as a nearby street is destined to be 'de-named'.

 

[ssiguy2]

Forgetting the fact that I don't think we should be renaming/tearing down anything, Toronto Metropolitan sounds like a church.

I think a better name would have been Univ of Ontario @ Toronto. This way other cities that need a university could tie their name to it to give them some recognition, make for seamless transfers, and reduce administrative costs ie U of O @ Barrie, @ Belleville, @Brantford, @ Sarnia. It would allow smaller campuses in cities without universities to create campuses and grow as needed.

Of course that probably makes too much sense and Ryerson wouldn't have been able to spend a couple million on consultants to come up with this truly original and enticing name.

 

[DKsan]

GLOBAL 2000 LIST BY THE CENTER FOR WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS​

2022-23 Edition

at this link.

Never heard of this ranking. The main rankings that universities care about are QS and Times Higher Education. I can't login into THE account at the moment, but QS has Toronto Metropolitan as 800-1000 overall, and then between being in the top 101 to 520 depending on subjects (Art & Design, TMU is in the 101-150 range).

 

[slickpete83]

just called it Toronto Metro University and get a sponsorship deal to lower tution and put in a grocery store in the lobby

 

[Admiral Beez]

I think a better name would have been Univ of Ontario @ Toronto. This way other cities that need a university could tie their name to it to give them some recognition, make for seamless transfers, and reduce administrative costs ie U of O @ Barrie, @ Belleville, @Brantford, @ Sarnia. It would allow smaller campuses in cities without universities to create campuses and grow as needed.

That has merit, and mirrors what Quebec does. I studied at the Université du Québec Chicoutimi ( UQAC ) in the early 1990s, for example. Universities across Quebec are similarly named, such as the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Also, in New Brunswick, where I lived we had UNB Saint John (UNBSJ) and UNB Fredericton.

 

[lenaitch]

Forgetting the fact that I don't think we should be renaming/tearing down anything, Toronto Metropolitan sounds like a church.

I think a better name would have been Univ of Ontario @ Toronto. This way other cities that need a university could tie their name to it to give them some recognition, make for seamless transfers, and reduce administrative costs ie U of O @ Barrie, @ Belleville, @Brantford, @ Sarnia. It would allow smaller campuses in cities without universities to create campuses and grow as needed.

Of course that probably makes too much sense and Ryerson wouldn't have been able to spend a couple million on consultants to come up with this truly original and enticing name.

That sounds rather 'central party planning' and assumes that other communities necessarily want to affiliate with (now) TMU or the TMU is even interested in creating campuses outside of the GTA.

 

[kEiThZ]

Should be noted that when it says University of Quebec @ ... or University of California @.... those campuses are all part of same university network. Makes no sense to call it Universal of Ontario @ Toronto, when there is no ability to transfer to UOIT.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Should be noted that when it says University of Quebec @ ... or University of California @.... those campuses are all part of same university network. Makes no sense to call it Universal of Ontario @ Toronto, when there is no ability to transfer to UOIT.

Maybe the bankrupt Lakehead U. should be renamed and amalgamated with TeeMU?

 

[kEiThZ]

Maybe the bankrupt Lakehead U. should be renamed and amalgamated with TeeMU?

Should probably start with universities in the region. Merge Ryerson, Trent, UOIT to start.

 

[junctionist]

I emailed Ryerson when this was under construction. They responded with something about it still technically being a street and then the need to keep those lights

Fair enough. The pedestrianized part of Gould Street is a street, so it needs to have street lights. But it's also clearly a signature public space for the university that anyone can enjoy. Why can't we have ornamental street lights instead of the ugly utilitarian style that Toronto Hydro seemingly chose to keep?

They have to spend money on street lighting anyway. I'd rather pay the negligible amount more in hydro delivery fees for street lighting that makes for an attractive public realm than pay the minimum for the most generic stuff available that cheapens the public realm.

These costs get spread out not only on every homeowner but also every business, reducing them to practically nothing. Everyone benefits from an attractive public realm, both from a quality of life perspective and from an economic perspective.