New College is a constituent college of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. One of the larger colleges, with approximately 5,000 students, it stands on Huron Street at the west end of the St. George campus, nestled alongside the Athletic Centre, the Earth Sciences Centre, Sidney Smith Hall and the Ramsey Wright Zoology Laboratory.

History

Founded in 1962, New College was the first college to be created within the University of Toronto since the federation with Victoria,

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

and St. Michael's Colleges. The name of the college was initially to be "New King's College", in homage to

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

, which had been known as King's College before receiving a new royal charter.

Namesake cousins

New College shares, along with Trinity College, St. Hilda's College and

, the distinction of being Dominion cousins to namesakes in the UK. It is named after New College at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in England, upon which the college system at the University of Toronto is itself modelled.

Character

Designed under the "multi-faculty" concept, the vast majority of its students are from the Faculty of Arts & Science, with the rest drawn from Applied Science & Engineering, Kinesiology & Physical Education, Music, and

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. In fact, what is now known as Innis College, the second "multi-faculty" college, was originally designed as another wing of New College before it was built separately in 1964. Housed in an integrated "serpentine" design, New College consists of three halls: Wilson Hall, Wetmore Hall, and a new hall aptly named New Building (built in 2003). Employing an integrated approach to living, residence units are located on the upper floors; the lower floors include the library and reading room, computer labs, staff offices, lecture theatres, dining hall and recreation lounges. The New Building also houses the William Doo Auditorium and a mini-gym. New College's on-campus accommodation is well appointed for students who wish to live near many of the central facilities of University of Toronto, such as

Robarts Library The John P. Robarts Research Library, commonly referred to as Robarts Library, is the main humanities and social sciences library of the University of Toronto Libraries and the largest individual library in the university, located at the Universit ...

, Sidney Smith Hall, the Athletic Centre, and the Lash-Miller chemical laboratories.

Student life

New College has an extremely multicultural student body, with more than three-quarters of its students drawn from the ranks of new Canadians. Both the New College Residence Council (serving students who live at the college) and the New College Student Council (serving residents and commuters) plan activities that feature the college's diversity. A highlight of the year, usually held in the winter term, is Mosaic, which is an evening of music, dance and performance featuring multiethnic themes. The Student Council generally uses the William Doo Auditorium for Mosaic, and also for other events such as movie nights and musical concerts. For students in residence at New College, social life is aided by their floor residence council. The floor residence council organizes restaurant trips, movie nights, field trips (trapeze training,

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, etc.) and other activities. Each residence floor benefits from a don. New College dons are graduate or upper year students who live with the undergraduates and provide them with advice and support. The New College Residence Council oversees student life specifically for students who live in residence. Residence student life is also generally anchored around the college's cafeteria. The dining area is large, with a number of different dishes available at each mealtime.

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and

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meals are offered. In 2008, the College replaced the Dean of Residence position with a new Director of Student Life. This senior administrator is charged not only with running the residence operation but developing student life programming that integrates the 3,000-plus commuting students into the wider New College community. In addition, the college's commitment to social justice and equity is now woven through many of its extracurricular programs, a development evidenced by the 2009 appointment of a service-learning coordinator.

Specialization

New College's mission around round equity and social justice is reflected in many of its programs, such as African Studies, Caribbean Studies and Equity Studies. The College continues to maintain its connections with the field of engineering and the life sciences. Many of its early officers were from science backgrounds, including Stewart Wilson (Engineering), the first registrar and Donald Ivey (Medicine), the college's first principal. Today, like several of the colleges at the University of Toronto, New College coordinates a number of academic degree programmes, Human Biology being a prominent program for aspiring MD's. New College also hosts the annual University of Toronto Youth Summer Program, jointly organised by New College and University of Toronto's faculties of Law and Medicine. The Youth Summer Program is a unique enrichment program for high school students that allows early experience of top-tier academic learning in the fields of law and medical sciences.

References

* Martin L. Friedland ''The University of Toronto: A History'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press © 2002) * Robin Harris ''A History of University of Toronto'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press © 1970) * Rick Helmes-Hayes ''Forty Years, 1963–2003: A History of the Department of Sociology, University of Toronto'' (Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press, 2003, 215 pp.) * Professor Brian McKillop, ''Matters of Mind: The University in Ontario, 1791–1951'' (Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press ©1951) * Marian Packham ''100 Years of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto: An Illustrated History 1908–2008'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press © 2008)

External links

*
Stay in the New College Residences this Summer
{{Authority control Colleges of the University of Toronto University of Toronto buildings Modernist architecture in Canada