William Thomson Newnham (February 7, 1923 – August 23, 2014) was a Canadian educator and the first president of

Seneca College Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate and ...

serving from 1967 through 1984.

Early life

Newnham was born in

Shallow Lake, Ontario Shallow may refer to: Places * Shallow (underwater relief), where the depth of the water is low compared to its surroundings * Shallow Bay (disambiguation), various places * Shallow Brook, New Jersey, United States * Shallow Inlet, Victoria, A ...

. After serving in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Newnham went to Queen's University to study physics and math. Following his graduation Newnham became a teacher and later was the principal of

Northview Heights Secondary School Northview Heights Secondary School (also known as Northview Heights SS, NHSS, Northview Secondary or Northview); originally known as Northview Heights Collegiate Institute is a secondary school for grades 9 to 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is ...

North York North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...

from 1959 to 1966.

President of Seneca College (1967-1984)

Newnham became President of

in 1967 and served until 1984. From a humble start with 800 students, under Newnham’s leadership, Seneca earned a reputation for the quality of its programs and its innovative leadership. During his time in office, Newnham saw the expansion of the college from the Sheppard/Yonge locations to prominent campuses on Finch Avenue, and in King City and Markham (Buttonville Airport). Under President Newnham's leadership, Seneca pioneered teaching in areas that were new to colleges, such as computing courses, and became a leader in international outreach. Throughout his life Newnham authored several books about the teaching profession.

Honors

Seneca's main campus in North York, Newnham Campus, was renamed in his honour in 1984. The campus was formerly known as Finch Campus.

Personal life

After retirement, William Newnham lived in

Unionville, Ontario Unionville is a suburban district and former village in Markham, Ontario, Canada, 2 km (2.5 mi) west of Markham Village (the City of Markham's historic downtown), and 33 km (20.5 mi) northeast of Downtown Toronto. The bou ...

Death

William Newnham died in

Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

, Ontario from

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

, aged 91, August 23, 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newnham, William Thomson 1923 births 2014 deaths People from Markham, Ontario Queen's University at Kingston alumni Presidents of Seneca College