Victoria University is a

federated college An affiliated school (also affiliated college, federated school, federated college or federated university) is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger instit ...

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 ...

located at the St. George campus in

Downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the nor ...

. The school was founded in 1836 by the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada as a

nonsectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...

literary institution. From 1841 to 1890, Victoria operated as an independent degree-granting

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, before federating with the

in 1890, relocating from Cobourg to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The school consists of two academic colleges: * Victoria College, the

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

college of Victoria University, which serves as one of the seven colleges in the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Science. * Emmanuel College, the postgraduate

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

of Victoria University, affiliated with the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

and the

Toronto School of Theology Affiliated with the University of Toronto, the Toronto School of Theology (TST) is an Ecumenism, ecumenical consortium of seven Seminary, theological colleges. Its seven member schools are Emmanuel College, Toronto, Emmanuel College, Knox College, ...

. Victoria is situated in the northeastern part of the University of Toronto campus, adjacent to the University of St. Michael's College and Queen's Park. Among its residential halls is Annesley Hall, a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

. A major centre for

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

studies, the university is home to international scholarly projects and holdings devoted to pre-

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

English drama and the works of

Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

History

Victoria College was founded as the Upper Canada Academy by the Wesleyan Methodist Church. In 1831, a church committee decided to locate the academy on four acres (1.6 hectares) of land in

Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberla ...

, east of

, because of its central location in a large town and access by land and water. In 1836, Egerton Ryerson received a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

for the institution from

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

in England, while the Upper Canadian government was hesitant to provide a charter to a Methodist institution. This was the first charter ever granted by the British Government to a Nonconformist body for an educational institution. The school officially opened to male and female students on October 12, 1836, with

Matthew Richey Matthew Richey, (May 25, 1803 – October 30, 1883) was a Wesleyan Methodist minister, an educator, and an important leader in the Methodist community in Nova Scotia. He was born in Ramelton, a small town in the north of County Donegal in U ...

as principal. Although the school taught a variety of liberal arts subjects, it also functioned as an unofficial

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

seminary. In 1841, it was incorporated as Victoria College, named in honour of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, and finally received a charter from the Upper Canadian Legislature. Victoria University formed in 1884 with the merger of Victoria College and Albert College in Belleville. In 1890, due to financial and geographic difficulties, Victoria University federated with the University of Toronto. In 1892, Victoria University moved from Cobourg to its current campus on Queen's Park Crescent, south of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...

(at Charles Street West), in Toronto. A plaque was erected at 100 University Avenue at the intersection with College Street in

Victoria College The cornerstone of this building was laid June 7, 1832, and teaching began in 1836. First operated under a royal charter by the Wesleyan Methodists as Upper Canada Academy, in 1841 it obtained a provincial charter under the name of Victoria College, giving it power to grant degrees. Victoria's first president was the Reverend Egerton Ryerson, newspaper editor and founder of Ontario's present educational system. In 1890 the college federated with 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 ...
and, in 1892, left Cobourg.

James Loudon, a former president of the federated universities, had prohibited dancing at the University of Toronto until 1896. However, dancing at Victoria was not officially permissible until thirty years later, in 1926.

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

gifted to Victoria College a silver cup used by

when she was a child and the

Royal Standard In heraldry and vexillology, a heraldic flag is a flag containing coat of arms, coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices used for personal identification. Heraldic flags include banners, standards, pennons and their variants, gonfalons, ...

that had flown at

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style ...

and was draped on the coffin of the Queen when she died there in 1901. Two bronze plaques on either side of the South door of Victoria College were erected as memorials dedicated to the students of Victoria College who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The WWI list of honour was erected by the Alumni and Alumnae Associations on October 13, 1923, while the WWII list of honour was erected by the Board of Regents. In 1928, the independent Union College federated with the theology department of Victoria College, and became Emmanuel College. ''On the Old Ontario Strand'' for piano by Joyce Belyea was published for the Victoria College Music Club between 1946 and 1948 by the J.H. Peel Music Pub. Co. in Toronto.

Sites and architecture

Victoria University borders Queen's Park, northeast of the

's main campus alongside St. Michael's College. The Victoria College Building, colloquially called ''Old Vic'', is an example of

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...

architectural style, built in 1891. The architect was W. G. Storm, who died shortly after its completion. The campus is centred on the main quadrangle of Victoria, outlined by the Upper and Lower Houses of Burwash Hall. West of the Lower Houses is the new Lester B. Pearson Garden of Peace and International Understanding and the E.J. Pratt Library beyond it. From the eastern side of the building, the Upper Houses look out at Rowell Jackman Hall and the Lower Houses see the St. Michael's College residence of Elmsley. The only exceptions are the view from Gate House's tower that looks down St. Mary's Street and the view from the south side of Bowles-Gandier house, which looks upon the main quadrangle of the University of St. Michael's College.

E.J. Pratt Library

E.J. Pratt Library is the main library of Victoria University. It was built in 1961 and is located at the south end of the quadrangle. The site of the library and the adjacent Northrop Frye Building was originally on the route of Queen's Park Crescent. The road was pushed south into Queen's Park to make way for the new buildings.

Residences

Victoria College is well-known for its historic residence buildings and tight-knit residence community. * Annesley Hall is the oldest residence building at Victoria College, built in 1903 and renovated in 1988. It is a

located across from the Royal Ontario Museum. Annesley Hall remains an all-female residence – the first university residence built specifically for women in Canada. * Burwash Hall was constructed in 1913, originally known as "the men's residences". It was named after Nathanael Burwash, a former president of Victoria. The building is an extravagant

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

work with

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s, and

battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

s. The building is divided between the large dining hall in the northwest and the student residence proper. The residence area is divided into two sections. The Upper Houses, built in 1913, consist of: North House, Middle House, Gate House, and South House. The Lower Houses were built in 1931 and were originally intended to house theology students at Emmanuel College, whose main building was opened the same year. First House, Nelles House, Caven House, Bowles-Gandier House are now mostly home to undergraduate Arts and Science students. Before the 1995 renovations, the entire building was male, but co-ed living was slowly introduced with Gate House being the last to convert in 2007. Burwash-Hall

* Margaret Addison Hall was built in 1959 as an extension of women's residence rooms. It converted to co-ed in the 1990s and features seven floors with communal washrooms. * Rowell Jackman Hall is the newest of the residence buildings, constructed in 1993. It features an apartment-style residence with each room divided into four suites with a common area. Rowell Jackman Hall is named after Mary Rowell Jackman, whose son Hal Jackman made a substantial donation to the project. It stands just east of Burwash Hall on Charles St. and is west of St. Michael's College's Loretto College. Before Rowell Jackman Hall was built, the site was home to a parking lot and the historic Stephenson House. * Stephenson House was a community involvement residence at Victoria University from 1939–2010, but has since become defunct. The House hosted ten undergraduate students per year, self-governed and self-regulating with a separate application and selection process. It last functioned as a residence in the 2009–2010 academic year.

Organization

Victoria University is governed bicamerally by the Victoria University Board of Regents and the Victoria University Senate. These bodies are represented by faculty, administrators, elected students and alumni. The colleges are governed by the Victoria College Council and Emmanuel College Council. College councils are represented by faculty, administrators and elected and appointed students. Victoria's governing charter was most recently amended in 1981, with the enactment of the Victoria University Act. Victoria is presently the wealthiest college at the University of Toronto by net assets. In part this has been because of alumni donations, but much of the growth is specifically due to the rapidly increasing value of Victoria's large real estate holdings in downtown Toronto. The E.J. Pratt Library is the main library in the Victoria University Library system, which operates under the wider

University of Toronto Libraries The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked third among peer institutions in North America, behind only Harvard and Yale. The system consists of 40 libraries located on University of Toronto's ...

system. The collection of approximately 250,000 volumes is geared towards the undergraduate programs at Vic and contains mainly humanities texts with a focus on History, English, Philosophy. The library also hosts rich archival special collections from notable alumni and faculty, historical figures, specific literary collections and Canadiana. The library also oversees Victoria University's institutional archives. The Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies and its respective library collection is located within the E.J. Pratt Library. Its holdings fall into three main categories:

rare books Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given collector. The love of books is '' bibliophilia'', and som ...

, most of which were printed before 1700 (currently about 4,000 titles), modern books and microforms (several thousand microfiches and reels). The library contains primary and secondary materials relating to virtually every aspect of the Renaissance and

. In particular, it houses the

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

collection, one of the richest resources in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

for the study of works written or edited by the great Dutch

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

Desiderius Erasmus of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

. The collection holds a substantial number of pre-1700 editions of his works, including the ''Novum Instrumentum'' of 1516. Emmanuel College Library is the theological library of the Victoria University Library system, also operating under the wider

system. The library is noted for its beauty and is a frequented spot by theological and undergraduate students alike, hosting a sizable theological collection specializing in spiritual care, worship,

homiletics In religious studies, homiletics ( ''homilētikós'', from ''homilos'', "assembled crowd, throng") is the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific art of public preaching. One who practices or studies homiletics may be ...

biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

, and the Methodist tradition, among others. Special collections and rare books in Emmanuel's collection are held and can be viewed at E.J. Pratt Library.

Student life

Clubs and Levies

Campus life for Victoria students is active and varied. Victoria College has levy receivers, student organizations that directly receive a fixed amount of funding from students every year, as well as clubs whose funding are overseen by the Victoria University Students' Administrative Council (VUSAC). Prominent clubs include ''The Boundary'' (the college's satire paper), the Environmental Fashion Show, Vic Dance and the Victoria College Chorus. Levy receivers are students groups with special status based on providing an essential service for student life, and levy heads are also assessor members in VUSAC. Victoria's eleven levy receivers are: * Acta Victoriana, the college literary journal. * Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS), which runs at least four shows per year (a fall show, a winter show, a submission to the University of Toronto Drama Festival, and a musical) * ''The Strand'', Vic's student-run newspaper that is distributed fortnightly across the University of Toronto's downtown campus. * Victoria College Athletics Association (VCAA), which provides students with a chance to participate and compete in intramural sports. * The Cat's Eye, a student lounge in the Goldring Student Centre building that is often used to hold events. * WUSC, which sponsors a student from a developing country to come to the University of Toronto. * Caffiends, Vic's student-run fair trade organic cafe. * VicPride!, an LGBTQ organization that strives to create a safe space at Victoria. * Student Projects, a fund available to students to finance projects that will enrich student life. * VicXposure, a photography group offering workshops, equipment rentals and darkroom use. * VISA, the Victoria International Students Association. Isabel Bader Theatre - University of Toronto - DSC00783

Isabel Bader Theatre - University of Toronto - DSC00783

Victoria is also home to the Isabel Bader Theatre, opened in March 2001. During the past few years the theatre has been used as a lecture hall for University of Toronto students, an active learning space for Victoria University students groups, numerous concerts, film screenings, conferences, and theatrical productions, including the annual sophomore tradition launched in 1872, ''The Bob Comedy Revue'', each written, directed, produced and performed by students such as

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...

, E. J. Pratt,

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, ''Fearful Symmetr ...

, and

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

Academics

The undergraduate academic programs of Victoria College include Literary Studies, Semiotics and Communication Theory, Renaissance Studies, and the Vic Concurrent Teacher Education Program (developed in conjunction with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education). Other academic offerings of note include the first-year undergraduate programs Vic One and Vic First Pathways. The Vic One program, launched in 2003, is an academic opportunity for first-year students at the

to build communication and leadership skills in a small classroom setting. Applications typically open in December for any student who is applying to the University for enrolment in the following September. The Vic One program supplements a student's primary program of study in the form of weekly small group seminars and guest lectures from professors, visiting artists, writers, ambassadors and other public figures. Enrolment in each academic stream is limited to 25 students, with a maximum of 250 students in the program each year. The eight streams are: # Chambers (Commerce, Economics, & Policy) – Named for Margaret Chambers (Vic 3T8), founding member of The Co-operators. # Education (Education & Society) – Originally named ''Ryerson'', for the first principal of Victoria College, Egerton Ryerson. The name of the program was changed in September 2019 due to Ryerson's involvement with the residential school system in Canada. # Frye (Literature & the Humanities) – Named for Victoria University principal, chancellor and student,

(Vic 3T3), a Canadian literary critic and theorist. # Gooch (Philosophy & Ethical Citizenship) – Named for Victoria University president, Paul W. Gooch, a Canadian philosopher and founding member of the Vic One program. # Jewison (Creative Arts & Society) – Named for

(Vic 4T9), a Canadian film director and producer. # Pearson (History, Politics & Social Sciences) – Named for

(Vic 1T9), former Prime Minister of Canada. # Schawlow (Physical & Mathematical Sciences) – Named for

Arthur Leonard Schawlow Arthur Leonard Schawlow (May 5, 1921 – April 28, 1999) was an American physicist who, along with Charles Townes, developed the theoretical basis for laser science. His central insight was the use of two mirrors as the resonant cavity to take m ...

(Vic 4T1), American physicist and Nobel Prize winner. # Stowe-Gullen (Life Sciences) – Named for Augusta Stowe-Gullen (Vic 1883), the first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school. The Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies (CRRS) is a research and teaching centre in Victoria University devoted to the study of the period from approximately 1350 to 1700. The CRRS supervises an undergraduate program in

Studies, organizes lectures and seminars, and maintains an active series of publications. The centre also offers

, graduate, and

postdoctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

fellowships. From 1976 to 2009, the performance history research and publishing project Records of Early English Drama (REED) was based at Victoria University. Through Emmanuel College, Victoria University also offers theological postgraduate options in the ecumenical tradition of the

, which are developed in close conjunction with the wider

. The most popular offering at Emmanuel is the

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

, which is undertaken by prospective ordinands to ministry of Word and Sacrament. Other offerings at Emmanuel include master's degrees in pastoral studies, sacred music, general theological studies, and more. Doctoral study in theological studies is also offered.

Board of Regents

The Board of Regents is the governing body of Victoria University. The Board appoints the Chancellor, the President, the College Principals, the officers of the University, and appoints and promotes the teaching staff of Victoria and Emmanuel Colleges. The 37 members of the Board of Regents include students (6), faculty (8), Victoria College alumni (1), Emmanuel College alumni (2), United Church appointees (13), ex-officio (4) and discretionary (3).

Administrators

Notable alumni and faculty

File:Margaret Atwood 2015.jpg,

File:Donald Sutherland (cropped).JPG,

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...

File:Edwin J. Pratt.JPG, E. J. Pratt File:Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Davos.jpg, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga

References

External links

*
Archival papers of William James Callahan
President of Victoria College (1991–2000), held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victoria University, Toronto Colleges of the University of Toronto Universities and colleges established in 1836 Romanesque Revival architecture in Canada Cobourg 1836 establishments in the British Empire