A Name Change

It was Howard Kerr, the founder of what would become Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), who in 1948 identified the need to select a name for the new institution that would resonate with potential students. The campus was located on land steeped in the history of education in Ontario —St. James Square, site of the province’s first teacher training school. The person most responsible for that connection was Egerton Ryerson, who in his role as chief superintendent of education for Upper Canada from 1846 to 1876, developed Ontario’s public school system. The new institution, created largely through the vision of Howard Kerr, was founded with the then-innovative principle of applied learning at the post-secondary level. It opened its doors with a name connecting it to the province’s history: Ryerson Institute of Technology. 

Fast forward more than 70 years to an era of Truth and Reconciliation regarding the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. The name of Egerton Ryerson was at the centre of the discussion about the appropriateness of having a prominent figure from colonial Ontario associated with an institution that has as its core values respect for Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, and equity, diversity and inclusion. In addition, a link to Egerton Ryerson was made to the founding of Indian Residential Schools.

In response to calls from the university community and beyond to change the university’s name, President Mohamed Lachemi appointed the Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force, with a mandate to review Egerton Ryerson’s historical role and develop recommendations to address his legacy, as well as evaluate the broader issue of commemoration in the campus community. 

The Standing Strong Task Force was co-chaired by Joanne Dallaire, the university’s elder and senior advisor on Indigenous relations and reconciliation, and Catherine Ellis, faculty member in the Department of History. The 12 other members of the task force reflected the diversity of the community and included students, faculty, staff, alumni and professionals with expertise in a range of fields, including history, human rights and law. The task force was supported by senior executive and administrative leaders within the university, a team of researchers and an external agency. 

Guided by Elder Dallaire and other Indigenous members of the task force, the group approached its mandate through an Indigenous lens, grounded in the belief that “no one is above, no one is below, no one is ahead, and no one is behind.

The task force conducted extensive community consultations, engaging more than 11,000 individuals through tactics including an online survey with more than 8,500 respondents. Other methods included community presentations and community conversations, direct communications to the task force, and social media.

In 2021,  (PDF file) the task force submitted its report with 22 recommendations, including the renaming of the university, the adoption of new principles of commemoration and the implementation of a wide range of actions to increase support for Indigenous and Black scholarship and advance reconciliation, anti-colonialism and equity on campus.

On August 26, 2021, the TMU Board of Governors accepted all 22 recommendations from the Standing Strong Task Force. With that decision, President Mohamed Lachemi launched the University Renaming Advisory Committee and a six-month process including community engagement, extensive research, discussion and deliberation.

First up was a three-week long public survey period to hear what the community had to say about the most important considerations in the search for the new name, and to generate ideas on what the new name could be. Over three weeks, the university received more than 30,000 responses to the survey were received, and more than 8,000 people put forward 2,600 suggestions for a new name. 

Most respondents indicated they did not want the university’s new name to honour a notable person, and that it should instead reflect the university’s location and its mission, vision and values. 

The committee put forward to the president a short list of new names for consideration, and on April 26, 2022, the Board of Governors unanimously approved Toronto Metropolitan University as the new name.

President Lachemi explained the rationale for TMU, saying the name “embodies so many things about our university, our community, our students, faculty staff and alumni. Located in the heart of the country’s biggest and most diverse city, we represent all that it is to be metropolitan.

Related stories:

• More than a name change
• Introducing our new team name
• ICYMI: Video update on renaming and the top 5 takeaways
• Meet Frankie B. Bold, the new university mascot
• Toronto Metropolitan University’s full-scale name change sets future course
• The decision to rename the university fosters hope for the future: Two students talk renaming, reconciliation and education