Remembering Terry Grier, TMU president emeritus who led the bid for university status
President Emeritus Terry Grier with his wife, Ruth Grier, former cabinet minister in the federal government, at the dedication of the Terence W. Grier Gate in the quad. Photo credit: Clifton Li.
President Emeritus Terence (Terry) Grier, who led what was then Ryerson Polytechnical Institute through one of the most important transformations in its history, has died following a stroke. He was 86.
It was under Grier’s guidance that the case for university status for Ryerson was made to, and ultimately approved by, the federal government in 1993 – representing a monumental leap forward for what is now Toronto Metropolitan University.
Grier oversaw the drive for full university status and the subsequent developments that define the university today, including robust research activity and innovative graduate programs. With the new status, the institution became Ryerson Polytechnic University. He has been credited with helping to establish the foundation for a successful bid for university status in the years before his presidential term, by attracting talented people to the ranks of faculty and staff.
Over the course of more than 25 years Grier served the institution as a faculty member, department chair, Dean of Arts and Vice-President, Academic, before being named the first internal candidate to serve as president, from 1988 to 1995.
President Mohamed Lachemi said: “Our university community is deeply saddened by the passing of Terry Grier and will be forever grateful for his leadership at a landmark moment in our history. His profound impact on TMU will resonate for decades to come. He was a man of compassion and vision, with a lifelong devotion to building a better university, province and country for people of all backgrounds to realize their potential and pursue their dreams.”
President Terry Grier and university Board Chair Isabel Bassett look on as astronaut Roberta Bondar autographs a montage on her space flight on a visit to the university in 1992.
Grier’s achievements extend beyond university status. During his tenure, professional accreditation was achieved for Engineering, Nursing and Social Work programs; the campus was reshaped with construction of the Rogers Communications Centre and Pitman Hall residence (the first large residence for the university); the International Living/Learning Centre was acquired; and more than $25 million was raised from the private sector.
The accomplishments are all the more remarkable given the financial challenges of the early 1990s, when a sudden downturn in the economy led to successive and unprecedented constraints in funding from a cash-strapped provincial government. Grier brought a caring and congenial style to the presidency, which was credited with building a strong administrative team and maintaining a sense of community on campus during difficult times.
At a celebration to honour Grier at the end of his term in 1995, then Dean of Arts and future Vice-President, Academic Errol Aspevig said of the outgoing president: “His view is that Ryerson is a living community and he has instinctively understood the nature of the institution. He has brought the institution forward without imposing anything on it. He has placed it in a financial position that provides a base to work from. We owe our opportunities, hope and confidence for the future to Terry.”
In addition to being named the university’s first President Emeritus, Grier’s accomplishments are acknowledged on campus in part through the Terence Grier Entrance Scholarships, as well as the Terence W. Grier Gate, at the south side of the quad, dedicated in 2018 on the 25th anniversary of achieving university status.
Terence Grier graduated from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College in 1958, serving as an NDP member of parliament for Toronto-Lakeshore from 1972 to 1974. He ran unsuccessfully in the 1974 federal election and returned to a previous role as instructor in the Politics Department at Ryerson. He served as department head, then Dean of Arts and Vice-President Academic before his appointment as president in 1988. Grier’s wife, Ruth, was active in municipal politics and subsequently as a member of the Ontario legislature, serving as Minister of the Environment and Minister of Health in the cabinet of Premier Bob Rae.
Grier is survived by his wife, Ruth, and sons David, Patrick and Timothy.