University of Toronto Mississauga

Coordinates: 43°32′54″N 79°39′48″W / 43.54833°N 79.66333°W / 43.54833; -79.66333

University of Toronto Mississauga
Established	1967
Type	Satellite campus
Principal	H. Deep Saini[1]
Undergraduates	11,500[2]
Postgraduates	400[2]
Location	Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Campus	Suburban, 90.2 hectares (223 acres)[2]
Website	utm.utoronto.ca or erin.utoronto.ca

The University of Toronto Mississauga (also known as U of T Mississauga or UTM) is a satellite campus of the University of Toronto, located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The university is set upon a park-like campus on the valley of the Credit River, approximately 33 kilometres west of Downtown Toronto. It is the second-largest campus of the university in terms of enrollment. It was formerly known as Erindale College and later the University of Toronto at Mississauga.

History

UTM was built on the former estate of Reginald Watkins, which was acquired by the University of Toronto in 1965. Founded as Erindale College in 1965, construction on the university's main building began in 1966. Although originally expected to be temporary, the building still exists today as part of the North Building. In 1998, Erindale assumed the dual name of University of Toronto Mississauga, although Erindale College still remains an official alternate name^[3][4][5][6]

Recently UTM celebrated its 40th anniversary, a milestone which was capped off with the grand opening of the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Center on June 2, 2007.^[3]

Campus

The campus consists of a number of buildings arranged across a large, treed lot. The surrounding suburban neighbourhood (the Mississauga Road area and the Credit Woodlands) is a fairly affluent section of the city of Mississauga. The largest building was built as a megalithic structure, predominantly out of concrete, as was typical of the brutalist architecture style of the late 1960s. It was one of architect Raymond Moriyama's first major commissions. Other buildings were added over the decades, but, with the enlarged enrollment at the beginning of the new millennium, the pace of construction increased.

A new CCT (formerly CCIT) building, designed by Saucier + Perrot, was opened in September 2004. It is characterized by a poorly finished black and glass exterior. The interior is finished in concrete and gray paint, with black plastic melamine on many surfaces. The new library and academic learning centre, designed by Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners and named after Mississauga's mayor, Hazel McCallion, opened October 8, 2006, and the new Wellness, Recreation and Athletics Centre, also by Shore Tilbe, opened less than a month previous to that. The new library consists of four floors with a mixture of group study tables and individual silent study space.

Mississauga campus became home to a first in Canadian education. Canada's first Forensic Science Institute was created at the U of T Mississauga, opening for the 2007 - 2008 school year. The new institute for postgraduate students forges close ties with the Centre of Forensic Sciences. Plans have also been finalized for the establishment of an Academy of Medicine at the Mississauga campus, in partnership with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.^[7] It will provide a community oriented program to increase the number of primary care physicians and general practitioners. The first students are slated for enrollment in 2011. U of T Mississauga is in the midst of an expansion, with student enrollment being projected to reach 12,000 by the end of the decade.

Academics

CCT Building

U of T Mississauga offers 148 programs among 89 areas of study.^[8] The University's most popular programs include anthropology, biology, commerce, management, CCIT (Communications, Culture and Information technology), computer science, crime and deviance, English, environmental studies, history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.

U of T Mississauga students can apply for joint-degree programs in CCIT, art and art history or theatre and drama through an arrangement with Sheridan College, allowing students to obtain both a university degree from U of T and a college diploma from Sheridan. The CCIT program is a recent creation and partnership between U of T Mississauga and Sheridan College. These programs allow students to benefit from the practical experience of a college.^[9]

Other undergraduate programs offered at U of T Mississauga include, but are not limited to professional writing and communication, economics, mathematics, chemistry, languages, physics, environmental sciences, geography, and earth sciences (e.x. geology).

U of T Mississauga also hosts one of the few palaeomagnetism laboratories in Canada. Currently run by Dr. Henry Halls, this lab investigated the palaeomagnetic properties of rocks collected from the Apollo missions in the 1970s. U of T Mississauga's most famous president was Dr. J. Tuzo Wilson, a geologist and pioneer in plate tectonics. A research wing in the William G. Davis building of U of T Mississauga is named after him.^[3]

Graduate degrees offered include the Master of Management and Professional Accounting, Diploma in Investigative and Forensic Accounting, Master of Biotechnology, Master of Management of Innovation and the Master of Biomedical Communications.

Student life

MiST Theatre

The campus is home to CFRE-FM, broadcasting twenty-four hours a day at 91.9FM out of the Student Centre. With a focus on Canadian and independent music, students and community members are encouraged to apply for a show, as no experience is required. The main practice facility of the Toronto Argonauts football club is also located on campus.^[10] The Multimedia Studio Theatre at UTM is often used as a venue for visiting professors and performances by artists as well as for student performances. Theatre Erindale presents a regular 5 show season every year as well as sponsoring Independent Student Productions.^[11] Both theatres also host UTM's Drama club performances.

The UTM Students' Union represents undergraduate students at UTM.

Theatre Erindale is a theatre production company at UTM. It is part of the Theatre and Drama Studies program. The company presents a season of 5 plays in the Erindale Studio Theatre.^[12] These plays include classics, modern pieces and a yearly collective developed by the third year class. Several shows have been included in the Ontario Arts Review Top 10 List since 2005.^[13]

The season's shows are also supported by the students of the Theatre Arts-Technical Production Program of Sheridan College who work in positions such as Stage management, Lighting operation, and Sound operation.

In addition to the regular season, Theatre Erindale sponsors one or more Independent Student Productions during the school year. The Department of English & Drama at UTM also runs an active drama club that performs both at the Mississauga campus and also at the University of Toronto Drama festival at Hart House Theatre. Many of these events that are outside of the regular season plays are presented in the MiST Theatre.

MiST was designed as a modern, flexible theatre space.^[14] The theatre is contained in the CCT building designed by Saucier + Perrotte Architectes.^[15] Although MiST is an English & Drama departmental space, it is used by many different members of the UTM community.^[16] It can also be rented by non-university groups.

The MiST Theatre is affiliated with the Theatre & Drama Studies Program and their performance company Theatre Erindale. The TDS program also uses the other University of Toronto Mississauga performance space, Erindale Studio Theatre.

Everything inside of MiST is modular, or on wheels. There are drapery tracks that encircle the room allowing the various drapes to be moved to any location. The theatre also has 6 moving lights that allow quick and easy placement of lighting specials. The theatre is often used for everything from modern multimedia performances to traditional dance.

Generally MiST has 148 seats set up, but the capacity is often increased for lecture style events.

MiST has also often been used as a venue for visiting professors and artists. The Blackwood Gallery on campus has used MiST on several occasions for receptions, conferences, and art exhibits.^[17]

Erindale Studio Theatre is a Black Box type space that has an audience capacity of up to 85, depending on the stage configuration. The building itself was formerly a bus garage and science lab, but was converted into a theatre in 1993.

The stage space can be set up as proscenium style, thrust, theatre-in-the-round, alley, or corner-to-corner. In its various configurations it has played host of a wide range of performances:

Erindale Studio Theatre

As well as being used by the UTM Theatre and Drama Studies program, Erindale Studio Theatre is often used by rental groups. It has a modern lighting and audio system, as well as a full carpentry shop, costume shop, Box office and painting facilities.

Students who contribute much to student life are recognized through various awards including the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award^[18] and the UTM Principal's Student Involvement Award.^[19]

Noted people

• Roberta Bondar - Astronaut^[20]
• Dionne Brand - Poet, Novelist and Community Activist
• Vikas Kohli - Producer and Founder of Fatlabs
• Richie Mehta - Art and Art History alumni and Movie Director of "Amal," recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
• John Roberts (J.D. Roberts) - CNN Senior National Correspondent (former CBS News White House reporter and fill-in national news anchor for Dan Rather).
• Zaib Shaikh - Lead Actor on Little Mosque on the Prairie^[21]

See also

	Toronto portal
	University portal

• University of Toronto
• University of Toronto Scarborough
• CFRE-FM
• Mississauga, Ontario

Further reading

Percy, John, and Sabeen Abbas (eds.). Celebrating 40 Years of History at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Toronto: University of Toronto Mississauga, 2007.

References

1. ^ "Office of the Vice-President and Principal". University of Toronto Mississauga. 2008-02-27. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/1699.0.html. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Pask-Aubé, Corinne (2009). University of Toronto Facts and Figures. Office of Government, Institutional and Community Relations. http://www.utoronto.ca/__shared/assets/FB2008_all2859.pdf 
3. ^ ^{a b c} UTM History
4. ^ The name "Erindale" continues on in many official roles e.g. Erindale College Council - the college's governing body, bank accounts from which payroll and expenses are deducted, etc. The move from Erindale to UTM is the result of an aggressive branding campaign by certain administrative individuals that is still resisted by numerous employees (faculty and otherwise) and alumni. At the time of its introduction, it was promised by administrators that "UTM" would supplement "Erindale" and not replace it.
5. ^ see Erindale College Council Webpage
6. ^ The Erindale College Council Constitution - "Erindale College" is used interchangably with "UTM" [1]
7. ^ "U of T Faculty of Medicine Creates Fourth Medical Academy in Mississauga". University of Toronto Mississauga. February 2006. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/index.php?id=4808. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
8. ^ Fact Sheet
9. ^ "Art & art history program". University of Toronto at Mississauga & Sheridan College. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/cvmc/aah/. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
10. ^ "Athletic Management - Fitness Cener Retrofit at U of T". Sandford Group. 1997. http://www.sandfordgroup.com/editoriallibrary/athletics_library/university_college_fitness.html. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
11. ^ Clay, Chris (Sep 23, 2008). "Theatre Erindale season debuts with sneak previews". Mississauga.com (Mississauga, Ontario). http://www.mississauga.com/article/20844. 
12. ^ "Theatre Erindale announces its 2010/11 season.". Stage-Door (Ontario). 2010.06.20. http://www.stage-door.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1249&Itemid=50. 
13. ^ "U of T Mississauga's Theatre Erindale scores again". NEWS @ The University of Toronto (Toronto). January 12, 2009. http://www.news.utoronto.ca/arts/u-of-t-mississaugas-theatre-erindale-scores-again.html. 
14. ^ "dmoz the open directory project". http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Performing_Arts/Theatre/Venues/North_America/Canada/. 
15. ^ "Saucier + Perrotte Architectes". http://www.saucierperrotte.com/home.php?lg=en. 
16. ^ Wainwright, Julie (November 30, 2009). "Bringing Drama to UTM". Medium Online (Mississauga, Ontario). http://mediumonline.ca/2009/11/30/bringing-drama-to-utm/. 
17. ^ "Justina M. Barnicke Gallery Past Exhibitions". Jan 2008. http://www.jmbgallery.ca/ExPastSignals.html. 
18. ^ "Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Awards". Sep 2011. http://my.alumni.utoronto.ca/s/731/index_clean.aspx?pgid=664&gid=1. 
19. ^ "Principal's Student Involvement Award". Sep 2011. http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/index.php?id=8394. 
20. ^ "Roberta Bondar". http://www.robertabondar.ca/astronaut.php. Retrieved 2008-03-26. 
21. ^ Scott, Graham. "Zaib Shaikh - Actor lands a plum role with a CBC hit". http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/summer-2007/zaib-shaikh-little-mosque-on-prairie-whistler-theatre-project/. 

External links

• University of Toronto Mississauga