Nils Willison (1880-1964) was a Lutheran pastor, professor and administrator. Willison graduated from the University of Toronto in 1908, received a BA from Queens University, and was the first graduate of Evangelical Lutheran Seminary (now Waterloo Lutheran Seminary) in 1914. He was a professor at Waterloo College from 1918-1928, and also served as Registrar. From 1928-1936 Nils Willison was pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Hamilton. He was President and Dean of the Lutheran College and Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from 1936-1949. Willison returned to Ontario in 1949 and served as pastor of the Owen Sound-Wiarton parish until 1952. He was a member of the Board of Governors of Waterloo College and Seminary for 12 years. The University of Western Ontario granted Nils Willison an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1944. Wilfrid Laurier University’s Willison Hall is named in his honour.
Wilfrid Laurier University Women's Association (1960-1993) was a social group for female faculty and administrators as well as the wives of faculty members of Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University) in Waterloo, Ontario. Its purpose was to welcome new members, develop social events and foster member participation in University and community affairs. The group was established under the name of Faculty Wives, which was changed to Waterloo Lutheran University Women's Association, and later to the Wilfrid Laurier University Women's Association.
The Waterloo Lutheran University Graduate School of Social Work was founded in 1966 with a curriculum based on clinical practice as well as community organization practice. Students specialized in one of five concentrations: community development, social planning, social administration, research, or individuals, families and social groups. The first class graduated in 1968, the same year that the Graduate School of Social Work was accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. In 1974, the name of the program was changed to the Faculty of Social Work to reflect the expansion into part-time, continuing education and undergraduate social welfare courses (offered in the Faculty of Arts and Science). In 1981, the Faculty of Social Work created an undergraduate Social Welfare Option, considered to be a minor.
The Doctor of Social Work program was established in 1987, making it the first doctoral program at Wilfrid Laurier University.
By 1988 the Faculty had moved from the seminary to the Peters building and then to the Aird building before moving to the St. Jerome’s Duke Street building in 2006. This Laurier Kitchener campus was a 12 million dollar conversion from historic landmark to professional school.
The first Dean of the Faculty of Social Work was Sheldon L. Rahn (1966-1968), followed by Francis J. Turner (1969-1979), Sherman Merle (1980-1983), Shankar A. Yelaja (1983-1993), Jonnah Hurn Mather (1994-2001), Luke J. Fusco (2001-2006), Leslie Cooper (2006-2009), and Nicholas Coady (2011-).
The Faculty of Science at Wilfrid Laurier University was founded in 2000, when the Faculty of Arts and Sciences partitioned into distinct faculties of Arts and Science. The Faculty consists of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology and Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Psychology and the Health Sciences program. Deans of the Faculty of Science have been Dr. Arthur Szabo (2000-2007), Dr. Deb MacLatchy (2007-2009), and Dr. Paul Jessop (2009- present).
The Faculty is predominantly housed in the Science Building which was officially opened in 1995. Eventually the Science Research Centre (opened in 2004) was added between the Science and Bricker Academic Buildings. The Research Centre is a dedicated research building for faculty and students.
In 2000, the Faculty of Science mandate was as follows:
“Laurier’s Faculty of Science is dedicated to collaboration between and beyond its six departments. In that spirit, the Faculty offers selected high quality programs with homes in Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology & Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science and Psychology. Its programs are contemporary and competitive, designed to attract the highest quality students, and to provide them with a stimulating education and thorough preparation for employment or further studies. That Faculty holds the advance of scientific knowledge as one of its key values, and as such is committed to sustaining a supportive climate for research in the pure, social and applied sciences. The Faculty’s spirit of shared enterprise is highly valued by its members.”
Established in 1975, the Faculty of Music delivers music education and related activities at Wilfrid Laurier University. As of 2013, undergraduate degree options include an Honours Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree and an Honours Bachelor of Music Therapy (BMT) degree. The faculty also offers Master of Music Therapy and Master of Arts in Community Music degrees. In addition to the degree programs, there are several supplementary and post-graduate options including three diploma programs, a practicum program and a management option. The Faculty of Music invites guest artists from around the world to contribute to the course offerings and hosts a number of affiliated artists, beginning in 1967 with Peter van Ginkel. Every year the faculty produces a number of concerts and recitals of traditional, new and original music. The concerts showcase the talents of WLU students and special guests in a variety of styles and forms including jazz, opera and orchestra.
The institution’s involvement with music dates back to first half of the 20th century when it was known as Waterloo College. Initially, musical activities at the college were the domain of student groups such as the college choir and the glee club. In the years following World War II the interest in music had grown at the college. There was an annual student musical known as the Purple and Gold review and the college choir led by Dr. Ulrich Leupold regularly toured the parishes of Southern Ontario. In 1945 Dr. Leupold established the Department of Music with the class Music10. By 1956 the college offered two courses in music history and theory, as well as one course on church music. In 1965 a music program was formally created by Dr. Walter Kemp. This new program allowed students to earn a Bachelor of Arts with a major in music. In 1969, a new three-year Bachelor of Music degree was introduced and was to commence in 1970.
The Music Department remained affiliated with the Faculty of Arts for the next five years. Traditionally, the department held classes in the chapel and in a music room in the Arts Building. However, these facilities did not suit department’s needs and in 1971 classes were moved into two houses on Bricker Street. Due to noise complaints from neighbouring residents, the music department was soon asked to vacate the houses. The department was then moved into the garage of the President’s House (Alumni Hall). On May 1st, 1975 the Department of Music became the Faculty of Music. Dr. Christine Mather was named the first Dean and was inducted on November 3, 1975. That same year, the Faculty of Music was moved to Macdonald House. In 1979, Dr. Gordon Greene became Dean and held the position for two consecutive terms. In 1988 the Faculty was moved to the newly constructed John Aird Centre, which contains the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, the Theatre Auditorium, classrooms, practice rooms and offices. This purpose-built centre remains as the current home of the Faculty of Music. In 1989, Anne Hall was appointed Dean. Other Deans of the Faculty of Music include Dr. Charles Morrison (Appointed in 2000) and Dr. Glen Carruthers (Appointed in 2010).
In 1910 the Canada Synod and Synod of Central Canada of the Lutheran Church entered into an agreement to establish a Lutheran Seminary. Though the location first proposed for the Seminary was Toronto, Waterloo was selected when its citizens offered a tract of land on the boundary of the town. The choice of location was further influenced by the fact that the majority of Lutherans in Ontario lived in the vicinity of Waterloo and Berlin (Kitchener). In 1911 the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada opened its doors.
Facilities for pre-theological education were established in 1914 with courses leading to senior matriculation given in Waterloo College School.
In 1924 the Waterloo College of Arts, providing courses in post-secondary education in a four year program, was established. In 1925 the Faculty of Arts, under the name of Waterloo College, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario. Waterloo College soon began to offer honours degree programs in the arts.
The affiliation with the University of Western Ontario ended in 1960 when the Seminary obtained a revised charter changing the name of the institution to Waterloo Lutheran University.
On November 1, 1973, Waterloo Lutheran University became Wilfrid Laurier University, one of Ontario's provincially assisted universities after Bill 178 was given Royal Assent by the Lieutenant Governor (and former Waterloo Lutheran University Chancellor) William Ross Macdonald.
In September 1999, Laurier opened a campus in Brantford, Ontario.
In 1910 the Canada Synod and Synod of Central Canada of the Lutheran Church entered into an agreement to establish a Lutheran Seminary. Though the location first proposed for the Seminary was Toronto, Waterloo was selected when its citizens offered a tract of land on the boundary of the town. The choice of location was affected, too, by the fact that the majority of Lutherans in Ontario lived in the vicinity of Waterloo and Berlin (Kitchener). In 1911 the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada opened its doors.
Facilities for pre-theological education were established in 1914 with courses leading to senior matriculation given in Waterloo College School.
In 1924 the Waterloo College of Arts, providing courses in post-secondary education in a four year program, was established. In 1925 the Faculty of Arts, under the name of Waterloo College, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario. Waterloo College soon began to offer Honours degree programs in the arts.
The affiliation with the University of Western Ontario ended in 1960 when the Seminary obtained a revised charter changing the name of the institution to Waterloo Lutheran University.
On November 1, 1973, Waterloo Lutheran University became Wilfrid Laurier University, one of Ontario's provincially assisted universities after Bill 178 was given Royal Assent by the Lieutenant Governor, former Wilfrid Laurier University Chancellor William Ross Macdonald.
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (WLS) officially opened on October 30, 1911 in Waterloo, Ontario in a house located on five acres of land donated by the City of Waterloo. The first class consisted of four students and one full-time faculty member, Ottomar Lincke. Lincke would also serve as the first executive officer until 1914. In 1924, Waterloo College was established, providing courses in post-secondary education. The following year, the Seminary and Waterloo College affiliated with the University of Western Ontario (UWO) allowing students to earn an accredited degree. Women were allowed to attend to Waterloo College beginning in 1929.
In 1960 Waterloo College ended its affiliation with the University of Western Ontario and became an independent, degree granting institution called Waterloo Lutheran University that operated alongside the Seminary.
The current Seminary building was dedicated on October 20th, 1963. In 1973 Waterloo Lutheran University became a provincially-funded, secular institution and was renamed Wilfrid Laurier University. The Lutheran Church was no longer responsible for the operating the University but the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary remained a federated college of Wilfrid Laurier University.
In the 1980s, the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary gained full accreditation status in the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. In 1994, a Doctor of Ministry degree was added. The year 2010 saw the creation of the Kanata Centre for Worship and Global Song, which seeks to bridge the cultural gap between developed and less developed countries. Currently, the Seminary offers a variety of diploma, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies and Global Citizenship.
In 1910 the Canada Synod and Synod of Central Canada of the Lutheran Church entered into an agreement to establish a Lutheran Seminary. Though the location first proposed for the Seminary was Toronto, Waterloo was selected when its citizens offered a tract of land on the boundary of the town. The choice of location was affected, too, by the fact that the majority of Lutherans in Ontario lived in the vicinity of Waterloo and Berlin (Kitchener). In 1911 the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada opened its doors.
Facilities for pre-theological education were established in 1914 with courses leading to senior matriculation given in Waterloo College School.
In 1924 the Waterloo College of Arts, providing courses in post-secondary education in a four year program, was established. In 1925 the Faculty of Arts, under the name of Waterloo College, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario. Waterloo College soon began to offer Honours degree programs in the arts.
The affiliation with the University of Western Ontario ended in 1960 when the Seminary obtained a revised charter changing the name of the institution to Waterloo Lutheran University.
On November 1, 1973, Waterloo Lutheran University became Wilfrid Laurier University, one of Ontario's provincially assisted universities after Bill 178 was given Royal Assent by the Lieutenant Governor (and former Waterloo Lutheran University Chancellor) William Ross Macdonald.
In September 1999, Laurier opened a campus in Brantford, Ontario.
In 1986, Uniroyal Chemical Company was formed as a subsidiary of Avery Inc. Then, in 1989, Uniroyal Chemical Company Investors Holding bought Uniroyal Chemical Company from Avery and became Uniroyal Chemical Corporation. In 1996, Uniroyal Chemical Corporation went public and merged with Crompton & Knowles. In 1996, Uniroyal Chemical Corporation went public and merged with Crompton & Knowles. In 1999, Crompton & Knowles merged with Witco to form Crompton Corporation. In 2005, Crompton acquired Great Lakes Chemical Company, Inc., of West Lafayette, Indiana, to form Chemtura Corporation.
John Theberge (1940- ) was a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, from 1972 until his retirement in 2000. Theberge received his BSc from the University of Guelph, MSc from the University of Toronto, and PhD from the University of British Columbia. John Theberge's career focused on his wolf research, pioneering a technique using vocal patterns to identify wolves. John Theberge and his co-researcher and wife Mary Theberge became Canada's premier timber wolf research team, receiving international recognition for their field research. In 1993, Equinox magazine proclaimed John and Mary Theberge "Environmentalist of the Year". In 1998 they were presented with the Harkin Medal from Canadian Parks and Wilderness Services.
Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen (1857-1943) was a medical doctor, a lecturer and a suffragette. She was born in Mt. Pleasant, Ontario, the daughter of John Stowe and Emily Howard Jennings. She married John Benjamin Gullen in 1883. She died in Toronto. Stowe-Gullen was educated at the Toronto School of Medicine, then at the Faculty of Medicine at Victoria University, Toronto, where she became an M.D. in 1883, the first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school. Immediately after graduating she was appointed Demonstrator in Anatomy at the Woman’s Medical College in Toronto (from 1894 onwards known as the Ontario Medical College for Women). In 1890 she was appointed Lecturer on Diseases of Children, subsequently Professor of Diseases of Children. She also served among the original staff members of Toronto Western Hospital (founded in 1896). Stowe-Gullen was a member of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Ontario Social Service Council, the Senate of the University of Toronto where she represented women in the medical profession (1912-24), the Toronto Board of Education (1892-96), the University Women's Club, the Women's Art Association, the Women's Board at Toronto Western Hospital, and the Women's Canadian Club. She was also active in the suffrage, temperance and other social movements. She was among the founders of the National Council of Women in 1893, (President) of the Canadian Suffrage Association, (Vice-President) of the National Council of Women, and she succeeded her mother as President of the Dominion Women’s Enfranchisement Association in 1903. In 1935 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire.
Emily Howard Jennings Stowe (1831-1903) was a teacher and principal, a medical doctor, and a suffragette. Educated at home, Stowe became a teacher in 1846 and graduated from the Provincial Normal School in Toronto, Canada West in 1854. In 1865 Stowe applied to study medicine at the University of Toronto, but was denied entry because she was a woman. Unable to pursue her education in Canada, she attended the New York Medical College for Women. After graduating in 1867, Stowe returned to Toronto to practice medicine without a license. In 1870 she was allowed to attend the University of Toronto and was granted a medical license in 1880. In 1877 Emily Stowe organized Canada's first suffrage organization, initially called the Toronto Women's Literary Club, which later became the Toronto Women's Suffrage Club.
Jim Stapleton was a student at Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University) from 1961 to 1965.
John Frederick Nathanael Spady (1879-1947) was a musician and composer in Waterloo, Ontario. Taught by his mother, who was the organist at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waterloo for more than 30 years, Spady excelled as a pianist and violinist. He authored more than 600 pieces of music.
The Seminette Club (1954-1970) was for the wives, and intended wives, of students at the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada, and Waterloo College (now Wilfrid Laurier University) in Waterloo, Ontario. The purpose of the club was fellowship, study, and discussion in preparation for the role of a pastor's wife.
Harold Russell was a student at Waterloo College from 1954 to 1958. He was a member of the Waterloo College Detachment of the University of Western Ontario Contingent of the Canadian Officers' Training Corps.
Flora Roy (1912-2008) was a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario from 1948 until 1993. Roy received her BA and MA from the University of Saskatchewan and her PhD from the University of Toronto. In 1948 she became a professor in the English Department at Waterloo College (now Wilfrid Laurier University), and served as Department Chair for 30 years. Roy retired from full time teaching in 1978 but continued to teach on a part-time basis until 1993. She received the Confederation Medal in 1967, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal in 1978, Wilfrid Laurier University Language Arts Award in 1984, and the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association Distinguished Educator award in 1995. In 1988 Flora Roy received an honorary degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Henry A. Regier (1930 - ) was a professor of zoology and environmental studies at the University of Toronto until his retirement in 1995. Regier received his BA from Queen's University, a professional teaching certificate from the University of Toronto, and his PhD from Cornell University. In 1966 he joined the University of Toronto. Henry Regier's research interests include the Great Lakes, human use of aquatic systems, world population, and climate change. Regier served as a Canadian commissioner on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, from 1980 to 1989. From 1987 to 1990 he served on the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board of the International Joint Commission of Canada and the USA. Regier has received many awards, including the Conservation Award of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in 1980, the Centenary Medal by the Royal Society of Canada in 1986, the Award of Excellence of the American Fisheries Society in 1992, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Great Lakes Research in 2005.
John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) was an English author and lecturer. Born in Derbyshire, England, he was the eldest of eleven children of Rev. Francis and Mary Powys. John Cowper Powys was educated at Sherborne School and Corpus Christi, Cambridge. He first lectured at girls' schools in the Brighton area, and from 1898 to 1909 lectured for the Oxford University Extension Delegacy. In 1905 he made his first lecture tour in the United States, where he continued to tour until 1934. Powys' publications include novels, an autobiography, and a series of philosophical essays. In 1958 he received the plaque of the Hamburg Free Academy of Arts for outstanding services to literature and philosophy. In 1962 Powys received an honorary degree from the University of Wales.