Collection 002 - UTSC Archives Legacy collection

Identity area

Reference code

UTSC 002

Title

UTSC Archives Legacy collection

Date(s)

  • 1949, 1956-2018 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

16.38 meters of textual material.
1101 photographs : b&w.
238 photographs : col.
17 negatives : b&w.
32 negatives : col.
238 slides.
2 transparencies.
82 microforms.
1 electronic media item.
24 audio-visual items.
76 books.
198 artifacts.

Context area

Name of creator

(1964-)

Administrative history

In 1956, concerned about the growing number of students at the downtown St. George campus, the University of Toronto proposed the creation of two suburban satellite campuses. In 1962, University of Toronto President Claude T. Bissell decreed that the new campuses, Erindale (now Mississauga) and Scarborough, would offer programs of the same admission standards, quality and degree level as the downtown campus, with the same tuition fees. The colleges would concentrate on offering general Arts and Science courses, to be expanded at a later date. The intention was for extension courses to be offered in Scarborough beginning in 1964, with on-site teaching to begin at the new campus itself in 1965.

In 1963 the University of Toronto purchased a 202-acre estate on Highland Creek for close to $650,000 from insurance broker E. L. McLean. The property was originally developed in 1911 by Toronto businessman Miller Lash, who built the 17-room mansion in the Highland Creek Valley that now serves as the Principal’s Residence. In 1964 construction began on the college buildings, designed by local architect John Andrew and located on the eastern ridge of the Highland Creek Valley. 16 faculty members were appointed this same year, and evening courses were taught under the Scarborough College name at Birchmount Park Collegiate beginning in October. The College’s first Principal, D. C. Williams, was also made a Vice- Principal of the University of Toronto.

Due to a construction strike, the first cohort of Scarborough College students were taught in temporary classrooms at the Old Biology Building on the St. George campus. Arthur FitzWalter Wynne (A.F.W.) Plumptre was named as the second Principal of the College and took up residence in Miller Lash House in 1965. The Scarborough College Athletics Association was formed, and in January of 1966 the S-Wing (Science) and H-Wing (Humanities) were opened to students. The official Opening Ceremonies took place in the fall, and the College’s first full year of operation began with 500 students. By 1967 enrollment had doubled to 1000, and the first student magazine, Marooned, was published.

The first graduating class of Scarborough College received their degrees in 1968, and the Scarborough College Alumni Association was consequently formed in 1969. The first literary magazine, Mimesis, was also published in 1969, along with the new student newspaper, Balcony Square, which replaced the short-lived Apocalypse. This strong literary tradition was upheld by the first edition of Scarborough Fair – An Anthology of Literature in 1974, and The Underground newspaper in 1982.

In 1970, the first F. B. Watts Memorial Lecture, named in honour of Scarborough College’s retired professor of economics, was given by former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, beginning a long-standing tradition of high quality guest lecturing at the College. Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker also gave a Watts lecture, in 1977. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau visited campus to give lectures on two separate occasions while in office, in September 1971 and in 1979.

In 1972 Scarborough College became a separate arts and science division within the University of Toronto, allowing the college to take control over the development of its curriculum. The R- Wing (Recreation) also opened, providing students with a fine arts studio, gymnasium, and other sporting facilities. CSCR Radio began to broadcast from Scarborough College. The first student residences opened in 1973, following designs that had been approved in 1971, allowing for the accommodation of 250 students. The College also became the first in Ontario to implement a credit-based system for academics.

In 1974 Don Carr became the first winner of the Plumptre Award for outstanding contribution to the advancement of athletics and recreation at Scarborough College. The College became a frontrunner in interfaculty athletics, winning the T. A. Reed Trophy for overall success in interfaculty athletic competition in 1977 and the Marie Parkes Award for overall participation and athletic excellence in interfaculty competition in 1982, and was awarded a Government of Ontario Citation for continued outstanding support to the advancement of amateur sport in 1984.

In 1976 Joan Foley became the first female Principal of any University of Toronto college with her appointment at Scarborough. Construction of a dedicated library building was made a leading priority, and in 1978 the students of the College voted in favour of a $10 per student fee for ten years for the construction of the new library. Construction began in 1981 and the library was opened in 1982, named in memory of Economics Professor Emeritus Vincent W. Bladen.

In 1983, in order to emphasize its relationship with the University of Toronto, Scarborough College changed its name to Scarborough Campus, University of Toronto. The Student Village Centre opened its doors in 1985. Despite the growth of the campus, though, student unrest due to lack of funding culminated in a protest rally at Convocation Hall at St George campus in 1986. The following year, Scarborough Campus celebrated its rich arts history with a week-long event that showcased performing and visual arts called Encore: Festival of the Arts.

Scarborough Campus celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1989, hosting an Open House, Homecoming Weekend, and Alumni Reunion. The West Village opened in 1990, bringing the total number of students that could be accommodated in on-campus residences to 536. In 1992, for the first time, Scarborough Campus became the U of T campus with the greatest number of applicants. Bladen Library established its first World Wide Web site in 1994. The Scarborough

Campus Women’s Centre also opened that year, and in 1995 Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut in space, delivered the 25th anniversary Watts Lecture.

The campus took on its present name in 1996, when it became the University of Toronto at Scarborough, or UTSC. Initial plans for the Academic Resource Centre (ARC) were presented in 1998, and the building opened five years later with an inaugural lecture by CBC journalist Joe Schlesinger. Joan Foley Hall, the campus’s newest residence, also opened in 2003. In 2004 the Student Centre was opened, funded in part by a $20 million contribution made by the students
of UTSC, the largest financial commitment in University of Toronto history. The Doris McCarthy Gallery and the Management Building were also unveiled as UTSC celebrated its 40th anniversary. The following year also saw the opening of the Arts and Administration Building.

In 2010 two new departments were created – the Department of Philosophy and the Department of English – by a unanimous vote of the Council, bringing the total number of departments to nine. UTSC was awarded $70 million for the construction of a new Instructional Centre in 2009, as well as $170 million for a new athletics center that will be a legacy venue for the 2015 Pan-Am Games.

Archival history

The UTSC Archives Legacy Collection was developed in the 1980s through the combined efforts of librarians John Ball and Loan Le, but the arrangement of the files as of April 2011 (before the current re-arrangement effort began) gave no indication as to who organized the files or to what end.

Prior to May 2011, there was no written custodial history of the records that now comprise the UTSC Archives Legacy Collection. Originally the filing cabinets and boxes were kept in a room near the chemistry laboratories in the S-Wing, before being moved to AC270 (“The Bindery”) in the UTSC Library in December 2010.

The archives were largely contained within seven filing cabinets, eleven long boxes, twenty-one banker’s boxes, and eleven pamphlet boxes, with other materials being stored haphazardly throughout cupboards, drawers, boxes, and on top of cabinets. As the filing cabinet and long boxes had already been inventoried and arranged to some extent (though not to an archival standard), this was the basis for the arrangement of the whole of the records.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The archives contain a range of documentation relating to the foundation, history, and activities of the University of Toronto Scarborough. The materials have been arranged largely by originating department or by medium in the case of publications, photographs, clippings, architectural plans, and artifacts. There are ten series, several of which have subseries:

A. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO GOVERNING COUNCIL

B. EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES
B.1. Principal
B.2. Vice-Principal, Research
B.3. Dean and Vice-Principal, Academic
B.4. Assistant/Associate Dean
B.5. Registrar
B.6. Superintendent
B.7. Director of Physical Education
B.8. Director of Educational Communication Systems
B.9. Scarborough College Council
B.10. Office of Advancement / Development Office
B.11. Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment
B.12. Communications & Public Affairs
B.13. Committees with Unknown Office of Origin

C. ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS
C.1. General Programs in Arts and Science
C.2. Extension Program
C.3. Department of Anthropology
C.4. Department of Arts, Culture & Media
C.5. Department of Biological Sciences
C.6. Department of Computer & Mathematical Sciences

C.7. Department of Critical Development Studies
C.8. Department of English
C.9. Department of French and Linguistics
C.10. Department of Historical and Cultural Studies
C.11. Department of Human Geography
C.12. Department of Management
C.13. Department of Philosophy
C.14. Department of Physical and Environmental Science
C.15. Department of Political Science
C.16. Department of Psychology
C.17. Department of Sociology
C.18. Department of Physical Education

D. SERVICES
D.1. Library
D.2. Scarborough-Erindale Technical Service
D.3. Gallery
D.4. Athletics and Recreation Services
D.5. Physical Plant Services
D.6. Student Services
D.7. Student Organizations
D.8. Alumni Services
D.9. Alumni Organizations
D.10. Faculty and Staff Services
D.11. Faculty and Staff Organizations

E. EXTERNAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION
E.1. History of Scarborough College (various sources)
E.2. University of Toronto – St George and Mississauga campuses
E.3. Centennial College
E.4. Durham College
E.5. Scarborough Regional School of Nursing
E.6. University of the West Indies
E.7. Trent University
E.8. City of Scarborough
E.9. Clippings and Scrapbooks

F. PHOTOGRAPHS AND MICROFILM
F.1. Photographs
F.2. Microforms

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

The collection is closed.

System of arrangement

The UTSC Archives Legacy Collection is divided into six series based on the function of the creating body of the record, indicated by a letter. Within each series the archives are arranged by subseries, indicated by the first Arabic numeral. Subseries are based on the document’s function, office of origin, or format. In some subseries, the records are organized into categories. The use of categories is merely to aid in further subdividing the material for research use. Each category is a set of documents arranged because they relate to a particular subject or function, result from the same activity, document a specific kind of transaction, take a particular physical form, or have some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt, or use.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

All records are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Conditions governing reproduction

Various copyright holders. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission to publish any part of the collection.

Language of material

  • English
  • French

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Most materials are in good condition. Much of the correspondence from the 1960s and 1970s is on medium-weight typewriter paper, which has begun to tear and fray at the edges due to poor storage. All items have been transferred to acid-free folders or other appropriate encapsulation materials. See contents notes in the series file lists for more details.

Finding aids

Detailed file lists are available for all series.

Generated finding aid

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Portions of the collection have been digitized and can be found on the Digital Scholarship Unit website http://digitalscholarship.utsc.utoronto.ca/projects/islandora/object/utsc%3Aarchives?display=grid. The site is currently in beta.

Related units of description

The University of Toronto Archives (http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utarms/) also contains records related to UTSC. See the following accessions for more details:

A1967-0006. University of Toronto. Office of the Vice-President for Scarborough and Erindale Colleges
A1972-0026. University of Toronto. Office of the President
A1975-0028. University of Toronto. Physical Plant Department
A1979-0039. University of Toronto, Office of the Chief Librarian
A1983-0015. University of Toronto. Office of the Registrar
A1983-0031. University of Toronto. Office of the Registrar
A1985-0040. University of Toronto. Physical Plant Department
A1986-0055. University of Toronto. Physical Plant Department
A1991-0019. University of Toronto. Library. Office of the Chief Librarian
A1993-0002. University of Toronto. Office of the Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs
A1993-0003. University of Toronto. Office of the Vice-President Business Affairs
A2005-0017. University of Toronto at Scarborough. Scarborough College Council
A2006-0002. University of Toronto. Ethics Review Office. Animal Ethics Review
A2009-0016. University of Toronto. Department of Public Affairs
A2010-0005. Vice-Provost, Academic Operations
B1987-0030. Evans, Joseph Cooper.

Notes area

Note

Citation of the material should include the following elements:

University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections, Fonds/Collection title, Series Name - Box # File # - Item # (if applicable).

Alternative identifier(s)

Accession

2011-002

Accession

2015-003

Accession

2015-005

Accession

2015-009

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Dates of creation revision deletion

Entered by Amanda Tomé, January 2016.

The collection was processed, arranged, and described by Sara Allain, Librarian, Digital Scholarship Unit with the assistance of archival assistant Alyssa Newman from October 2012 to April 2013.

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area