Ryerson University

Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden District. Ryerson's business school, Ted Rogers School of Management is on the southwest end of the Yonge-Dundas Square, located on Bay Street, slightly north of Toronto's Financial District and is attached to the Toronto Eaton Centre. The university is composed of 31,000 undergraduate students, 2,170 graduate students, and 65,400 certificate and continuing education students.

In addition to offering full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate programs leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees, the university also offers part time degrees, distance education and certificates through its The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education.

Ryerson University is home to Canada's largest undergraduate business school, the Ted Rogers School of Management, and the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science as well as the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Communication & Design, and the Faculty of Community Services.

History
In 1852 at the core of the present main campus, the historic St. James Square, Egerton Ryerson founded Ontario's first teacher training facility, the Toronto Normal School. It also housed the Department of Education and the Museum of Natural History and Fine Arts, which became the Royal Ontario Museum. An agricultural laboratory on the site led to the later founding of the Ontario Agricultural College and the University of Guelph. St. James Square went through various other educational uses before housing a namesake of its original founder.

Egerton Ryerson was a leading educator, politician, and Methodist minister. He is known as the father of Ontario's public school system. He is also a founder of the first publishing company in Canada in 1829, The Methodist Book and Publishing House, which was renamed The Ryerson Press in 1919 and today is part of McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Canadian publisher of educational and professional books, which still bears Egerton Ryerson's name for its Canadian operations.

The Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute was created in 1945 on the former site of the Toronto Normal School at St James Square, bounded by Gerrard, Church, Younge and Gould. The Gothic-Romanesque building was designed by architects Thomas Ridout and Frederick William Cumberland in 1852. The site had been used as a Royal Canadian Air Force training facility during World War II. The institute was a joint venture of the federal and provincial government to train ex-servicemen and women for re-entry into civilian life.

The Ryerson Institute of Technology was founded in 1948, inheriting the staff and facilities of the Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute. In 1966, its name was changed to Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. It became a university-degree granting institution in 1971 accredited by both provincial government legislation and by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). That year, it also became a member of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU). In 1992, Ryerson became Toronto’s second school of engineering following accreditation from the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. A flag bearing the Ryerson crest was carried aboard the space shuttle Columbia (until the shuttle was tragically lost in 2003), signifying Ryerson’s collaboration in research with Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar.

In 1993 Ryerson received approval to also grant graduate degrees (master's and doctorates). The same year it changed its name to Ryerson Polytechnic University reflecting a stronger emphasis on research associated with graduate programs and its expansion from being a university offering undergraduate degrees. Students occupied the university's administration offices in March 1997, protesting escalating tuition hikes.

In June 2001, the school assumed its present name as Ryerson University. Today, Ryerson University offers programs in chemical, civil, mechanical, industrial, electrical, biomedical and computer engineering. The B.Eng biomedical engineering program is the first standalone undergraduate biomedical engineering program in Canada. The university is also one of only two Ontario universities to offer a program in aerospace engineering.

Ted Rogers School of Management
The Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) is an AACSB accredited business school at Ryerson University. Located on Bay Street near Toronto's financial district, the TRSM offers various programs in a variety of business disciplines. The school houses Canada's largest undergraduate management program, along with several graduate programs. The school's undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) programs are grouped into:


 * Business Management
 * Business & Technology Management (Co-op option available)
 * Hospitality and Tourism Management
 * Retail Management

The Ted Rogers School of Management is a recognized leader in entrepreneurship education in Canada and houses the Ryerson University Entrepreneurship Program, one of the largest entrepreneurship programs in North America.

Graduate studies consist of an MBA with a global focus, and an MBA in the Management of Technology and Innovation. The school also offers a Master of Management Science (MMSc) in the Management of Technology and Innovation.

Ryerson, like many other educational institutions across Canada, is pursuing a global initiative and will be moving toward a global bachelors program. The current Management major will be replaced with a Global Management major, which is expected to take full effect by the 2010/2011 academic year. It is expected that this move will allow Ryerson's bachelor's program to have a global focus.

The business programs previously housed on campus in the "Business Building", moved into its new facilities after a $15 million donation from Ted Rogers. The school is located within a new wing of the Toronto Eaton Centre at the southeast corner of Bay and Dundas Streets. The school occupies three floors of the nine-floor wing (two floors are occupied by retail uses, with an above-grade parking garage occupying the remaining three storeys). The integration of the Ryerson faculty with commercial uses in the same building has been praised as an innovative solution for the downtown university.

Faculty of Arts


The Faculty of Arts comprises ten humanities and social science departments and plays a unique dual role in the university. The faculty offers:


 * graduate programs, at both the master's and doctoral levels, that have a strong component of scholarship, research, innovation and critical analysis;
 * high quality arts-based education through liberal studies courses - that cut across all of Ryerson's degree program curricula, from journalism to engineering to business. Liberal studies challenge students' intellect and imagination, nurturing their ability to think critically and adapt to the accelerating pace of change in today's world.

Faculty of Communication & Design
The Faculty of Communication & Design is composed of eight schools, offering undergraduate and/or graduate degrees of major study.

Additional graduate programs of study are available in documentary media, journalism, media production, photographic preservation and collections management and professional communications. The faculty also houses the Rogers Communications Centre, which provides an innovative and technical environment to study and research different aspects of media and society.

Faculty of Community Services
Ryerson’s Faculty of Community Services offers multi-disciplinary programs in health, early childhood education, social justice and community development.

The faculty also incorporates health and safety programs under the School of Occupational and Public Health. The School of Occupational and Public Health (SOPHe) is considered to be a well-known leader in injury and disease prevention education. Ryerson University is the only school that offers a degree program in occupational health and safety in the province of Ontario. Certificate programs in health and safety can be completed through the Chang School of continuing education.

In keeping with Ryerson's brand of a career-focused education, students partner with various mentors, supervisors, practitioners and professionals to ensure a career-relevant experience is provided, in addition to the theoretical instructions commonly offered in a classroom setting.

The University also hosts a large nursing faculty, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, named after a World War II nurse.

Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science
The Ryerson Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science (FEAS) is one of the largest engineering faculties in Canada, with 4,100 undergraduate students enrolled in 13 bachelor programs, and 480 graduate students in six master’s and four doctoral programs. In September 2006, FEAS will introduce two new master’s programs, and by 2007, there will be ten master’s programs in all. Ryerson’s Aerospace Computational Laboratory is a node for the High Performance Computational Virtual Laboratory for the Greater Toronto Area. The HPCVL is an interuniversity high-speed computation network which acts as a virtual supercomputer, providing the intensive computation power needed in the solution of complex problems in engineering and other disciplines.

The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science grants Bachelor of Architectural Science, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering degrees in 17 programs. Students can choose to specialize in the following disciplines: aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, medical physics, applied mathematics, biology, chemistry, architecture, project management and building science.

The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science offers graduate programs in aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, architecture, biomedical physics, building science, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer networks, computer science, electrical engineering, molecular science, environmental applied science and mechanical engineering.

Ryerson University’s Department of Architectural Science is housed in a building located at 325 Church Street designed by the prominent Canadian architect Ron Thom (Ryersonian). It offers a program in architecture accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board at both the bachelor level (B.Arch.) and the master's level (M.Arch.).

The Centre for Computing and Engineering opened in September 2004. It is a state-of-the-art science, technology, and research facility spanning almost an entire city block in downtown Toronto. The building was renamed the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre in November 2005. Ryerson researchers in the engineering and science disciplines have earned prestigious Premier’s Research Excellence Awards (PREA), Canada Research Chairs, NSERC Industrial Research Chair. A biomedical engineering program started at Ryerson in fall 2008 is the first such program in Canada.

Continuing Education
The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is the school responsible for continuing education within Ryerson University. The Chang School is one of Canada’s largest providers of university-based adult education, with approximately 70,000 annual enrollments. The Chang School's accessible programming is available on campus, online via distance education, and off-site for employee groups and leading organizations.

Campus expansion
Recently, the university has been undertaking the largest campus expansion in its history, with six new buildings constructed since 2000 and two additional constructions announced. In January 2008, Ryerson acquired $40 million worth of real-estate as part of its expansion efforts. The most notable acquisition being three properties on Yonge Street, including the former Sam the Record Man store, Future Shop and World of Posters. There has been a strong desire among students, faculty, and administrators alike to have Gould Street closed between Yonge and Church in order to provide greater safety for pedestrians on campus. Ryerson Theatre, which is one of the largest theatres in downtown Toronto with over 1200 seats has also had extensive renovations completed in the past five years. The theatre is home to several red carpet premieres as part of the Toronto International Film Festival.

On December 1, 2009, Ryerson University's President Sheldon Levy announced that the school would acquire and renovate the historic Maple Leaf Gardens for use as a university athletic facility, at an estimated cost of $60 million. The cost is being split three ways between the Canadian federal government, Ryerson University and Loblaws. The upper levels will house a hockey rink, basketball and volleyball courts, and other recreational and academic spaces. Beneath it will be a Loblaws supermaket and parking, with Ryerson and Loblaws owning their own space.

Staff
In November 2005, Professor Arne Kislenko won TVOntario's first Best Lecturer Series. In 2006, Ryerson University had two professors in the semi-finals for TVO's second Best Lecturer Competition. Philosophy professor Dr. James Cunningham, and radio and television arts professor Dana Lee were semi-finalists. In 2006, Greg Inwood, professor in the department of Politics and Public Administration, was awarded the prestigious Donald Smiley Prize for his book Continentalizing Canada: The Politics and Legacy of the Macdonald Royal Commission.

Library
The Ryerson Library collection consists of over 500,000 books, 3,700 print journal titles and over $2 million of electronic resources, including approximately 23,000 e-journals, approximately over 90,000 e-books, databases and indexes, geospatial data, and catalogued websites or electronic documents. Most of the electronic resources can be accessed remotely by Ryerson community members with internet access, although authentication of Ryerson Library registration is required for access to all commercial resources. The library acquires materials to support the curriculum taught at the university and to support the research needs of faculty. All hard copy materials are housed in the library building at Gould and Victoria Streets.

The 11-storey tower was built in 1974, and is a classic example of Brutalist architecture. The library buildings also holds administrative office, the Nursing Collaborative and until 2007 the urban and regional planning program. Urban and regional planning vacated the building in 2007, leaving more space for the existing library.

As part of the Ryerson University Master Plan, the library is expected to either relocate or be the subject of extensive renovations in the next several years. On January 18, 2008 the university announced the acquisition of properties including the former site of Sam the Record Man which will allow expansion of the library to a prime Yonge Street location. To improve study space, the entire fourth floor of the library underwent construction during the 2008 academic year. The renovation included the addition of lounges, a graduate reading room, and LCD panels.

Reputation and rankings
Ryerson is known for its career-focused education. As a result, the university has established a reputation for producing graduates who are career-ready in their related fields, such as child and youth care, fashion, photography, occupational and public health, business administration, business technology management, nursing, engineering and Urban & Regional Planning. The part-time study option offered in many of Ryerson's graduate programs, such as the MBA and the M.A. in public policy and administration, have made the school a choice for professionals working in business and government in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2009, the university ranked second in Ontario for first-choice applications from graduating high school students, receiving 11 percent of Ontario's total 84,300 admission requests.

Maclean's magazine 2010 University Rankings ranked the largest 49 universities of 95 in Canada, where Ryerson placed 17th of 21 in the "Primarily Undergraduate" category. Ryerson placed 18th of the 49 universities on the National Reputational Ranking. Similarly in 2009, Ryerson placed 17th of 48 universities on the National Reputational Ranking.

Research Infosource ranks Ryerson in the 29th position in its list of Canada's Top 50 Research Universities 2010. Ryerson ranked second best in the "Undergraduate" category.

The Globe and Mail newspaper's Canadian University Report 2010 classifies Ryerson as a Large University (over 22,000 students) where it was graded "A-" in the "Quality of Education" category.

Student life
Ryerson has 31,800 full time and 2,170 students in the masters and Ph.D programs. A large number of students who attend the university from within the Greater Toronto Area, but it also draws students from other countries. The university provides on-campus housing for 850 students living in three residence buildings: 137 Bond Street; 240 Jarvis Street and Pitman Hall at 160 Mutual Street.

Student media at the university include the campus radio station CKLN-FM and the student newspaper The Eyeopener. Students in the university's journalism program produce a second newspaper, The Ryersonian, and a biannual magazine, the Ryerson Review of Journalism.

Ryerson has one international fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, established in 2000 and one Canadian National sorority on campus, Delta Psi Delta, established in 2008.

Fight song
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement and convocation, and athletic games are: The School Song' (ca 1950), with words by Rennie Charles and music by Al Sauro.

Facilities
As of fall 2008, Ryerson is the first university to use the AMC facilities (in the Toronto Life Square) during the day for lectures.

Associations

 * Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
 * Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)
 * Council of Ontario Universities COU
 * Continuing Education Students' Association of Ryerson CESAR
 * Ryerson Students' Union
 * Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business AACSB