Ryerson University To Be Renamed Toronto Metropolitan University

The head of Ryerson University has announced the post-secondary institution will be renamed Toronto Metropolitan University.

Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, the school’s president and vice-chancellor, issued a statement on the school’s website on Tuesday after the name change was approved by the institution’s board of governors.

“Our community overwhelmingly told us that they wanted a new name that captured our location and reflected who we are as a university, which has helped us shape our next chapter,” Lachemi wrote, referencing the move away from the name Ryerson University.

“I hope that all of our community members will find a sense of belonging here at Toronto Metropolitan University. I hope you will gather with your fellow students, fellow colleagues and friends to re-discover what it means to be a part of this extraordinary community.”

Shortly after the statement was posted, the website was updated with the new name as well as two different logos (one with Toronto Metropolitan University and one with TMU).

University officials said the institution received more than 2,600 potential names and more than 30,000 responses. The committee was set to pare that list down to fewer than 10.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it wasn’t immediately clear what other names were in contention. However, officials said the new name recognizes the university’s location in Canada’s biggest city.

“The university is a gathering place for people from all over the world, from all walks of life, with broad and diverse perspectives, lived experiences and ambitions,” according to a news release issued Tuesday afternoon.

“Metropolitan also defines the university’s aspirations to expand its reputation and reach, as exemplified by its new Lincoln Alexander School of Law, its first international campus in Cairo, Egypt and its plans for a future School of Medicine in Brampton.”

Work to rename the institution officially began in August of 2021. It was one of 22 recommendations put forward by the Standing Strong Task Force, a group enlisted by Lachemi to look into the life and legacy of Egerton Ryerson and his connection to the harmful residential school system.

Ryerson is widely seen as a key architect in the system that separated Indigenous children from their families. In June 2021, on the heels of the discovery of 215 unmarked graves near the site of a former residential school in British Columbia, a statue of Egerton Ryerson on the university’s grounds was toppled by protestors.

The renaming process itself received some criticism as well. In the fall, Miranda Black – an Indigenous master’s student – quit the committee. In an op-ed in the student newspaper ‘The Eyeopener,’ she called the committee a “reflection of white supremacy.”

“There’s no life hacks when it comes to reconciliation. It’s not easy,” Black said in an email to CityNews earlier in April.

“The University has gone about the renaming process in a way but has not upheld reconciliation. They’ve taken an easy approach for them and their funders.

“As Indigenous students, we proposed ways that they could have incorporated values that they decided to ignore. The new name will be announced, but it hasn’t followed the protocols we proposed as Indigenous students. So essentially, we all feel lousy.”

Meanwhile, Tuesday’s news release said “truth and reconciliation is a key priority” for the school.

“The renaming is an important and highly visible measure in the university’s path toward reconciliation, and it is just one more step in the journey,” it said.

“The University remains committed to supporting the ongoing work of the Truth and Reconciliation Working Group and implementing all of the remaining Standing Strong Task Force recommendations.”