Origins

The origins of Sir George Williams University go back to the evening classes first offered by the Montreal YMCA in 1873. (The first YMCA in North America had been established in Montreal, in 1851).

Taking the name of the founder of the YMCA, Sir George Williams College came into being in 1926 as a co-educational institution. It was based in the 1911 YMCA building on Drummond St. (just a block away from where Loyola College was housed from 1896-98).

University-level courses were introduced between 1929-31, and the first day classes in 1932. The first graduating class, known as the “guinea pigs,” received their degrees in 1936.

Becoming a university

Sir George Williams College received its formal charter as a college or university in March 1948, although it continued to operate as the formal educational arm of the Montreal YMCA until 1967. The institution changed its name from “College” to “University” in 1959.

In 1963, a Faculty structure was implemented with Faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce and Engineering. A rapidly growing fine arts operation functioned within the Faculty of Arts, but it was not until after the merger that a separate Faculty of Fine Arts would be created.

Honours programs were introduced and implemented in 1961-62, the first Master's programs in 1965, and the first doctoral programs in 1968.

In the 1960s, the existence of an effective institutional media office led to graduate programs in educational technology, still popular today. With the introduction of graduate programs in 1965, research activity began to expand rapidly and special research centres were already in place at the time of the merger.

Space constraints

A major problem for Sir George Williams University was a perennial shortage of space. Until 1956, it had no building of its own and operated in rented premises in the YMCA and surrounding buildings.

By 1956, the Norris Building had been constructed to accommodate a growing campus, but it was already full when it opened. Still, the campus would remain based in the Norris until the construction of the new Hall Building, and an ever-increasing amount of space continued to be rented.

The Henry F. Hall Building, which opened in 1966, pulled the campus west. It had been conceived as a science and engineering building and it was understood that the next stage of expansion would be the construction of an arts/library building. This would only happen after the merger.

Integrated approach

From the beginning, evening students formed the bulk of the enrolment, and the institution started out with a major interest in part-time students; this remained one of its prevailing characteristics over the years.

Academic programs were never seen as “full-time” or “part-time,” and this integrated approach has remained the cornerstone of Concordia policy.

Activism

Another characteristic that Sir George Williams University developed over the years was an activist student body. By the 1960s, the campus was a hotbed of political activity.

In February 1969, the largest student riot in Canada was set off when police were called in to put an end to a student occupation of several floors of the Hall Building. The students had been protesting against a professor accused of racism, and when the police came in, a fire broke out and computer data and university property were destroyed. The damages totalled $2 million, and 97 people were arrested.

The events that led to what is now known as the Computer Riot forced university administrators to re-evaluate internal procedures. By the time Sir George was ready to merge with Loyola, student representation on university decision-making bodies had been firmly established, and university procedures revamped.