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Merger of Loyola College & Sir George Williams University: A Chronology

  • 1968-1971 - Sporadic discussions were held between Loyola College and Sir George Williams University on the possible merger of the two institutions.
  • In 1968 a Loyola-Sir George Joint Steering Committee was established to investigate the possibility of a merger.
  • In 1969 there was a formal proposal put forward to the Steering Committee by Donald Savage, a Loyola history professor, and Michel Despland, the Assistant Dean of Arts at Sir George Williams (Proposed federation of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, June 13, 1969, revised September 30, 1969). They proposed a "Federal University" which would allow students to take courses at both campuses without paying additional fees, and they introduced the idea of a bus service between Loyola and Sir George Williams. The proposal was met with a hail of criticism about the difficulties of combining existing resources.
  • In December 1971 The Joint Committee of Representatives of the Board of Trustees of Loyola and the Board of Governors of Sir George Williams University was created. This committee was charged “to discuss further the combining of the two institutions” (SGWU Board of Governors, December 9, 1971) and “to explore . . . the formation of a new federated university, or a new, mutually acceptable form of affiliation.” (Loyola Board of Trustees, December 2, 1971)
  • In September of 1972 the Joint Committee produced the document, A Model for the New University which proposed the establishment of a two-campus university under the Sir George Williams University charter. Revisions were made to this document on November 8, 1972.
  • On November 8, the Board of Trustees of Loyola College approve the Model for the New University. On November 9, 1972, the Board of Governors of SGWU approve the document. Sir George and Loyola began making plans for the eventual merger.
  • The new university would operate under the charter and corporation of Sir George Williams, therefore certain changes were required. On August 10, 1973 the Corporation of Sir George Williams University adopted Special By Law "C" which enacted a change of name to Concordia University - Université Concordia. By-Law “D” was also adopted, which established the governing and administrative structure of the new university. The meeting was adjourned. A new meeting was convened at which the corporation and board members resigned and elections were held for new members of the Corporation and of the Board of Governors, in conformity with the revised structure.
  • On August 14, 1974 Special By-Law "C"was approved by the Quebec Minister of Financial Institutions, Companies and Cooperatives.
  • On August 16, 1974, an Agreement of Transfer and Assignment was signed in which the assets of Loyola College were sold to the new university.
  • On August 24, 1974, notice of approval of the by-law was published in the Quebec Official Gazette (Vol. 106, no. 34, p. 6012), and with this publication, the new university legally became known as Université Concordia and its English version Concordia University.

 

Loyola College and Sir George Williams University had joined forces to become Concordia University.

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