17
1963-64
Affiliation agreements were made
with Holy Redeemer College,
Canterbury College and the new Iona
College.
1964
Dr. J. Francis Leddy became president of the University of
Windsor, and presided over a period of explosive growth
of the university. From 1967-77, UWindsor grew from
approximately 1,500 to 8,000 full-time students.
1963
On July 1, 1963, the University of Windsor assumed control of the
campus, creating southwestern Ontario’s first autonomous, degree-
granting institution.
1970
During the 1970s, the Leddy Library brought its holdings up to an
impressive one million items and became one of the first in Canada
to install a computer system, linking it to a number of libraries in both
the U.S. and Canada.
arts college evolved, becoming
more comprehensive and reflective
of the times. Today, more than 140
undergraduate and graduate programs
are offered across nine faculties.
The campus infrastructure grew in
response to the increased demands placed
on it. Additions included the Biology
Building, Leddy Library, the Faculty of Law
Building, the Odette Building, the CAW
Student Centre, and student residences,
among others.
Dillon Hall remains a graceful
architectural testament to the early days
of the institution, while the state-of-the-
art, $112-million Ed Lumley Centre for
Engineering Innovation (CEI) is the newest
campus jewel.
Even as the community gathered at
the CEI’s grand opening this past spring
(see story page 12), the University had its
sights firmly set on the future, with plans
underway for a downtown campus, slated to
open in 2015.
The growth and stature of a University
are not only measured in new facilities
erected, but in the alumni it produces.This
October, the University of Windsor will also
celebrate its 100th convocation ceremony
during which its 115,000th graduate will
grace the stage.
As part of that ever-growing alumni
family, Janis Cascadden plans to return
to the campus when the events of that
sunny July afternoon are marked with a
celebratory weekend, Sept. 19-22.
The historic day still stands out clearly
in her memory. She and other students
assembled around an artificial cake with a
large candle like tube that was actually lit.
Now living in London, Ont., she recently
saw the photo on the University’s Facebook
page. “One day I thought, I’m going to see
what
the University
of Windsor
page is like and
son of a gun—there
was my picture!”
This past March, the University
recreated the photo (page 16) with present-
day students to raise awareness of the 50th
celebration. Nadia Esmaeilpour, one of the
students in the new picture, compared the
women in the original photo to movie stars.
“That’s a riot,” chuckles Cascadden.
“That was just the way we dressed back in
the 1960s for school. Girls in heels, guys in
leather shoes. What was a running shoe?”
The alumna had a chance to reacquaint
herself with the campus when she visited
earlier this year. “We drove up Sunset
Avenue—I barely recognized it. I remember
when you could see Dillon Hall from there.”
How
will the University’s
campus look 50 years
from now? It’s already in
the planning stages. Just this past
June, the University’s Board of Governors
approved a Campus Master Plan,
establishing a vision for the next 50 years
(see story page 11).
“An anniversary is a time when promises
made long ago are remade,” says Alan
Wildeman, University president and vice-
chancellor. “The University of Windsor’s
50th Anniversary is a time when all of us
can remind ourselves of the promise that
our beginnings were founded on - the vow
to put students first and to provide the
best education experience we can, and to
mobilize knowledge and creativity in the
service of our community and the world.
Our first 50 years have been a fulfilment
of that commitment, a fulfilment made
possible by the dedication of faculty, staff,
students, alumni, friends and volunteers.
Together, after 50 years, we are renewing
that promise.”
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