45th Anniversary of Woodsworth College

Celebrate 45!

Beginnings

Woodsworth College was established on January 1, 1974.  It was founded on the efforts of students who were primarily studying part-time on the St. George campus and who wanted the same opportunities as full-time students enjoyed at the time.  The College came into being once the University decided that part-time degree students should be formally integrated as one of the Arts & Science colleges and hence we became the 7^th college on campus.  

Through these student efforts and struggles, Woodsworth College became a beacon for diversity for student pathways to post-secondary education, notably through the Pre-University Program that to this day (now the Millie Rotman Shime Academic Bridging Program) offers students a chance to enter degree studies after having been away from formal education for some time.

The College is now the home to a large and diverse student body of mostly full-time students, but we still provide essential access programs and pride ourselves in being a college that seeks to constantly expand and enrich the student experience. Read more about our history here.

Alumni Reminisce

We asked alumni to contribute to alumni stories of their time at Woodsworth College.  If you would like to contribute a story, please email it to alumni.woodsworth@utoronto.ca

Here are two such stories:

As a part-time student, B.A. '71, I was very involved with APUS (Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students). I represented the part-time students on the University-Wide Committee, then meeting to plan new governing structures at U of T.

I remember as an undergrad writing a petition to the Library Council pointing out that part-time students (most holding full-time jobs or full-time young family commitments) were unable to use University libraries that closed at 7:30 pm. I personally spoke of the unfairness of the notion that part-time students were not capable of writing good essays!

It was a difficult time for adults wanting to learn!  As a graduate, it has been good to see the great progress over the years.

Clarice Henschel

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My first day, as I walked to Woodsworth, I was quite nervous. I saw a sign in the window saying: "Don't Worry, We'll Help You." And they did! Every step of the way. Subsequently, walking in front of Robarts Library I felt my head exploding with all the knowledge I was getting. I found myself marveling that no one else seemed to notice. Thanks to Woodsworth for helping me get there!

Jeri Vrieze (BA '80)