Ulrich Krull speaks at podium during 50th gala

UTM Celebrates 50 Years at Gala

Jane Stirling

Almost 200 elegantly dressed guests celebrated UTM’s 50th anniversary in style at a black tie gala Oct. 20 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto.

The evening, marking “the illustrious history of campus from its humble beginnings in 1967 to current day,” included a peek through the lens of incoming Vice-President & Principal Ulrich Krull, at a very promising future, said alumnus Nick Kuryluk, master of ceremonies.

“This evening, we’ll be celebrating UTM’s contributions to scholarship, research, social impact and innovation; growth and place in the community; and the people who have helped make it the institution that it is today,” Kuryluk said. “We have a lot of ground to cover.”

Attendees included founding and long-time faculty and staff, former UTM principals, graduate and undergraduate students, alumni from all decades, Campus and Governing Council members, government representatives, friends, donors and volunteers.

“Over the past five decades, we have been a campus of transformation,” said Chris Thompson, president of the UTM Alumni Association. “We’ve evolved from our informal, tightly-knit beginnings to a globally relevant status today. We’re a campus that is modern, diverse and attracts students from around the world; a campus that has retained many of the benefits that made Erindale and UTM so popular in earlier days – its sense of community, fun but rigorous student experience, and membership in the broader U of T family.”

Governing Council chair Claire Kennedy noted UTM is “a crucial hub of intellectual and cultural life that fuels economic and social prosperity, not only in the western GTA but well beyond. It is also a critical source of innovation, diversity and strength in U of T’s unique tri-campus system.”

Former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion reflected on the unique town-gown relationship that burgeoned during her tenure in office and remains key to the city’s prosperity under current mayor Bonnie Crombie. Former Ontario premier William Davis, who was instrumental to the founding of the campus as minister of education in the mid-1960s, spoke of the major contributions made by Erindale’s and UTM’s eight principals, and the exciting future ahead.

And incoming vice-president and principal Krull addressed the changes he has seen on campus since he arrived in 1985, acknowledging the physical expansion, academic program diversity and growth of community partnerships over 50 years, and his plans for the next three years.

Christina Raphaëlle Haldane, a soprano studying for her doctorate at the Faculty of Music, was the gala performer. A jazz quartet and jazz sextet provided pre- and post-dinner entertainment. Gala sponsors were Chartwells, UTM’s Institute for Management & Innovation, and UTM’s Department of Language Studies.

Click here to see more images from the 50th Anniversary Gala.