University of Western Ontario - History

History

The university was founded on 7 March 1878 by Bishop Isaac Hellmuth (1817–1901) of the Anglican Diocese of Huron as "The Western University of London Ontario." It incorporated Huron University College, which had been founded in 1863. The first four faculties were Arts, Divinity, Law and Medicine, and there were originally only 15 students when classes began in 1881. The first of these students graduated in 1883. The Western University of London was eventually made non-denominational in 1908.

In 1916, the current site of the University was purchased from the Kingsmill family. There are two World War I Memorial plaques on the Physics and Astronomy Building: The first lists the names of 19 students and graduates of the University of Western Ontario who lost their lives; The second honours the men from Middlesex County who fell.

In 1923 the Western University of London was renamed The University of Western Ontario. The first two buildings constructed at the new site were the Arts Building (now University College) and the Natural Science Building (now the Physics and Astronomy Building). Classes on the present site of the school began in 1924. The University College tower, one of the most distinctive features of the University, was named the Middlesex Memorial Tower in honour of the men from Middlesex County who had fought in World War I. Western later became affiliated with St. Peter's College seminary of London, Ontario in 1939, and it eventually became King's College, an arts faculty.

Two World War II memorial honour rolls are hung on the Physics and Astronomy Building: the first lists the names of the UWO students and graduates who served in the Second World War, and the second lists those who served with the No. 10 Canadian General hospital during WWII, the unit was raised and equipped by UWO.

Although enrollment was relatively small for many years, the University began to increase greatly in size after World War II. The University saw the addition of a number of new faculties in the post-war period, such as the Faculty of Graduate Studies (1947), the School of Business Administration (now the Richard Ivey School of Business) (1949), the Faculty of Engineering Science (now the Faculty of Engineering) (1957), the Faculty of Law (1959), and Althouse College for education students (now the Faculty of Education) (1963) and the Faculty of Music (1968).

In 2012, the university rebranded itself "Western University"; the move has proven quite controversial among faculty, staff and students, given the ambiguity the name change affects to its place among the world's universities, several of which are known, variously, as "Western University," such as Western Washington University, which is also known informally as "Western," or the University of Western Australia. The lawful name of the University remains The University of Western Ontario.