Victoria University

About Victoria University

Campus: Facilities, Residence and Location

The campus has a Physical Plant where the Maintenance Department manages the buildings of the University and the Housekeeping Staff performs the requests of the students and the university staff. There are also Food Services, Catering and Event Services, Isabel Bader Theatre, Summer Accommodations (which provides affordable lodging for an estimated 800 tourists or travellers.), Weddings, and Parking (Rowell Jackman Hall at 85 Charles Street West).

Residences are also offered by Victoria, with five non-smoking residence buildings that houses both first year and upper year students. They are: [Rowell Jackman Hall (Apartment Style Residence with Co-ed and Single Sex Suites), Margaret Addison Hall (Co-ed Residence), Living Learning Communities (Healthy Lifestyles - Active Living and Holistic Alternatives, Arts and Culture, Environmental, International, Community Service, VIC ONE, French/Language) 65 Charles St. West (Co-ed House), Annesley Hall (Female Residence), and Burwash Hall (Upper Houses and Lower Houses)]. All residence rooms have an Ethernet internet access and “Living Learning Communities.”

Student Services and Student Life

Students can have access to the academic resources of the University: The Libraries and Archives (E.J.Pratt Library, Victoria College, Emmanuel College Library, Victoria University Archives, United Church of Canada Archives, and U of T Library), Research Centres (Centre for Asian Theology, Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, Centre for Research in Early English Drama / Records of Early English Drama, Centre for Research in Religion, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, and Northrop Frye Centre), Victoria College Registrar (Academic Advising, Financial Counselling), and Tutorial Services (BIOME, Chemistry Peer Tutoring, Victoria College Math Aid Centre, Victoria College Writing Centre, Writing at the University of Toronto, and Writing Plus Academic Skills Workshops).

There are varied student groups available in the campus, such as the Future Investors and Entrepreneurs (FINE), Film Societies, Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS), Vic Dance, The Renaissance Students Association (RSA), and the Victoria Off-Campus Association (VOCA). Victoria’s student’s newspaper is The Strand, and it publishes an annual journal called the “Acta Victoriana,” which contains literary creations of the University’s current students. The Victoria College Athletics Association is designed for student-athletes to join different sports.

Academic Programs

There are many programs offered by the University. There are Literary Studies, Renaissance Studies, Semiotics and Communication Theory, Concurrent Teacher Education Program (enables students to receive an Honours Bachelor of Arts or an Honours Bachelor of Science degree concurrently with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree), and many others.

Famous Alumni

Some of the most notable graduates of the University include: Wilbur R. Franks – Noted Scientist and Cancer Researcher, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga – 6th President of Latvia, Richard Outram – Poet, Northrop Frye – Literary Critic, Norman Jewison – Current Chancellor of Victoria University and Filmmaker, Margaret Avison – Poet, Margaret Atwood – Author Lester B. Pearson – Former Prime Minister of Canada and Nobel Laureate, Kenneth D. Taylor - Former Chancellor of Victoria University and Former Canadian Ambassador to Iran, E. J. Pratt – Poet, Donald Sutherland – Actor, Don McKellar – Actor and Filmmaker, Augusta Stowe-Gullen - first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school, and Arthur L. Schawlow - Physicist, Nobel laureate.

Toronto Information

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth-most populous municipality in North America, and the 46th most populous in the world. As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is considered one of the top financial cities in the world.

Toronto's climate is moderate for Canada due to its southerly location within the country and its proximity to Lake Ontario. It has a humid continental climate, with warm, humid summers and generally cold winters, although fairly mild by Canadian and many northern continental U.S. standards. The city experiences four distinct seasons with considerable variance in day to day temperature, particularly during the colder weather season.

Toronto is a major scene for theatre and other performing arts, with more than fifty ballet and dance companies, six opera companies, and two symphony orchestras. The city is home to the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Notable performance venues include the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Massey Hall, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres and the Hummingbird Centre.