Ryerson University Officially Has A New Name & Here's What You Need To Know

It's official. Ryerson University is changing its name, effective immediately.

In a press release on Tuesday, the school announced that its Board of Governors unanimously approved a motion to rename the school "Toronto Metropolitan University."

“I cannot think of a better name than Toronto Metropolitan University,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi.

“Metropolitan is a reflection of who we have always been - an urban institution dedicated to excellence, innovation, and inclusion and who we aim to be - a place where all feel welcome, seen, represented and celebrated.”

The press release states that over 2,600 names were considered and the committee produced a shortlist of potential options based on several factors including, "ensuring alignment with our values, being intentionally inclusive with our diverse community, undertaking linguistic checks and trademark searches, and digital considerations."

The move comes after residents made a call for a name change over the past few years due to its connection with Egerton Ryerson.

Egerton Ryerson was said to be involved in the creation of Canada's residential school system and petitions were created in an attempt to get the name changed.

Back in June of 2021, a statue of Ryerson at the school was knocked to the ground after the remains of 215 children were found at a former residential school in B.C.

"Truth and Reconciliation is a key priority for the university, the renaming is an important and highly visible measure in the university's path toward reconciliation, and it is just one more step in the journey," read the release.