Seneca College Red - Fall 2012 - (Page 44)

BACK IN THE DAY A pioneering vision for post secondary education Dr. Frederick W. Minkler (right) breaks new ground with Seneca’s founding president Dr. William T. Newnham. with a pioneer, a pair of shovels and a vision. A vision that great things were going to happen on the farmer’s field that we would eventually call Newnham Campus. Two shovels instead of one turning the sod at 1750 Finch Avenue to signify the magnitude of that vision. And a pioneer in education who had the foresight to know the campus would be a vibrant and exciting place, anchoring the growth of Seneca into Canada’s largest college. That pioneer, the first chair of Seneca’s Board of Governors, was Dr. Frederick W. Minkler. And four decades later, when the number of students at Seneca has grown from less than 2,000 to 100,000, Seneca honours this architect in education. On April 12, 2012 Seneca held a dedication ceremony hosted by President Agnew to name the atrium in the new A+ Building at Newnham Campus the Minkler Atrium. Among the many guests were former Canadian ambassador, speaker of the Ontario Legislature and Seneca alumnus Alvin Curling; David Zimmer, MPP of Willowdale; Claire Westcott who worked for the Honourable William G. Davis and helped set up the Ontario community college system; and three former Seneca presidents, including founding president William T. Newnham. IT ALL STARTED IN 1968 In 1968, Dr. Newnham broke ground on the site of what would be called the Finch Campus, alongside Dr. Minkler (the campus would later be re-named in Dr. Newnham’s honour). During a touching speech at the Atrium dedication ceremony, Dr. Newnham said, “We have this site because of Dr. Minkler. It was due to his efforts that we settled in this spot – with traffic lanes beside us and 62 glorious acres to fill.” Dr. Newnham recalled Dr. Minkler’s words from that historic day: “Great things are going to happen on this site and in this building.” Sadly, Dr. Minkler died shortly after the campus opened. The name “Minkler Atrium” was selected from among hundreds of entries in a naming contest. Since it opened last fall, the threestorey Minkler Atrium has become a popular hub at the Newnham Campus, with much-needed study space, a student lounge, computing commons and a café. The Atrium is adjacent to where the Minkler Auditorium was located. It closed in 2001 to make room for classroom space, an expanded library and a larger computing commons. – Renata Dinnocenzo, Executive Director, Office of the President To view the Minkler Atrium Dedication Ceremony and montage of photos: senecacollege.ca/event/atrium-dedication-ceremony/photos.html 44 RED 2012 http://www.senecacollege.ca/event/atrium-dedication-ceremony/photos.html

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Seneca College Red - Fall 2012

Seneca College Red - Fall 2012
Contents
President’s Message
News for Alumni and Friends
SSF President’s Update
Beyond the Classroom
Co-op at Seneca
Campus
Huge Wins for the Sting
Fostering a new literacy for the digital age
Senecans' Stories
Donors
Chairman of Giving Back
Personnel
Back in the Day

Seneca College Red - Fall 2012