Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) is located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is one of two universities in Waterloo, along with the University of Waterloo. Wilfrid Laurier University's history as an institution of higher learning dates back to 1911 when the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada [1] (http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwsem/index.shtml) opened its doors to students. This was a result of the agreement made between the Canada Synod and the Synod of Central Canada of the Lutheran Church who decided they wanted to open a Lutheran Seminary. Waterloo was selected as the location of the seminary for two main reasons, the first being that land was offered by the citizens of Waterloo on the boundary of town for the seminary and the second being that most of the Lutherans in Canada at the time resided in Waterloo and Berlin (now known as Kitchener).
In 1914 the Seminary developed facilities for pre-theological education. These courses could lead to senior matriculation, which was offered by Waterloo College.
In 1924 the Waterloo College of Arts was established, offering post-secondary four-year programs. In 1925 the Faculty of Arts, under the name of Waterloo College, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.
In 1960 the Seminary revised its charter. Waterloo College changed its name to Waterloo Lutheran University and ended its affiliation with University of Western Ontario. Waterloo Lutheran University became a public institution, Wilfrid Laurier University, on November 1, 1973, named after The Right Honorable Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada's seventh prime minister. Bill 178 was given Royal Assent to make it official.
Wilfrid Laurier opened a second campus, in Brantford, Ontario, in September of 1999.
Wilfrid Laurier's Waterloo campus is well known throughout Canada for its top quality business program, graduate school of social work, and innovative faculty of music. Wilfrid Laurier University offers a full range of undergraduate programs. It has a compact campus and relatively small enrollment compared with other Ontario universities.
In addition to undergraduate programs, Wilfrid Laurier University offers graduate programs in a variety of fields up to and including the Doctorate level. Construction of two new residence apartment buildings, a new academic building, and a large addition to the science building have recently been completed. |
