Introduction
Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), simply known as Laurier, is a Canadian public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Laurier has a second campus in Brantford and offices in Kitchener, Toronto and Chongqing, China. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada. The University offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields, with more than 17,000 full-time undergraduate students.
The campus in Waterloo sits in the heart of Canada's Technology Triangle and within the Waterloo-Toronto corridor, often referred to as Silicon Valley of the North, in recognition of its vibrant start-up ecosystem. The Kitchener-Waterloo metropolitan area is home to the largest concentration of tech companies in North America outside California.
History
Laurier's school colours, purple and gold, extend from its early affiliation with Western; originally maroon and gold, the school adopted purple in lieu of maroon to honour its link with Western, whose colours were purple and white. While Laurier's colours remain, it ended its affiliation with Western in 1960.
Laurier opened a second campus, in Brantford, Ontario, in 1999, and in 2006 the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work moved from the Waterloo campus to a campus in downtown Kitchener. The Brantford campus is centred on a number of historic properties in the downtown area which have been restored for university use. They include a former Carnegie library, Brantford's 1880 post office, and 1870 mansion, and a 1950 Odeon Theatre. The Kitchener campus is located in the historic and fully renovated former St. Jerome's high school building.
Waterloo campus
Laurier's Waterloo Campus is located in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. The majority of the University's faculties reside at the Waterloo Campus, including Business, Arts, Science, Music, and Health. Altogether, approximately 15,000 students attend classes at the Waterloo campus.
Brantford campus
Laurier's Brantford Campus is located in Brantford, Ontario, approximately 50 km south of the campus in Waterloo. The campus opened its doors in 1999 with a total of 39 students in its inaugural year. As of January 2015, there were 2,625 full-time students, and an unstated number of part-time students, enrolled at the school.
Kitchener campus
In the Fall of 2006 the Faculty of Social Work (previously on the Waterloo campus) moved to downtown Kitchener. Located on Duke St. it moved into the old St. Jerome's High School which was designated a heritage site by the City of Kitchener. This move allowed the students to be closer to the community and social service agencies with which they are partnered. Also in an effort to partner better with the community and make the building more welcoming, faculty and staff held such events as the Political Coffee House Series, several all-candidates debates and the Expressions of Social Justice Festival.
Proposed Milton campus
The town of Milton, Ontario and Laurier have been working together since 2008 to develop a 150-acre campus in Milton within the Milton Education Village (MEV). The town donated 60 hectares (150 acres) to Laurier worth $50 million. In 2015, the Milton Velodrome was opened in the MEV as a venue for the 2015 Pan American and Para Pan Am Games.
In May 2015, the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities turned down Laurier's request to fund its proposed Milton campus. The ministry says there will be a second call for proposals in spring 2016, for a campus in the Peel and Halton region — which includes Milton. Laurier has confirmed it will re-submit its proposal.
On October 26, 2016, the Ontario government announced that it is seeking expressions of interests from universities to build post-secondary campuses in both Milton and Brampton. The announcement specified the new campuses will focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Co-op
Laurier has the oldest business co-op program in English-speaking Canada and the largest business co-op program in Canada.[2] Students are able to enjoy co-op opportunities with dozens of companies, including KPMG, Ernst and Young, PepsiCo, Scotiabank, Unilever, and Manulife Financial.
Facilities
The athletic facilities at Wilfrid Laurier University include an Athletic Complex, a Football Stadium and an outdoor multi-purpose fieldturf field. The Athletic Complex houses three Gyms, two squash courts, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a rock-climbing Wall, and Aerobics/Weight Rooms. University Stadium includes a fieldturf football field and a large indoor gymnasium.