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Assumption College opened in February 1857 as a small Catholic institution of higher education for young men. Located in Assumption Parish along the Detroit River, adjacent to the town of Sandwich, Canada West (now part of Windsor, Ontario), the college was founded by the Jesuits, incorporated in 1858, and run by Benedictines, Jesuits, and diocesan clergy at various points in its first twelve years of existence.

In 1868 the Basilian Fathers assumed control, and the fledgling institution began to expand and develop in earnest, focusing on a combination of classical and commercial courses that prepared students for theological studies but also for business or professional careers. In 1919 the college affiliated with Western University (London, Ontario) and broadened its curriculum so that it could provide Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, a Master of Arts in philosophy, and pre-professional programs feeding into engineering, medicine, and law. In 1934 the college became co-educational when it affiliated with Holy Names College for young women. Holy Names College closed as a separate institution in 1962, with Assumption continuing as a now fully-coeducational institution.

Assumption’s affiliation with Western ended in 1953, when the College received its own degree-granting powers as a university, and it was renamed Assumption University of Windsor in 1956. Around that same time it expanded its program offerings through affiliation agreements with Essex College (nondenominational), Holy Redeemer College (Catholic), and Canterbury College (Anglican).

In response to Windsor’s growth and the demographic pressures of the Baby Boom generation, in 1962 the government of Ontario created and incorporated a new, nondenominational, publicly-funded University of Windsor: the facilities and teaching faculty of Assumption were integrated into the new institution; Assumption University itself became a federated member. The University of Windsor’s first President (Rev. E.C. LeBel) and first Chancellor (Bishop J.C. Cody) were President and Chancellor of Assumption University, respectively. The development of a nondenominational provincial university out of a historic Catholic university was at that time unprecedented.

Assumption University has maintained a continued presence on the University of Windsor campus since 1962, offering a Catholic chaplaincy service, interfaith dialogue, and theological training, among other activities; in 2021 it initiated an academic revitalization plan aimed at creating new programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Sources: Contents of fonds; Assumption University, “History,” https://assumptionu.ca/about/ ; Devon Fraser, “Assumption College through the Decades,” https://collections.uwindsor.ca/assumption/welcome (both accessed 7 November 2024).