View source for Sir George Williams University

{{Short description|Former public university in Quebec, Canada}}
{{Infobox university
 |name              = Sir George Williams University
 |native_name       =
 |image_name        = SGW coat of arms.png
 |image_size        =
 |caption           = 
 |latin_name        =
 |motto             =
 |mottoeng          =
 |established       = 1926
 |closed            = 1974
 |type              = [[Public university|Public]]
 |affiliation       = 
 |endowment         =
 |officer_in_charge =
 |chairman          =
 |chancellor        =
 |president         =
 |vice-president    =
 |superintendent    =
 |provost           =
 |vice_chancellor   =
 |rector            =
 |principal         =
 |dean              =
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 |head_label        =
 |head              =
 |faculty           =
 |staff             =
 |students          =
 |undergrad         =
 |postgrad          =
 |doctoral          =
 |other             =
 |city              = [[Montreal]]
 |province          = [[Quebec]]
 |country           = Canada
 |coor              = {{coord|45.497|-73.579|display=inline,title}}
 |campus            =
 |former_names      = Sir George Williams College
 |free_label        =
 |free              =
 |sports            = 
 |colours           =
 |nickname          = Georgians
 |mascot            =
 |athletics         =
 |affiliations      = [[YMCA]]
 |website           =
 |logo              =
 |footnotes         =
}}
'''Sir George Williams University''' was a university in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada. It merged with [[Loyola College (Montreal)|Loyola College]] to create [[Concordia University]] on August 24, 1974.<ref name="CUmerger">{{cite web|url=https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/stories/merger.html|title=Merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University|publisher=Concordia University|access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Sir george william 1970.jpg|thumb|left|Sir George Williams University's [[Henry F. Hall Building]] in 1970.]]
In 1851, the first [[YMCA]] in North America was established on Sainte-Hélène Street in Old Montreal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ymcaquebec.org/en/About-Us/Our-History|title=YMCA Quebec - Our History}}</ref> Beginning in 1873, the YMCA offered evening classes to allow working people in the [[English-speaking Quebecer|English-speaking community]] to pursue their education while working during the day. Sixty years later, the Montreal YMCA relocated to its current location on [[Stanley Street (Montreal)|Stanley Street]] in [[Downtown Montreal]].

In 1926, the education program at the YMCA was re-organized as Sir George Williams College, named after [[George Williams (YMCA)|George Williams]], founder of the original YMCA in [[London]], upon which the Montreal YMCA was based. In 1934, Sir George Williams College offered the first undergraduate credit course in adult education in Canada.

Sir George Williams College received its university charter from the provincial government in 1948, though it remained the education arm of the Montreal YMCA. Sir George Williams expanded into its first standalone building, the Norris Building, in 1956. In 1959, the college requested that the Quebec legislature amend its university charter, changing its name to Sir George Williams University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.concordia.ca/content/concordia/en/offices/archives/stories/sgw.html|title=Sir George Williams University History|website=www.concordia.ca|access-date=2019-08-05}}</ref> It established a Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies in 1963. Sir George Williams continued to hold classes in the YMCA building until the construction of the Henry F. Hall Building in 1966.

Following several years of discussions and planning, Sir George Williams University merged with Loyola College to create Concordia University in 1974. Concordia provided students with representative student organizations and greater power over administrative decisions at the university.

===Sir George Williams Computer Centre Incident===
{{Main|Sir George Williams affair}}
The university gained international attention in 1969, when a group of Black students occupied the [[Henry F. Hall Building]]'s 9th floor computer lab to protest alleged racism by the university.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.concordia.ca/content/concordia/en/offices/archives/stories/computer-centre-incident.html|title=Computer Centre Incident|website=www.concordia.ca|access-date=2019-08-05}}</ref>  This protest was documented in the 2015 documentary film ''[[Ninth Floor]]'' by director [[Mina Shum]],<ref name="Cole">{{cite news   |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ninth-floor-documentary-montreal-computer-riot-1.3234477 |title=Ninth Floor documentary looks back at Montreal's 'Computer Riot' |publisher=CBC News |date=September 18, 2015 |accessdate=October 20, 2015}}</ref> and the 2025 documentary film ''[[True North (2025 film)|True North]]'' by [[Michèle Stephenson]].<ref>Courtney Small, [https://povmagazine.com/true-north-review-the-power-of-student-protest/ "True North Review: The Power of Student Protest"]. ''[[Point of View (magazine)|Point of View]]'', September 6, 2025.</ref>

==Sir George Williams Georgians==
The '''Sir George Williams Georgians''' were the [[Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union]] teams that represented Sir George Williams University.

Shortly after Sir George Williams merged with [[Loyola College (Montreal)|Loyola College]] to create [[Concordia University (Montreal)|Concordia University]] in 1974, the Georgians and the [[Loyola Warriors]] were replaced by the [[Concordia Stingers]].

==Principals==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+Principals of Sir George Williams College and University<ref name="RectorsPresidentsSGW">{{cite web|url=https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/stories/principals-sgw.html|title=Principals of Sir George Williams College and University|work=Records Management and Archives|publisher=[[Concordia University]]|access-date=1 July 2012}}</ref>
|-
! Name
! Term start
! Term end
|-
| Anson W. Young
| 1925
| 1928
|-
| Frederick O. Stredder
| 1928
| 1935
|-
| Kenneth E. Norris
| 1936
| 1956
|-
| Henry F. Hall
| 1956
| 1962
|-
| Robert C. Rae
| 1962
| 1968
|-
| Douglass B. Clarke, Acting Principal
| 1968
| 1969
|-
| John W. O'Brien
| 1969
| August 23, 1974
|}
==Alumni==
*[[Bob Berry (ice hockey)|Bob Berry]] (born 1943), NHL player
*[[Gundega Cenne]] (1933–2009), artist
*[[John Collins (cartoonist)|John Alton Collins]] (1917–2007), political cartoonist
*[[Robert Dean (Canadian politician)|Robert Dean]] (1927–2021), Canadian politician<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Robert Dean (1927–2021): From Concordia grad to Parti Québécois minister |url=https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2021/03/16/robert-dean-1927-2021-from-concordia-grad-to-parti-quebecois-minister.html |website=www.concordia.ca}}</ref>
*[[Rosie Douglas]] (1941–2000), Prime Minister of [[Dominica]]
*[[Stuart McLean]] (1948–2017), author, storyteller, Canadian radio broadcaster
*[[Annie Proulx|E. Annie Proulx]] (born 1935), novelist, short story writer, journalist
*[[Nahum Rabinovitch|Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch]], rabbi and author (1928–2020)
*[[Mordecai Richler]] (1931–2001), author<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.concordia.ca/artsci/english/research/mordecai-richler-reading-room.html|title=Mordecai Richler Reading Room|website=concordia.ca|access-date=2021-03-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mordecai-Richler|title=Mordecai Richler biography on Britannica|website=britannica.com|access-date=2021-03-13}}</ref>
*[[Bernie Wolfe (hockey)|Bernie Wolfe]] (born 1951), NHL player

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Concordia University}}
{{Defunct Quebec Sports}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sir George Williams University| ]]
[[Category:Concordia University]]
[[Category:English-language universities and colleges in Quebec]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1926]]
[[Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 1974]]
[[Category:1926 establishments in Quebec]]
[[Category:1974 disestablishments in Quebec]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges founded by the YMCA]]
[[Category:Defunct universities and colleges in Quebec]]