Seneca College - RED 2017 - 44

BACK IN THE DAY

A FEW MONTHS BEFORE Seneca's 40th anniversary celebrations were
to begin, I had the opportunity to dine with Dr. William T. Newnham.
I was tasked with writing a feature on Seneca's founding president
that would end up running in a special edition of the alumni
magazine. We met at his favourite restaurant in Unionville and
over a three-hour lunch, Seneca's very first employee shared the
origin story with me, which has become part of Seneca's lore. As
we all know, Dr. Newnham took the "empty box" presented to
him by Dr. Frederick W. Minkler, Seneca's first Chair, and helped
create what would become one of the largest and most comprehensive colleges in Canada.
This past year, while working on Seneca's latest anniversary
project, Seneca50, a commemorative coffee table book that takes
readers back in time to highlight many of the institution's
milestone moments, I couldn't help but think of my conversation
with Dr. Newnham (pictured above, with Seneca's first-ever student, Raymond "Whitey" Hamill).
"We were always the largest college in Canada from Day 1, but
size in itself is not the cause for pride," he said. "Each day I worked

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2017

hard and Seneca faculty and staff worked hard to give our diplomas meanings. So when our students graduated they could be
proud of their Seneca diploma and it would open doors for them.
And it did."
Until working on Seneca50, I didn't truly appreciate the
tall order that was placed in front of Dr. Newnham and all of the
early employees to make Seneca a success. It is really hard to
imagine that half a century ago colleges did not exist in Ontario.
Before educational institutions like Seneca arrived on the scene,
there were only two routes for high school students to take:
university or trade school. The government at the time, led by the
Hon. William G. Davis, then Minister of Education, took a huge risk
that Ontario would support a new postsecondary alternative.
It's a gamble that paid off thanks to leaders like Dr. Newnham
and the incredible employees, past and present, who have
worked to give our students the best experience, both inside and
outside the classroom, and who continue to give meaning to the
Seneca credential.
-Tom Bartsiokas, Seneca Professor and author, Seneca50

PHOTO: SENECA ARCHIVES

Seneca50 book project marks
our first half century



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Seneca College - RED 2017

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