Ryerson University renames itself. Here’s what it means for former graduates and their degrees

TORONTO – More than two months after Ryerson University agreed to rename itself based on a report on the school’s namesake and its role in Canada’s residential school system, the institution has given its alumni community an update on the process and validity of graduate documents.

Here’s what you should know:

IS MY DEGREE, CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA STILL VALID?

Despite the upcoming name change, Ryerson University said all degrees, certificates and diplomas remain valid.

“The change of name of the university does not affect the value of the education, experience and credentials obtained,” the schools said in an email received by CTV News Toronto.

“We want to assure you that all certificates, diplomas and degrees obtained will continue to be valid, credible and worthy of celebration.”

DO I GET A NEW DEGREE DOCUMENT WITH THE NEW NAME?

When the university lands on a new name, all alumni can have their parchments and records reissued, the school said.

The university said that although the process of reissuing documents has not yet been completed, it is likely to be similar to the procedures established in 2002, when Ryerson Polytechnic University became Ryerson University.

According to the school’s website, the fee for re-issuing a candidate document is $ 70, although officials tell CTV News Toronto that the final re-issuance decisions have not yet been made.

WILL EMPLOYERS PERCEIVE MY RYERSON REGITALIZATIONS DIFFERENTLY AFTER THE BAPTISM?

Despite the university’s controversial namesake, the school maintains that the university’s degree programs and graduates are “internationally recognized for their innovative and career-ready approach.”

“Potential employers will continue to recognize your degree issued by Ryerson for what it says about your skills, training, and expertise, regardless of the name change,” the school said.

WHY DOES RYERSON UNIVERSITY REPRESENT ITSELF?

On August 26, the university announced that it had accepted the 22 recommendations outlined in the Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force’s final report, one of which was to rename the post-secondary institution.

The task force was used by university president Mohamed Lachemi back in November 2020 to “seek an understanding of both Egerton Ryerson’s life and heritage and the role of the memorial service” in the school community.

Since then, the task force has provided recommendations based on responses from over 11,000 community members and a survey that generated 22,860 individual question answers.

The report also includes recommendations for sharing materials that recognize the legacy of Egerton Ryerson, while providing more opportunities to learn about indigenous peoples’ history and indigenous and colonial conditions.

WHO WAS EGERTON RYERSON?

Egerton Ryerson was an architect behind Canada’s residential school system, which separated more than 150,000 native children from their families and inflicted serious human rights violations.

Demonstrations and calls to the university to change its name increased in June following the discovery of the remains of 215 students buried in unmarked graves due to a former residential school in Kamloops, BC

A number of other unmarked burial sites associated with former residential schools would be discovered in the weeks and months that followed in Canada.

The task force, however, said at the time that it would not speed up its work despite calls for immediate action and the toppling of an Egerton Ryerson statue on campus.

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE BAPTISM PROCESS?

Members of Ryerson’s alumni community will be invited to participate in an online survey starting next week where they can share ideas, opinions and perspectives on the university’s new name.

You can read the Standing Strong Task Force’s full report here and learn about the next steps in the school renaming process here.

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