3377 Bayview Avenue TEL: 416.226.6620 Toronto, ON www.tyndale.ca M2M 3S4 Application for Name Change Executive Summary Tyndale University College & Seminary was established through an act of legislation in 2003 as a natural progression of over 125 years of history of providing post-secondary education in the province of Ontario. The change in legislation afforded Tyndale the opportunity to provide undergraduate university quality education through a series of Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees to complement a thriving graduate school (Tyndale Seminary) whose recognition as a tier one graduate school for theological education and counselling psychotherapy was known throughout North America. The undergraduate programs have complemented the graduate school by providing a quality undergraduate university opportunity. Undergraduate student learning outcomes are similar to any BA program in the province; however, the nomenclature University College has proven difficult to explain and market. Tyndale is one of only two independent University Colleges in the province not federated/affiliated with any institutional member of the Council of Ontario Universities. Students and families who are making post-secondary decisions are, therefore, unfamiliar with the term and interpret it to mean something less than a university degree. In jurisdictions outside of Ontario, most of the provinces have moved away from the nomenclature of University College preferring that all of their undergraduate universities are known as Universities. This has created a hardship in our ability to attract students both from within and outside of the province. We strongly believe that a private faith based university in the city of Toronto can attract and grow its enrolment by attracting students from other Canadian jurisdictions while at the same time keeping students in Ontario who are considering our competitors. We also know that we are an attractive undergraduate and graduate option for international students; on the international stage, however, the University College terminology is completely unknown. Traditionally the nomenclature for University Colleges is normally affiliated with institutions federated within a publically-funded university. In Canada, the number of independent institutions who have transitioned away from University College to university nomenclature in the last decades is large. Note, Crandall University and Trinity Western University are included as competitors who annually enroll many students from Ontario. Both are similar institutions in terms of program offerings, who began as colleges and are now universities in their provinces. Ontario: Algoma University College (est. 1965) - Algoma University (2008) New Brunswick United Baptist Bible Training School (est. 1949) - Atlantic Baptist College (1970) - Atlantic Baptist University (1996) - Crandall University (2010) British Columbia: Caribou College (est. 1970) - University College of the Caribou (1991) - Thomson Rivers University (2005) Fraser Valley College (est. 1974) - University College of the Fraser Valley (1988) - University of the Fraser Valley (2008) Malispina College (est. 1969) - Malispina University College (1988) - Vancouver Island University (2008) Trinity Junior College (est. 1962) - Trinity Western College (date unknown) - Trinity Western University (1985) Alberta: The King's College (est. 1979) - The King's University College (1993) - The King's University (2015) Ambrose University College (est. 2007) - Formed from an amalgamation of Canadian Bible College (1941) and Canadian Nazarene College 1921) - Ambrose University (2014) Concordia College (est. 1921) - Concordia University College (1995) - Concordia University of Edmonton (2015) We believe Tyndale meets the definition of a university as set out in the PEQAB Manual for Private Organizations, 2018, section 10.1 and is seeking a name change to Tyndale University to better reflect both the scope and growth potential of Tyndale as a privately-funded, publically-accountable, post- secondary institution in Ontario. This document seeks to demonstrate how Tyndale meets the criteria for each of the ten criteria. The format of this document has each of the ten criteria in bold, with Tyndale’s response following. 2 A university is a legally constituted academic organization that: 1. Is legally authorized to grant degrees in Ontario or in another jurisdiction, and 2. Has a charter or statute including the word “university” in the organization’s title Tyndale University College & Seminary, as it is known today, celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. Established in 1884, Tyndale University College & Seminary was incorporated by special legislation in 1982 under the name Ontario Bible College and Ontario Theological Seminary, which was amended in 1986. It changed its name by supplementary letters patent dated March 11, 1998 to Tyndale College & Seminary. In June 2003, during the 4th Session of the 37th Legislature Bill Pr21 was passed which granted Tyndale the authority to grant Bachelor of Arts degrees, in addition to its other degrees, and it received independent University College status. At the same time its name was changed to Tyndale University College & Seminary. 3. Has a mission and practice including the creation of knowledge through research and/or scholarly activity and the dissemination of knowledge through teaching, publication, and presentation Mission and Practice of Tyndale Tyndale’s mission statement casts a vision for both Faculty and students for the creation of knowledge: “Tyndale is dedicated to the pursuit of truth, to excellence in teaching, learning and research, for the enriching of mind, heart and character, to serve the church and the world for the glory of God.” This mission provides an exceptional platform that allows students and Faculty to ask tough and unsettling questions. As students learn how to face philosophical assumptions and ethical conundrums, they are better prepared to make value judgments and commitments that will inform their choices and guide their lives. The rationale for such a university is to create an environment that encourages first-rate scholarship and critical thinking so that in learning, students discover what it means to serve others “with their heart, soul and mind and their neighbour as themselves.” Knowledge Creation In keeping with the historic legacy of university education in western culture, Tyndale understands itself to be creating knowledge in the context of a distinctive religious community for the service of the broader civic, provincial and national community. Service is the heart of the mission of the university and a requirement of fully-rounded undergraduate, graduate, academic and professional participation in the mission. At a time in which society is concerned over ethical dilemmas, Tyndale wants its graduates to be rooted in a moral vision that produces conviction that doing right is not good because it is beneficial, but because it is the only worthwhile option. This means that critical thought and creative wanderings are key; we welcome investigation in all areas of life. As all places of learning have an implicit or explicit set of standards or assumptions, we too are drawn together by a life commitment. The Sophia Society, a student run organization at Tyndale University, illustrates how these commitments work out in the 3 voluntary commitments of the student body. The aim of the Sophia Society is the pursuit of wisdom, truth and the stimulation of intellectual curiosity. In 2019 they invited [a] Canadian author, and [an] English poet to campus to dialogue on truth and beauty. Faculty serve the mission of the university through research, scholarly activity, teaching and the dissemination of knowledge. Tyndale’s Faculty Handbook enumerates expectations for Faculty and these are broadly summarized below under the two headings Research and Scholarly Activity and Teaching, Publication, and Presentation. Please note that these areas overlap considerably and so in the first section we focus on Faculty knowledge creation and in the second we illustrate how this has modelled knowledge creation to the student body, the wider Tyndale community and beyond. Research and Scholarly Activity Concerning scholarly activity, generally a tenured or tenure track member of the Faculty is expected to engage in at least two valuative scholarly endeavors per academic year. This is defined as a project of new research which finds expression in some concrete form of communication to a wider audience. Acceptable forms include, but are not limited to, a scholarly article or essay; a book chapter; a paper read at the meeting of an appropriate learned or professional society; a scholarly lecture or lecture series; an edited volume of essays (not including any authored essay contributed to the volume) or significant editorial work in a scholarly context; a new course required for the University College or Seminary course offerings, outside one’s immediate area of specialization; several contributions to a scholarly reference work, a scientific poster or approved creative endeavour. A Faculty member may also focus their attention upon substantial research toward the production of a book or major project or series of articles not yet ready for publication. Tyndale signals its emphasis on rigorous research and scholarship by regularly appointing Research Professors who have a mandate to pursue funded research projects and to act as a resource for Faculty. Currently six such