Editing Université du Québec à Montréal (section)

==History==
UQAM was created on April 9, 1969, by the [[Government of Quebec]], following the merger of the [[École des beaux-arts de Montréal]], the [[Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal|Collège Sainte-Marie]] and three colleges.

In mid 1970, construction on UQAM's campus began in the Saint-Jacques neighbourhood. The old [[Saint-Jacques Cathedral (Montreal)|Saint-Jacques Cathedral]] was condemned and the worshipers were moved to the [[Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes]]. The architect of the university, [[Dimitri Dimakopoulos]], chose to respect the plans of [[John Ostell]] and [[Victor Bourgeau]] by deciding to graft the new construction around the wall of the nave of the church overlooking [[Saint Catherine Street]] and highlighting the bell tower and its gateway. These remains are classified as historic monuments by the Quebec government. The new campus of UQAM was inaugurated in September 1979.

Before the arrival of the Université du Québec à Montréal, access to higher education was limited for the French-speaking working classes. Thanks to the policy of admitting adults with relevant professional experience, the student population was able to broaden the student population to include social categories previously excluded from higher education, thus creating a climate of openness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/education/563910/uqamuqam-50-ans-de-democratisation-de-l-education-universitaire|title=UQAM: 50 ans de démocratisation de l'éducation universitaire|website=Le Devoir|date=5 October 2019 |language=fr|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref>

UQAM is the first Canadian university where faculty unionism is developing. The Université du Québec professors' union, which has been affiliated since its birth in 1970 with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), has participated in the effort to democratize the functioning of university authorities.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gill|first=Louis|date=2017|title=Quelques éléments d'histoire du syndicalisme professoral universitaire au Québec|journal=Bulletin d'Histoire Politique|language=fr|volume=25|issue=3|pages=245–257|doi=10.7202/1039754ar|issn=1201-0421|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In November 2006, UQAM underwent a major financial crisis. It was revealed that the former president, [[Roch Denis]], was partially responsible for the financial mismanagement of the Science Complex and the [[Ilot Voyageur]] real estate projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lapresse.ca/|title=LaPresse.ca – Actualités et Infos au Québec et dans le monde|website=La Presse|access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref> A recovery plan, required by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Leisure, is still in progress, raising significant challenges from groups of employees, students, lecturers and professors.

With the addition of the [[Télé-université]] in June 2005, UQAM, with a student population of close to 60,000, was the largest French-speaking university in the world.<ref>''[https://www.ledevoir.com/2005/11/26/96000.html Rencontre avec le recteur Roch Denis : Vers la plus grande université bimodale de la francophonie – Le Devoir, November 26–27, 2005]. Retrieved, October 2006.''</ref> On 13 January 2012, it was announced that the [[Télé-université|TELUQ]] would again become a separate university from UQAM, but would remain in the [[Université du Québec]] system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/education/340149/divorce-entre-la-teluq-et-l-uqam|title=Divorce entre la TELUQ et l'UQAM|website=Le Devoir|date=13 January 2012 |access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref>