Editing University of Western Ontario (section)

==History==
The university was founded on 7 March 1878 by Bishop [[Isaac Hellmuth]] of the Anglican [[Diocese of Huron]] as The Western University of London, Ontario,<ref name=UWO1878/> and its first chancellor was Chief Justice [[Richard Martin Meredith]].<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite encyclopedia|author=Green, J Paul|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003543|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310212407/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003543|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 March 2005|title=University of Western Ontario|publisher=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Music in Canada|access-date=6 April 2012}}</ref> It incorporated [[Huron College (Ontario)|Huron College]], which had been founded in 1863.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite encyclopedia|author=Beaton, B|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/university-of-western-ontario|title=University of Western Ontario|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=6 April 2012}}</ref> The first four faculties were Arts, Divinity, Law and Medicine (London Medical College).<ref name="not stated 1889 295">{{cite book|author=not stated|date=1889|title=History of the County of Middlesex, Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qsCAAAAMAAJ |location=London |publisher=W.A. & C.L. Goodspeed |page=295}}</ref> There were originally only 15 students when classes began in 1881.<ref>{{cite book|title=Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates|last=Pound|first=Richard W|publisher=Fitzhenry and Whiteside|year=2005|page=285}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated2"/>

Although the university was incorporated in 1878, it was not until 20 June 1881 that it received the right to confer degrees in arts, divinity and medicine. In 1882, the name of the university was revised to The Western University and College of London, Ontario.<ref name="uwo.ca">{{cite web|url=https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/about/university_act/UWO_Act_1878_amended_1882.pdf|title=An Act to incorporate The Western University and College of London, Ontario.|website=Uwo.ca|access-date=25 August 2018}}</ref> The first convocation of graduates was held on 27 April 1883.<ref name="not stated 1889 295"/> Initially affiliated with the [[Church of England]],<ref name="uwo.ca"/> the university became [[non-denominational]] in 1908.

In 1916, the university's current site was purchased from the Kingsmill family. There are two World War I memorial plaques in University College. The first lists the 19 students and graduates of the University of Western Ontario who died; the second honours the men from Middlesex County who died.<ref>{{National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials|id=8329|title=First World War memorial : University of Western Ontario: Memorial 35042-032 London, ON|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="NICMM UOWO"/> A third plaque lists those who served with the No. 10 Canadian General hospital during WWII, the unit raised and equipped by UWO.<ref name="NICMM UOWO"/>

In 1923, the university was renamed as The University of Western Ontario.<ref name="Act1923">{{cite web |url=https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/about/university_act/UWO_Act_1923.pdf |title=An Act respecting The University of Western Ontario |work=The University of Western Ontario |access-date=29 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated2" /> The first two buildings constructed by architect John Moore and Co. at the new site were the Arts Building (now University College) and the Natural Science Building (now the Physics and Astronomy Building).<ref>{{citation
 | title =New Buildings of the University of Western Ontario, Architect: John Moore and Co.
 | volume =17
 | issue =11
 | pages =331–334
 | publisher =Construction (Toronto)
 | location =London, Ontario
 | date =November 1924
 }}</ref> Classes on the university's present site began in 1924.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uwo.ca/sci/publications/history/Battle.html|access-date=6 April 2012|title=Helen Irene Battle|publisher=University of Western Ontario|author=Zimmer, Mitchell|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402134658/http://www.uwo.ca/sci/publications/history/Battle.html|archive-date=2 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The University College tower, one of the university's most distinctive features, was named the Middlesex Memorial Tower in honour of the men from [[Middlesex County, Ontario|Middlesex County]] who fought in World War I.
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 360
| image1 = University College 1924.jpg
| image2 = University College, Western University.jpg
| caption1 = [[University College (University of Western Ontario)|University College]] in June 1924
| caption2 = University College in October 2018.
| footer = Completed in 1924, University College is one of the earliest university buildings built on the present campus.
}}
In the early 20th century, a number of institutions became [[affiliated college]]s of Western. In 1919, [[Brescia University College|Brescia College]] was established as a Roman Catholic affiliate of Western, while [[Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario)|Assumption College]] entered an affiliation agreement with the university.<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref name=ce>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/university-of-windsor|title=University of Windsor|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> Other institutions that became affiliated colleges of Western includes the Waterloo College of Arts in 1925, [[St. Peter's Seminary (Diocese of London, Ontario)|St. Peter's College]] in 1939, and [[King's University College (University of Western Ontario)|King's College]] in 1945.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Waterloo College of Arts remained affiliated with Western until 1960, when the institution was reorganized into [[Wilfrid Laurier University]]; while Assumption College remained affiliated with Western until 1964, when it was reorganized into the [[University of Windsor]].<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref name=ce/><ref name="library-old.wlu.ca">{{Cite web | url=http://library-old.wlu.ca/specialcollections/findingaid/3372 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015734/http://library-old.wlu.ca/specialcollections/findingaid/3372 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2015-11-17 | title=&#124; Laurier Library}}</ref> Brescia College ceased operations and was integrated into Western's main campus in 2024, while Huron and King's remain independent affiliates.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-10 |title=Brescia, Western approve integration |url=https://news.westernu.ca/2024/01/brescia-western-approve-integration/ |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=Western News |language=en-CA}}</ref>

Two World War II memorial honour rolls are hung on the Physics and Astronomy Building: the first lists the UWO students and graduates who served in the Second World War, and the second lists those who served with the No. 10 Canadian General hospital during WWII, the unit raised and equipped by UWO.<ref name="NICMM UOWO">{{National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials|id=8233|title=World War memorials: University of Western Ontario: Memorial 35042-030 London, ON|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>

Although enrolment was relatively small for many years, the university began to grow after World War II. It added a number of faculties in the post-war period, such as the Faculty of [[Graduate school|Graduate Studies]] in 1947, the School of Business Administration (now the [[Ivey Business School]]) in 1949,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CksOKNtqk10C|title=The University of Toronto: A History|last=Friedland|first=Martin L.|date=2002|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=9780802044297|pages=432|language=en}}</ref> the Faculty of Engineering Science (now the Faculty of Engineering) in 1957, the [[Western Law School|Faculty of Law]] in 1959, [[Althouse College of Education|Althouse College]] (now the Faculty of Education) in 1965,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Western University |date=1971-01-01 |title=1971-72 Academic Calendar, by Faculty |url=https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/uwo-calendars/51 |journal=Western University Academic Calendars}}</ref> and the Faculty of Music in 1968.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/stories/2000/November/faculty_of_musics_founding_dean_passes_away.html|access-date=6 April 2012|newspaper=Western News|date=7 November 2000|title=Faculty of Music's founding dean passes away}}</ref>
[[File:WesternLawBldg.jpg|thumb|left|The Law Building houses the university's [[University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law|Faculty of Law]]. The building was completed in 1960, shortly after the faculty was established.]]
In 2012, the university rebranded itself as "Western University" to give the school less of a regional or even national identity. "We want to be international," president Dr. [[Amit Chakma]] told ''[[The Globe and Mail]]''. The university's legal name, however, remains "The University of Western Ontario" and, as such, remains in use on transcripts and diplomas.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/uwo-rebrands-to-a-familiar-name-western/article4171113/|access-date=7 April 2017|author=Rogers, Kaleigh|date=6 September 2012|title=UWO rebrands to a familiar name: Western|newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}</ref>