Laurier officially opens Toronto office

TORONTO ­– Sept. 22 marked the official opening of Wilfrid Laurier’s new office in Toronto. Situated within the Exchange Tower building at King and York Street, the office is centrally located within the city’s financial district.

The office will house a number of different functions, such as the student recruitment and alumni relations programs.

Nearly half of all Laurier students come from Toronto and its surrounding areas and over 12,100 Laurier alumni live and work in the city.

President of Laurier Max Blouw attended the opening of the new office alongside several others from the Laurier community, including dean of business and economics Ginny Dybenko, as well as Toronto Mayor David Miller.

Blouw believes that the office will be very beneficial to Laurier.

“It will contribute [to Laurier] by providing a highly visible and prominent location for our alumni, our business partners, prospective students, government personnel and others to access
Laurier in the heart of Toronto.”

The office will also support Laurier’s Toronto co-op program and MBA weekend programs.

The majority of undergraduate and MBA co-op placements are located in Toronto, with more than 700 students hired annually.

Laurier’s weekend MBA program has already been present in Toronto for 11 years and offers classes at St. Andrew’s Club and Conference Centre.

Blouw hopes the establishment of the Toronto office will heighten the visibility of Laurier to key stakeholders, help forge relationships with governments and function to serve those that have philanthropic ties with the university.

“We are convinced that having a presence in Toronto will be for the long-term benefit of Laurier,” he said.

Joan Norris, dean of the faculty of graduate studies, attended the opening ceremony in Toronto yesterday, and echoed Blouw’s enthusiasm about the new building.

“It’s going to do wonders and make our MBA [program] even more visible,” said Norris.

“It’s a wonderful building right in the middle of the financial district and you can see the Laurier logo.”

-With files from Lauren Millet