WLU’s centennial celebration planning underway

Students at Wilfrid Laurier University will see the number one hundred become a major theme on campus this fall. October 30, 2011 marks the centennial of Laurier opening its doors and the university will be celebrating in a big way.

Tiffany Bradley, manager of communications and marketing for the centennial celebrations, said planning is already underway for Laurier’s anniversary and celebrations will commence in the mid-fall.

“We’re in the planning phase right now,” she said. “There will be a ton of events starting in late fall and going all through 2011.”

The steering committee for the celebrations received 68 proposals for events and activities for the year-long celebration. Bradley said many of the proposed events span across all audiences, including Laurier students, faculty, alumni and the community. Late this summer, the committee will begin to announce the coming events as well as unveil the centennial celebration’s logo.

Some of the ideas put forth have included conferences, a lecture series, musical performances and a website which will launch at the end of the summer.

Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union president Kyle Walker said that in addition to events being planned specifically for the centennial, annual events will also have a centennial theme. Walker noted how an event like this is rare for a university as well as how important it is for students to get involved in the activities surrounding it.

“Most people are surprised that Laurier is 100 years old,” he said. “It’s really important for students to understand our roots and how deep they go.”

Laurier’s neighbours at the University of Waterloo (UW) celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2007. Walker noted how UW got its start at Laurier. In 1957, UW separated from Laurier, which was named Waterloo Lutheran University at the time.

Bradley emphasized how exciting it is to be at the university for this milestone and hoped students will take advantage of all the related opportunities to get involved.

“Students are lucky to be at the school during this historic celebration,” she said.