Massey College
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- This article is about the college in Canada. For the former Massey Agricultural College in New Zealand, see Massey University
Massey College is an elite interdisciplinary graduate college affiliated with, but independent from, the University of Toronto. Founded by the Massey Foundation and opened in 1963, the college was designed by Canadian architect Ron Thom. It is an academic home for 60 of the University of Toronto's top graduate and professional students called Resident Junior Fellows and another 60 to 70 Non-resident Junior Fellows. Resident junior fellows can live in college for up to three years and then become non-resident junior fellows for a further two years. In addition, the College hosts visiting academics, generally on sabbatical leave, who are called Senior Residents.The Canadian Journalism Fellowship Program (formerly known as the Southam Fellows) and the Scholar-at-Risk academic support program for international scholars caught out by sectarian, political or religious intolerance are two programs associated with Massey College. The College has been referred to as the All Souls of Canada.[1]
The founding Master of Massey College was the celebrated Canadian journalist and author Robertson Davies. The fourth and current Master is the distinguished journalist John Fraser. Amongst its many famous academic and non-academic Senior Fellows are: Nobel-laureate John Polanyi, Ursula Franklin, Stephen Lewis, Margaret Atwood, radical education scholar Peter McLaren, Sir Christopher Ondaatje (the college's most significant private benefactor), Mark Kingwell, James Orbinski, Janice Stein, and Bob Rae. The chancellors of both the University of Cambridge (H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) and Oxford University (the Rt. Hon. the Lord Patten of Barnes) are both Distinguished Honorary Fellows. The governing body of Massey College is its Corporation of which the Master is Chair. Corporation is comprised of 26 Senior Fellows which includes the President of the University of Toronto and the dean of graduate studies, who both sit as ex-officio members. Three other ex-officio Senior Fellows are nominated by the Massey Foundation. Officers of the College, who report to the Master, include the Bursar, the Registrar, the Administrator and the Librarian. Both junior and senior fellows are elected to their positions by members of the Corporation at one of its semi-annual meetings. After long and meritorious service to the college, certain senior fellows and officers can be elected Continuing Senior Fellows which are lifetime appointments.
The College has a strong connection to the Canadian and Toronto establishments, and Canadian journalism. Two of its Senior Fellows have been appointed governor general (Vincent Massey and Adrienne Clarkson). The college also strives to preserve an Oxbridge-type atmosphere by mandating the wearing of gowns at dinner, and incorporating regular High Tables — complete with after-dinner snuff — into its schedule and balances this with very active outreach programs. The mandated goal of the college is to demonstrate through its corporate life the interconnectness between all learning.
Massey College sponsors the annual Massey Lectures as well as the Walter Gordon Symposium on Public Policy. In conjunction with the University of Toronto's School of Graduate Studies, Massey fellows organise an annual symposium of interest to the broader community. There is an annual newsletter to all its constitutent members: Senior and Junior Fellows, Alumni (which include former Senior Residents like Preston Manning), and members of its Quadrangle Society (non-academic community members). As a registered Canadian charity, Massey College's files taxes annually, and the tax returns are available online from the Canada Revenue Agency[1][2].
Massey is home to an ecumenical worship space, St. Catherine's Chapel, the interior of which was designed by stage designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch. The Chapel features an 18th-century Russian iconostasis and a baroque-style pipe organ.
In June 2006, it was announced that Massey would host the judges of the Man Booker International Prize in April 2007.[2]
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- ^ Canada Revenue Agency, Charities Directorate. Registered Charity Information Return for "Master and Fellows of Massey College". Registered Charities listings. Government of Canada. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. This link returns search results with links to Massey College tax returns for the last few years. It is a query within the Canada Revenue Agency website. It may not work every time. If it doesn't, try again, or search the Charities Directorate main page (see following reference) for "Master and Fellows of Massey College".
- ^ Canada Revenue Agency, Charities Directorate. Charities Directorate main page. Registered Charities listings. Government of Canada. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. This page allows you search for tax returns from any Canadian registered charity. To find the Massey College tax return, search for "Master and Fellows of Massey College".
