University to relocate music, visual arts and social work programs to downtown Windsor

The University of Windsor will relocate its music and visual arts programs to the Armouries building in downtown Windsor thanks to the City of Windsor’s capital donation in addition to $10 million in funding, and the provincial government’s contribution of $15 million. UWindsor also announced May 30 the launch of an request for proposals process to investigate the feasibility of moving the School of Social Work to the Windsor Star buildings located downtown at the corner of Ferry and Pitt streets.

“We are delighted that the City of Windsor and the provincial government have come together in support of the University of Windsor,” said UWindsor President Alan Wildeman. "With the support of Mayor Francis and City Council, the belief of Minister Duncan and Minister Pupatello in our University and this city, to understand our capital needs and long-term goals, we can now begin to realize our aspiration to create inspiring spaces for our students in the downtown, and facilitate in an unprecedented way the ability of our University to contribute to the social and artistic fabric of our community.”

The University of Windsor will engage architects to re-imagine the Armouries as a new space for music and visual arts, programs with close to 500 students in addition to faculty and staff.

Eddie Francis, Mayor of the City of Windsor, said, “Bringing the University of Windsor in to the city core has long been a vision of council; today we take another step to build upon the academic footprint in our downtown. This is a major move in the revitalization of our city centre. I’m proud to welcome the University and its students in to the downtown. On behalf of council, I want to thank Dr. Alan Wildeman for his vision, the province, and Ministers Duncan and Pupatello, for their continued support.”

Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance and MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh, said, “Today’s announcement is a clear example of our commitment to postsecondary education, families and our strong partnership with the City of Windsor. I look forward to working with the University of Windsor to create exciting new facilities and to develop an education cluster in the downtown core.”

Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade and MPP for Windsor West, said, “I’m proud of the ongoing support our government has provided to Windsor-Essex. These new facilities will enhance our downtown core and will be enjoyed by families, faculty, students and tourists. This is another good example of what can be accomplished when we come together with a shared vision and partnership.”

The School of Social Work is comprised of approximately 830 students, faculty and staff who currently work with several agencies downtown. Dr. Wildeman explained why this program will also be relocated.

“Moving the social work program downtown presents an opportunity to significantly broaden the bandwidth between important academic programming and the needs of our community,” he said.

He also noted the central location of the Windsor Star building between St. Clair College’s Centre for the Arts and its Mediaplex building as an opportunity to create synergies between the two institutions.

“In the same way as our new Centre for Engineering Innovation has been designed to transform the California and Wyandotte intersection into a regional address for innovation and engagement with the manufacturing, industrial, business and other sectors that are so vital to the future of our region, there is no better place to position our arts and social programs than in the heart of this caring and creative community of Windsor,” Wildeman said.