The University invites students, faculty, staff and supporters to “Say Cheese for the Keys” at noon on Friday, November 30, as it takes possession of the Windsor Star buildings at the corner of Ferry and Pitt streets.
“We will formally receive the keys to these buildings, marking a coming together of our campus community with the downtown core, and setting the stage for the next chapter in our shared history,” says chief communications officer Holly Ward. “To help celebrate the monumental occasion, we are planning to take a massive group photo and fill the streets with as many students, faculty, staff and community members as possible. The goal is to capture a photo that will truly represent what this milestone means for our city and our University.”
Along with capturing a historical photo, a promotional video of the event will also be produced for the University’s website and Facebook page. The downtown Tim Hortons locations will be on site to offer free coffee for participants.
“We encourage everyone to stay downtown for lunch, several restaurants are preparing special offers for UWindsor. Visit our Facebook page for more details next week,” says Ward.
She has arranged for buses to shuttle participants from main campus to downtown. Shuttles will leave Vanier Circle starting at 11 a.m. until 11:45 a.m., and will return to campus every 15 minutes after the photo session ends at approximately 12:15 p.m., until 1:45 p.m.
Renovations will begin in the New Year to transform the Windsor Star complex into space for programs in social work and the Centre for Executive and Professional Education.
Ward says similar group photos will be taken in the armouries and bus depot once those properties are ready for transfer to the University.