Waterloo College Associate Faculties

The Waterloo College Associate Faculties was a semi-autonomous entity of Waterloo College and was the precursor to the University of Waterloo. It was formally changed into the University of Waterloo when it  received its charter in 1959.

Foundation
With the appointment of Gerry Hagey as dean of Waterloo College in 1954, an effort to secure new funding for the college began. The creation of science and engineering programs would allow Waterloo College to apply for important provincial funding that was then focused on such programs. In 1955, Waterloo College created the Waterloo College Associate Faculties, which would eventually become the University of Waterloo. It operated as a semi-autonomous entity within Waterloo College and was to teach science and engineering to students.

Split from Waterloo College
After the University of Waterloo Act (1959), the University of Waterloo was founded from the Waterloo College Associate Faculties. There was an expectation that both St. Jerome's College and Waterloo College would become federated with it, each representing one of the two major religions of Waterloo.

However, the idea of merging the old Waterloo College with the upstart (and lacking in prestige) University of Waterloo didn't sit well with some faculty members. And while "the board of Waterloo College accepted the federation arrangement,... they didn't have the last word; that lay with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Canada, which owned the place. And when the synod's annual meeting was held that spring [1960], the Lutheran leaders voted no." After that, the University of Waterloo and Waterloo College parted ways, and by the Fall of 1960, UW had created its own Faculty of Arts to compensate for the loss of Waterloo College's expertise.