On October 17, 1964 Trent University was officially opened. The historic date was celebrated with a parade and ceremony. Over the past 50 years, Trent has grown from a fledgling institution with 100 students to one of Canada’s leading universities, with 40,000 alumni, award-winning faculty, and world-class research and teaching facilities.

Over the weekend, 50 years to the day of Trent's opening, alumni, staff and faculty, friends and community members gathered to mark the University's milestone anniversary with a number of dynamic events, including a re-creation of the official opening ceremonies with a parade downtown Peterborough and a ceremony in front of Rubidge Hall, Trent's original home, as well as the Chancellor's Gala, which brought 300 special guests to a transformed Athletics Centre gym to celebrate the occasion. The gala was hosted by Chancellor Don Tapscott '66 and emceed by celebrated alumnus and international best-selling author Linwood Barclay '73. Other special guests included: the newly-appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell; past Trent chancellor Roberta Bondar; past presidents Bonnie Patterson and John Stubbs; and founding president Tom Symons. On Saturday, October 18 the 50th celebrations came to a close with a one-night only original Trent production at Showplace Performance Centre where Trent alumni, students and friends brought the history of Trent to life through stories, music and pictures from each of the University’s five remarkable decades.

Photo galleries from the 50th anniversary celebrations can be viewed on the University's Facebook page.View the 50th Anniversary video here.

Find out more about all events and celebrations, and learn more about Trent’s past, present and future by visiting the 50th Anniversary website.

Posted on Friday, October 17, 2014.