Looking back: highlights from UTM over the past year
As 2023 draws to a close at the University of Toronto Mississauga, it’s a good chance to look back on 12 months of firsts, launches, new faces and celebrations.
Game Studies program launches with Day of Play
The UTM Day of Play saw the campus transformed into a day-long play zone last month with stations for giant Jenga blocks, video games, hopscotch, an inflatable obstacle course and even a storytelling hub. It was all to officially launch a new game studies program in English & drama and the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, and to spotlight recently acquired gaming-related materials from the UTM Library. A symposium on the impact of games on society, with panel discussions and a reception, rounded out the day.
As one of the only undergraduate programs in North America to focus on both the creation and analysis of games, game studies at UTM prepares students for graduate-level study and the game production industry.
Learn more about UTM’s game studies program
All-Nations Powwow hosted on campus
An estimated 1,500 people turned out for the inaugural All-Nations Powwow in March, co-hosted by UTM's Indigenous Centre and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN).
The event reflected UTM's increasing commitment to Indigenous issues on campus and its progress on goals to meet U of T’s Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committee Report, Answering the Call: Wecheehetowin. The Powwow featured a full program of traditional singing and dancing, spotlighting a Grand Entry ceremony as well as intertribal, spot, jingle dress and exhibition dances.