In the summer of 1996, the Academic Skills Centre was first founded under its first director, Cleo Boyd, following recommendations from Erindale College’s Writing and Academic Skills Subcommittee. Now, thirty years later, UTM’s Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre looks back at these first three decades in celebration of how far we've come, while looking forward to the exciting work that awaits in the future.
About Robert Gillespie
In 2005, the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre was named in recognition of Robert Gillespie, a friend and supporter of UTM who recognized the importance of preparing students for success in their professional and personal lives. Gillespie was a professional engineer and the retired chief executive officer of General Electric Canada, and believed in our goal of using an academic skills development model to support students. Gillespie, having found his educational experience an isolating one, saw great value in a centre that would allow students to connect and work closely with faculty and other students. When GE wanted to make a donation to a favourite cause upon his retirement, Gillespie specified the university, and the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre was born, also aided by a personal donation from him and his wife Irene. They continued to support the centre annually. Thanks to the continued support from the Gillespie family, the RGASC was able to grow and continue to introduce additional programming, which we are now proud to look back on and celebrate on our 30th anniversary.
Social Media
Our Instagram account, @rgasc_utm is a hub for news, opportunities, academic support, extracurricular engagement, and all things RGASC! If you haven't already joined us on the platform, we encourage you to join our digital community so you don't miss out on any of the content we share for our 30th anniversary campaign. We hope to highlight many key points from our history throughout 2026 in fun and memorable ways, from sharing old advertisements used in our early days, to bringing testimonies and stories from our past to the forefront.
Events
We look forward to hosting a number of events throughout 2026 to bring past and present members of our community together, not only in celebration of this milestone, but to make connections that will spark new ideas and partnerships.
RGASC Winter Open House - Wednesday, February 11th from 10:00am - 12:00pm in MN3251
- Stop by the RGASC's Winter Open House to make connections, learn more about our programs and history, and see how you can get involved. Light refreshments will be provided.
RGASC 30th Anniversary Reception - Details coming soon!
RGASC Fall Open House - Details coming soon!
Call for Submissions
Do you have a memory that stands out to you from your involvement with the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre? We are delighted to put out a call for submissions of stories and photos from throughout the RGASC's history. Whether you are a student, alumni, current or former faculty or staff, community member, or have otherwise had any connection the RGASC in the past 30 years, we would love to hear from you.
Simply email academicskills.utm@utoronto.ca with your story and/or photograph(s), or click the button below, to add your personal experience to our celebrations and for the opportunity to have your submission featured on our website or social media.
1996 - 2026 Timeline
Explore the timeline of our first 30 years to read about key milestones that served as the building blocks to create the RGASC that exists today.
This timeline will continue to be expanded upon throughout our 30th anniversary.
Donations
Interested in contributing to the work done at the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre? Find more information at the link below: