Collection C002 - Nipissing University publications and ephemera collection

Nipissing University is a public liberal arts university with its main campus in North Bay, Ontario. Although the University received its charter in 1992, it grew directly out of Nipissing College, a liberal arts college affiliated with Laurentian University of Sudbury that was established in North Bay in 1967. Nipissing College was the result of a nearly decade-long campaign to establish a junior university in North Bay, which began in 1959 with the work of the Northeastern University Committee, which incorporated in 1960 as Northeastern University. The new corporation was, however, unsuccessful in being granted a university charter, its application being denied by the Ontario Department of Education on January 28, 1961. Without a charter, Northeastern University was unable to grant degrees or receive funding, and was only able to provide night extension classes taught by Laurentian University professors, starting in 1962. On 18 February 1967, Northeastern University signed an affiliation agreement with Laurentian University and changed its name on April 4, 1967 to Nipissing College, as an affiliation between two universities was not allowed.

Seven teaching faculty, including Principal (later President) George Zytaruk, were hired before Nipissing College's first academic term began in fall 1967. Under the terms of the affiliation agreement, Nipissing College initially provided a small selection of General Arts courses, which were congruent with Laurentian University's academic curriculum and were intended to provide students with their first year courses before they transferred elsewhere to complete their degrees.

Over the years, Nipissing College grew in size and the range of academic programs it offered. In 1992, the Nipissing University Act established Nipissing University as an independent, degree-granting university, ending its affiliation with Laurentian University.

From 1967 to 1972, Nipissing College operated out of Cassellholme, a former retirement home at 1880 Cassells Street in North Bay. In fall 1972, the College relocated to the brand new College Education Centre on Gormanville Road, a purpose-built, multi-college campus that originally housed four local colleges: Nipissing College, Cambrian College (later renamed Canadore College), Saint Joseph's School of Nursing, and the North Bay Teachers' College. Today, the College Education Centre (current address 100 College Drive) continues to serve as the North Bay campus of Nipissing University and Canadore College. The University also has satellite campuses in Bracebridge (opened in 1996) and Brantford (opened in 2002), where it operates a joint program in teacher education with Wilfred Laurier University, although the cancellation of the program was announced in December 2014.