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Leah Sherman was born in Montreal in 1925 and died on September 2, 2015. She graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1942. After completing her graduate studies at New York University, she joined Sir George Williams University in 1950 to teach part-time in the Faculty of Arts and became assistant professor in 1960. She was promoted to associate professor in 1965 and to full professor in 1969. Professor Sherman, along with Douglass Clarke and Alfred Pinsky, helped to found the Department of Fine Arts at Sir George Williams University which in 1974, became the Faculty of Fine Arts of Concordia University. With Alfred Pinsky and Stanley Horner, she conceptualized and implemented the original Fine Arts curriculum. She provided leadership in the development and implementation of the BFA in Art Education (1965), the MA in Art Education (one of the first two graduate programmes offered at SGWU), the PhD in Art Education (1967) and the Diploma in Art Education for Certification (1969). She obtained the first authorization to certify teachers for Québec schools for SGWU in 1969. Professor Sherman was the first director of graduate programs in Art Education. She was assistant Chair in the Department of Fine Arts in 1973-1974 and Director of the Visual Arts Division in 1975-1976.

Professor Sherman has served on many University Task Forces and committees. In recognition of her expertise in children’s artistic development, she has been a member of the Centre for Research in Human Development since 1981.

Her work in the history of Québec art education, particularly the work and legacy of Anne Savage, has provided an important source of archival information for teachers and researchers. She collaborated with Suzanne Lemerise of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) on joint histories of art education in Quebec from English and French perspectives. She retired from Concordia University in 1994.

Howard Shubert is an architectural historian who taught Canadian architecture in 1990-1991 in the Art History Department of Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts. He has a BComm in Economics (1977) and a BA in History from McGill University (1979) and also holds a MA in Art History (1980) and a MPhil in Architectural History from the University of Toronto (1983).

Harvey Schulman graduated from Sir George Williams University in 1965. He would be return to SGWU in 1969 as a lecturer in Political Science.

Dr. Martin Singer completed his BA in 1968 from Hunter College of the City University of New York, and an MA in East Asian Studies in 1970 at the University of Michigan. In 1977, he received his PhD in History, also from the University of Michigan.

He moved to Montreal in 1972 where he joined the History Department of Sir George Williams University (SGWU) - now Concordia University -, as assistant professor where he taught history of China and other East Asian nations. In 1975, Singer developed an innovative credit course: “East Asia: Past and Present”. As part of this intensive course, forty students, faculty and staff from SGWU visited five Asian locales. The visit was preceded by a three-week orientation period of formal lectures and assigned readings; during the trip there were seminars and assignments. The course was offered again in 1976, this time the orientation period was extended to three months with lectures films and assigned reading. Singer added Peking (Beijing), Nanking (Nanjing), and Shanghai to the trip itinerary.

Martin Singer served as Assistant Provost in the new Concordia Faculty of Arts and Science from 1977 to 1980 where he played a leading role in the creation of seven colleges, including the Liberal Arts College, the Science College, the Simone de Beauvoir Institute and the Institute for Co-operative Education. He then served as Provost of the Faculty of Arts and Science from 1980 to 1985. He was the founding Director of the Council for International Academic Cooperation, from 1986 to 1989.

In 1982, Singer undertook a major International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-sponsored research project on the relationships between Canadian universities and China. His two-volume report was published in 1986, under the title: Canadian Academic Relations with the People's Republic of China Since 1970 (IDRC 1986). He followed this with a book titled China’s Academic Relations with Canada: Past, Present and Future (Centre for Developing Area Studies, McGill University, 1992). In 1994, he undertook another research project on the Sino-Canadian academic relations, sponsored this time by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). The report was published in 1996 under the title: Academic Relations Between Canada and China, 1970-1995 (AUCC 1996).

He served as Acting Chair and Chair of the History Department from 1994 until his appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science in 1997. As Dean, Singer has been a leader behind the effort to build a science complex on the Loyola Campus. He also played an integral role in incorporating technology in the Faculty, increase faculty recruitment and opportunities for student exchanges. From 2004 to 2007, he was Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs and after an administrative leave, he returned to the Department of History as tenured professor to continue his work as one of one Canada’s leading Sinologist. In 2009, Dr. Singer left Concordia to become the founding Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University. He retired from York University in 2015.

George Williams was born in 1821 in the County of Somerset, England. He founded the movement known worldwide as the YMCA (the Young Men's Christian Association) in 1844.

The Montreal branch of the YMCA was formed in 1851, the first in North America. In 1873 the YMCA inaugurated evening courses in vocational and general education. The undertaking was first known as the Educational Program, and later the Montreal YMCA Schools. In 1926, it changed its name to Sir George Williams College in honour of the founder of the YMCA movement. S.G.W. was one of the founding institutions of Concordia University.

The history of Sir George Williams University began with the establishment of the Young Men's Christian Association in Montreal in 1851. Part of the Y.M.C.A.'s mandate was to meet the needs of its members and to serve the Montreal community, so when members of the community, working individuals and local business leaders voiced the need for education "obtained from no text book...(but) from original sources," the Montreal Y.M.C.A. stepped in, and in 1873, the association inaugurated evening courses in vocational and general education. This system was known as the Educational Program and later, the Montreal Y.M.C.A. Schools.

In 1926, the Montreal Y.M.C.A. Schools changed its name to Sir George Williams College in honor of the founder of the Y.M.C.A. (London, England, 1844).

The College was intended to expand formal education opportunities for both young men and women employed in Montreal. Student guidance counselling and student-faculty interaction were particularly encouraged within the tightly-knit college community. The Depression and the economic boom in the '30s both led to steady enrolment increases. The College grew from a two-year program in the 1920s to a four-year program in 1934.

In 1948, Sir George Williams College officially obtained its university charter although it had been granting degrees since 1936/37. The recognition and financial assistance that came out of this led to further expansion. In 1959, the College requested that the Provincial Legislature amend its University Charter, changing its name to Sir George Williams University.

The university operated in various "annexes" throughout the neighbourhood but rapid expansion of the University led to the construction of a new building to accommodate all of its activities. In 1956, Sir George Williams University moved into the newly-constructed Norris Building. Even as the new building was opened, it was evident it would not be large enough and increasingly heavy enrollment forced the university into more annexes. Planning began for the construction of a new and larger building, and in 1966, the Henry F. Hall Building was opened on de Maisonneuve Boulevard.

Meanwhile in 1963 a Faculty structure was implemented when the combined Faculty of Arts, Science, and Commerce separated into three distinct faculties and the new Faculty of Engineering was created. Increased enrollment and larger government grants allowed the College to hire more full-time faculty members. Many disciplines began to offer more specializations, and Masters and Doctoral programs were added to the growing list of Majors and Honours.

It was the first Canadian university that offered a full range of university programs to evening students. In the late-1960s, Sir George Williams University severed ties, financial and otherwise, with the Y.M.C.A.

At the time of the merger with Loyola College, Sir George Williams University offered undergraduate and graduate programs to a diverse community.

In August 1974, Sir George Williams University merged with Loyola College to form Concordia University.

The first meeting of the alumni association was held on October 27, 1937. John P. Kidd was the first president. The Association of Alumni of Sir George Williams College was incorporated in the Province of Quebec on September 16, 1957. Sir George Williams College became Sir George Williams University (SGWU) in 1959, and the organization's name changed to the Association of Alumni of Sir George Williams University in 1961. Following the merger of SGWU with Loyola College to form Concordia University in 1974, the Association renewed its constitution.

The Association published a quarterly brochure which was titled "Quarterly News-Letter" from 1944 to 1950, and "The Postgrad", from 1951 until 1968. Then the "Postgrad Newsletter" was published from 1968 to 1971, which was a followed by "The Garnet", which appeared from 1972 to 1977.

The objectives of the Association are to encourage the fellowship of graduates from Sir George Williams Schools, College, and University, through social, educational, and cultural activities; to establish and maintain a link with all graduates; to promote the interests of the university through alumni involvement in its governance; to raise funds and recruit students; to develop an awareness by the students of the university in the association by the furthering of student welfare; to promote the establishment of chapters of the Association; to strengthen the relationship with the Loyola Alumni Association and the Concordia University Alumni Association, with the intent to coordinate the activities of the associations, and to participate in the solicitation of funds and to promote a common interest by all alumni/ae in the university.

In 2014, the Concordia University Alumni Association (CUAA), Association of Alumni of Sir George Williams University and Loyola Alumni Association have united. On May 28, at special general meetings, the associations unanimously approved amalgamating into one organization.

The Computer Centre at Sir George Williams University (SGWU) was developed by Professors Jack Bordan (Engineering), Kurt Jonassohn (Sociology) and Graham Martin (Engineering) in the early 1960s. Kurt Jonassohn was a chief instigator in the acquisition of the first computer, an IBM 1620. The SGWU Computer Centre was formally organized in September 1965 with Graham Martin as its first Director, reporting to the Vice-Principal Academic. In August 1966 the Centre was given a proper place in the new Henry F. Hall Building. During the events that led to what is known as the Sir George Computer Centre Incident, the computer equipment had been severely damaged and a fire had broken out in the Computer Centre on February 11, 1969. The main computers of the Centre were subsequently housed away from the Hall Building for the next 25 years.

The Sir George Williams University Contingent of the Canadian Officers Training Corps was organized in 1950 at the request of University principal Kenneth E. Norris. The COTC was a subdivision of the University Reserves Program, subsidized and commissioned by the Department of National Defence. The objective was to introduce students to service life. The COTC offered training opportunities to those who wished to pursue a service career. Official authorization for the formation of the unit was granted in 1951 and quarters were obtained in a building at 1180 Bishop Street. Major John McDonald was the first Sir George Williams Contingent commanding officer, from 1951-1954. Training methods included a theoretical phase in which the intellectual awareness of national security issues was taught, and a practical phase. A mess committee was responsible for organizing special events. In 1956 the contingent moved to 772 Sherbrooke St. West.

As a result of major alterations in defence policy after the Korean War (1950-1953), the Department of National Defence set new goals. One primary objective was to reduce expenditures. It was concluded that university reserves programs no longer provided officers for the reserves in sufficient numbers to support their cost. In 1964, meetings were held between the Department of National Defence, the Military Studies Committee, and the board of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to discuss the future of all Canadian Officers Training Corps units; 50 per cent of reserve units were reduced that year. The University Naval Training Division, the Canadian Officers Training Corps, and the University Reserves Training Plan ended in 1968. The Sir George Williams University contingent was disbanded May 31, 1968. Major John Hall was the last commanding officer. To allow other means for undergraduates to serve in the reserves, the Reserve Officer University Training Plan (ROUPT) was instituted.

The Students' Undergraduate Society of Sir George Williams (SUS) was created in 1936. On January 25, 1966, the Association proposed a new constitution in which it changed its name to Students' Association of Sir George Williams University (SA). In April 1966, the University Board of Governors approved this constitution and a new executive was formed. In October 1971, the Students' Association was put under trusteeship by the University Board of Governors after a series of management difficulties. At the end of November 1971, the Board of Trustees organized a referendum to decide about the future of the association. The majority of students voted for a continuation of the Students’ Association. In March 1972, the Board of Trustees presented a new constitution which was ratified by referendum. On April 13, 1972, the Board of Governors approved the new constitution, but changed the name of the association for “Day Students’ Association of Sir George Williams University” (DSA). Loyola College and Sir George Williams University merge together in 1974 to form Concordia University. The Day Students’ Association continued operation until the creation of the Concordia University Student Association (CUSA), which took over the activities of all the day and evening student associations of Sir George and Loyola in 1979.

In the 1941-1942 calendar, Sir George Williams College is offering for the first time, a Student Health Programme, which is described as an active programme of student athletics and health education. In the 1950s, the Athletic Council of Sir George Williams College was established. Under the authority of the Board of Governors and Faculty Council, its purpose was to act as the governing body for all intercollegiate and intramural sports and athletics. In the 1957-1958 calendar, the programme is extended to Sports and Athletics with varsity and intramural components. In the 1970s, the unit was referred to as the Department of Physical Education. The programme included intercollegiate sports, intramural and recreational activities, a cheerleading team, a booster club, etc.

Throughout the years, the teams wearing the colors of SGW were named The Georgians. Over the years, the Department produced different publications: the Athletic Handbook and The Georgians in the 1950s and 1960s, and the Georgian Athletics and Georgian Sports Review in the 1970s.

Sir George Williams did not have sports facilities and had to use other institutions’. Sir George Williams College stemmed from the YMCA educational program and kept its tie to the Y until the early 1970s. Because of this, the facilities, including the gym and swimming pool, of the Downtown YMCA, were used until the 1970s.

Sir George Williams University merged with Loyola College in 1974 to create Concordia University. Following the recommendations of a committee to evaluate the Student Services area, the Board of Governors, at its meeting of June 12, 1975, merged the Sir George Williams Department of Physical Education and the Loyola College Department of Athletics into a single unit. The director of the Sir George Williams Department of Physical Education, George Short, became assistant athletic director.

The first meeting of what would become the Sir George Williams University Faculty Club took place on September 24, 1960. A private non-profit cooperative organization, it offered dining and bar facilities and aimed to facilitate social exchange among members of the University. Club membership was open to faculty and senior administrative staff. First located in the Norris Building, the Faculty Club moved to the 7th floor of the Henry F. Hall Building after it opened in 1966. It continued to operate under the name Sir George Williams Faculty Club after S.G.W. Merged with Loyola College to form Concordia University in 1974.

The Office of the Principal of Sir George Williams University has its origins in the reorganization of the educational program of the Montreal Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) in the 1920s, culminating in the establishment of a separate branch called the Montreal Y.M.C.A. Schools in 1925. The schools thus became a separate unit in the Montreal Metropolitan Y.M.C.A. organization, under the direction of its own Board of Management (which became the Board of Governors in 1937) and its own executive head, the Principal. In 1926, the Montreal Y.M.C.A.Schools became a coeducational institution and changed its name to Sir George Williams College. The Principal was appointed by the Montreal Y.M.C.A. Metropolitan Board on the advice of the Sir George Williams College Board of Management. A. W. Young was the first Principal; his term of office was 1925-1928. In 1948, Sir George Williams College obtained a university charter. That year a special by-law (art. VII, sect. 11) of the Corporation of Sir George Williams College defined the duties of the Principal as follows:

"The Principal of the College, under the direction of the Board of Governors, shall have charge and general control of the work of the College, and shall attend meetings of the Board of Governors and of Committees of the Board. He shall certify all contracts and all bills for payment. He shall define the duties of all employees of the College, who shall report to him as the Executive Officer of the Board in such manner as he may direct."

In 1959, the College requested that the Quebec Legislature amend its charter, changing its name to Sir George Williams University. In 1974, the University merged with Loyola College to create Concordia University. The Office of the Principal of Sir George Williams University thereafter became the Office of the Rector of Concordia University.

The Office of the Principal of Sir George Williams College and later, University, played a significant leadership role in the development of the institution. The Office of the Principal was occupied not only with day-to-day affairs, but also provided vision and guidance for the development of the fledgling institution. Sir George Williams began as a small institution with an unrecognized program, growing dramatically in the period after World War II and again in the 1960s, when there was a dramatic increase in demand for higher education.

The Principals of Sir George Williams College and University were:

Anson W. Young 1925-1928
Frederick O. Stredder 1928-1935
Kenneth E. Norris 1936-1956
Henry F. Hall 1956-1962
Robert C. Rae 1962-1968
Douglass B. Clarke 1968-1969
John W. O'Brien 1969-1974. (O'Brien became Rector of Concordia University in 1974.)