So, why not venture into its sports renaming as well?
TMU announced Monday that its athletic teams will now be named TMU Bold, one of three finalists selected from more than 4,800 survey submissions.  TMU’s new mascot will be a falcon.
“The idea for Bold came from feedback developed by community members,” said Jen McMillen, vice president, students, at TMU.  “They wanted a unique, confident name.  Boldness really embodies a lot about our university and what we’re trying to do.
“We obviously made a very bold decision to change the name of the institution … and we really want it to continue to be bold. So it’s something that we think we can really nurture alongside the new name of the university.”
TMU announced in August 2021 that it was dropping the Ryerson name amid growing calls for a change.  Egerton Ryerson was an architect of Canada’s residential school system, and demands grew after the remains of Aboriginal children were discovered in unmarked graves in former residential schools.
McMillen said Bold isn’t a nickname you find elsewhere.
“And that’s part of the point,” he said.  “That’s something that’s been important to us is that you don’t hear a lot of teams called The Bold. That’s part of the reason we think it fits well with the feedback that the community community has given us.”
The National Women’s Soccer League team OL Reign is nicknamed “The Bold”.
McMillen likened the nickname to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
TMU president and vice-chancellor Mohamed Lachemi said boldness is a core value of the university.
“It is shared by our students, reflected in our approach to learning and research, and demonstrated on the field, court and rink by our athletes,” Lachemi said in a statement.  “Our new team name and mascot represent another opportunity to unite our community behind the shared values ​​and aspirations of our University. I look forward to cheering on the Blue, Gold and Bold this fall.”
The team’s nickname and mascot were chosen after two phases of research.  There were 2,100 responses to an initial survey in May, and then another 2,700 survey submissions after a shortlist was published in July.
The Meteors and the Towers were the other two finalists.
McMillen said there was very strong community feedback that the mascot is an animal.  “Egerton the Ram”, also known as “Eggy”, has been the university’s mascot since 1961.
The hawk, he said, was chosen for several reasons, including the fact that the bird of prey often nests on campus rooftops.
“They are part of our campus and we can see them and hear them,” McMillen said.  “And (there were) a lot of really strong ties for us… They’re very strategic.  And we really like that.
“When it comes to bold, falcons are as bold as they come, one of the fastest animals on Earth, but their timing and critical decision-making is very much aligned with the performance of our athletes and other parts of the institution as a whole. .”
He added that hawks have golden beaks and talons and often have blue feathers.
“So there’s also a blue and gold element, which of course are our university colors,” he said.
Choosing a new team name and mascot was one of 22 recommendations made in a Standing Strong Task Force report in August 2021.
The new team name will be used immediately, while new team uniforms, a physical mascot and signage will be completed by the spring semester of 2023.
A task force was created in November 2020 to analyze and address the legacy of Egerton Ryerson, who helped design both the public and residential school systems in Canada.  It ultimately issued 22 recommendations, and last August, the school board approved a motion to accept all 22 recommendations from the task force.
A statue of Egerton Ryerson on the university’s campus was toppled by angry protesters last summer in response to the discovery of graves believed to be unmarked on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report describes widespread abuse in Canada’s residential schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and more than 4,000 deaths in the institutions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 29, 2022.