Vincent Massey chairs the Royal Commission on the National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences.

The resulting Massey Report lays the foundation for major cultural initiatives in Canada, including federal support for the arts, universities, and heritage preservation.

Through the Massey Foundation, Vincent Massey provides the financial endowment to establish Massey College as an independent institution affiliated with the University of Toronto.

The vision: a graduate college defined by intellectual community, dignity, and beauty. The college was designed by architect Ron Thom and the coat of arms created by Alan Beddoe.

The William Southam Journalism Fellowships are established at Massey College, beginning with its inaugural cohort of four fellows prior to the College’s formal opening to graduate students. Modelled on the Nieman Fellowships at Harvard University, the program provides Canadian journalists with a year of academic study and reflection, and has since hosted more than 250 Canadian and international journalists.

Vincent Massey officialy opens Massey College as a postgraduate residential college at the University of Toronto.

Robertson Davies becomes the founding head and leads the College for 20 years.

The mission established: to “nourish learning and serve the public good.”

The College motto, Sapere aude — “have the courage to be wise” — becomes a guiding principle of Massey College life.

The College operates as an all-male institution, reflecting contemporary assumptions about graduate education at the time. During these early years, Robertson Davies began assembling the College’s founding staff. His first major appointment was librarian Douglas Lochhead, whose interest in private presses and book history helped shape the early library collections at Massey College. In 1970, Lochhead acquired the largest Victorian book collection in Canada from designer Ruari McLean in England.

Following sustained advocacy by Junior Fellows and support from the Massey family, women are admitted to Massey College.

This marks a major cultural and structural shift toward inclusivity.

Patterson Hume becomes the second Master at Massey. Robertson Davies concludes his eighteen-year tenure as founding head of the College. The college library gets named The Robertson Davies Library in his honour.

Ann Saddlemyer becomes the first woman appointed Master of Massey College.

Massey College receives heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act in recognition of its architectural and cultural significance.

Prince Philip Visits Massey.

The Massey Lectures started by Master John Fraser begin to Travel.

The Walter Gordon Forum merges with the Massey Symposium.

St. Catherine’s Chapel at Massey College was formally designated a Chapel Royal by Queen Elizabeth II on June 21, 2017. It is the third Chapel Royal in Canada, and the first to be interdenominational and interfaith, as well as the first associated with the Anishinaabe people.

The title of the head of the College is changed from “Master” to “Principal,” signaling a modernization of language and leadership structure. Hugh Segal was the first to be named Principal partway through his role.

Nathalie Des Rosiers served as the Principal of Massey College from 2019 to 2024. During her tenure, the College experienced a rapid shift into the digital world as the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person operations. The Massey Dialogues and many College events moved online through livestreams and pre-recorded programming. During this period, Massey College also launched a podcast, expanding its digital outreach and public engagement.

Canadian physician, humanitarian, and global health scholar James Orbinski is installed as the seventh Principal of Massey College. A longtime Massey Senior Fellow with ties to the College dating back to the early 1990s, Orbinski served as International Council President of Médecins Sans Frontières when the organization received the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize, which he accepted on its behalf in Oslo. His appointment marked the beginning of a new chapter of leadership focused on learning, civil discourse, and the public good.