A ceremonial raising of the Franco-Ontarian flag on Wednesday is believed to be a first for the UWindsor campus.

The ceremony is timed to coincide with annual celebrations of the Journée des franco-ontariennes et franco-ontariens on Sept. 25, says political science professor Emmanuelle Richez.

She points to the University’s history as indicative of its French roots.

“When Assumption College, a forerunner of the University of Windsor, was established in 1857, it was actually called Collège de l’Assomption and it was run by French-speaking priests,” says a memo prepared by the Comité Franco. “The collège grew out of the paroisse Notre-Dame de l’Assomption, the first French-language Catholic parish in Ontario, founded in 1767.”

Today, the University of Windsor has a French studies program and a relatively new French specialization in political science, with more than 40 professors in various departments who are fully proficient in French.

“The proportion of francophones and francophiles in the student body is also significant,” Dr. Richez says.

The ceremony will begin at noon outside the west side of Chrysler Hall Tower.