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Jack Layton has left an indelible mark on Ryerson.

The inaugural Jack Layton lecture takes place at the Ryerson Theatre on Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. to commemorate Layton’s life and legacy. Charles Taylor, professor emeritus of philosophy at McGill University in Montreal is launching the annual series with a lecture entitled Reimagining, Restoring and Reclaiming Democracy. Taylor was Layton’s mentor and professor while he studied political science at McGill.

Layton was a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration for almost 10 years, introducing hundreds of Ryerson students to politics - city politics for the most part - through his irreverent, insightful, relevant, opinionated and always engaging classroom style. It was from Ryerson that Layton would launch his political career, winning a Toronto city council seat in 1982, starting a remarkable journey that would take him to Ottawa and see him become the first New Democratic Party Leader of the Opposition.

"Teaching at Ryerson is among the happiest times of my life," said Layton, when he attended the 45th anniversary of the public administration program in 2007. "I'm a big believer in Ryerson. I love the connection teachers have with students, who are connected to the community. This promotes learning because they learn from the community."

Layton passed away Aug. 22, 2011 at the age of 61 from cancer.

The lecture is one part of a larger tribute dedicated to the former politician. A Jack Layton Chair has been established to advance his legacy of political and humanitarian leadership. The chair will be held for three years by an existing Ryerson faculty member from the Department of Politics and Public Administration. The first-ever chairholder will be unveiled Thursday. Its aim is to engage in a variety of activities that are in keeping with Layton’s interests and commitments on issues such as sustainability, homelessness, homophobia, violence against women, labour rights, youth engagement, public health and inclusive democracy. The Faculty of Arts is fundraising to support the chair – donations can be made at https://ruonline.ryerson.ca/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&giving_page_id=24.

In addition, a video about Layton’s life produced by Min Sook Lee, an images art professor, will premiere before the lecture. In fall 2011, Ryerson was gifted with a collection of Layton’s books, textual records and artifacts. There will be a special display of items from the Layton collection in the Library’s Archives and Special Collections for public viewing, including:

·         Layton’s personal books, which have been commemorated with a specially designed bookplate.

·         Layton’s hand-written notations, which have been digitized, will be made available online at a dedicated website.

·         Political memorabilia (including posters, placards, and photographs), which have been catalogued and added to the Ryerson Archives.