In May 1964, the
Department of University Affairs Act was passed establishing the
Department of University Affairs. The department was charged with administering the government's support programs for higher education, previously the responsibility of the Department of Education.
Bill Davis, the inaugural minister, was the
Minister of Education at the time and continued to hold the position after the department's establishment. In addition to jurisdiction over
higher education, the department also had financial jurisdiction over the
Royal Ontario Museum, the
Royal Botanical Gardens and the
Art Gallery of Ontario. In October 1971, the department's size was doubled by the addition of the Applied Arts and Technology Branch of the Department of Education. In light of this expansion of functions, the name of the department was changed to the
Department of Colleges and Universities. It was renamed the
Ministry of Colleges and Universities in 1972 as part of a government-wide restructuring. In 1975, various cultural programs and institutions of the ministry were transferred to the newly created
Ministry of Culture and Recreation. In 1985, a separate
Ministry of Skills Development was created. In 1993, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the
Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skills Development were combined to form the
Ministry of Education and Training. In June 1999, the responsibilities for post-secondary education and skills development were again given to a standalone ministry, named the
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Briefly between 2016 and 2018, it was renamed the
Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. In October 2019, training and skills development was moved to the Ministry of Labour and the ministry was renamed the
Ministry of Colleges and Universities. ==Governance==