In September of 1967, Nipissing University College opened its doors on the site of the old Cassellholme Home for the Aged. The opening was a result of a decades-long campaign to bring university education to North Bay. In preparation for the opening, the old nursing home building was renovated to provide classrooms, faculty offices, and other academic spaces.

In its first year of operation, Nipissing College had 49 full-time students and seven full-time faculty members offering courses in Biology, Philosophy, History, Geography, Sociology, English, and French. Over the next five years, the college expanded rapidly, thanks in large part to local elementary and secondary school teachers who wanted to enhance their educational qualifications. This increased demand enabled the college to add full-time faculty in Psychology, Classics, Mathematics, and Economics.

In 1973, all four colleges in North Bay moved to a new building at the College Education Centre campus on the escarpment. At that time the Teachers’ College joined Nipissing to become the Faculty of Education, while St. Joseph’s School of Nursing merged with Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology.

On December 10, 1992, Nipissing University College received its charter – the Nipissing University Act – from the Province of Ontario, thereby allowing the new university to grant degrees independently. From its modest beginnings at the Cassellholme site, Nipissing University has evolved into an institution providing post-secondary education to students from across Northeastern Ontario and beyond.