The Faculty was founded on January 1, 1967, a successor to the University of Waterloo's Department of Mathematics, which had grown to be the largest department in the Faculty of Arts under the chairmanship of Ralph Stanton (and included such influential professors as W. T. Tutte). Initially located in the Physics building, the Faculty was moved in May 1968 into the newly constructed Mathematics and Computing (MC) Building. Inspired by Stanton's famously gaudy ties, the students draped a large pink tie over the MC Building on the occasion of its opening, which later became a symbol of the Faculty.