The Place Riel Student Centre was constructed in three phases from 1976 to 1980 for a combined cost of $5,794,315. The original concept for the project had been the construction of a large freestanding building which incorporated all of the needs of the Student Centre. This plan was eventually adapted to include the use of space in the Arts Building and the Memorial Union Building (MUB) for student facilities primarily to offset construction costs. The Centre officially opened in September, 1980.

The first phase of the project involved the renovation of the Theatre Wing of the Arts Building. This was completed in 1976 for $178,080 by Smith Bros. and Wilson. It was designed by D. H. Stock and Partners. The second phase of construction involved the building of Place Riel itself. Place Riel was completed in 1979 for $3,916,235. It was designed by the architectural firm of Ferguson Folstad Friggstad and was built by Ellis Don Construction.

The final phase of construction involved the renovation of the MUB, which was again designed by Ferguson Folstad Friggstad. The renovations were completed by Bennett and White Construction in 1980. They included the demolition and removal of portions of the building, structural alterations, interior renovations, improvements to the elevator, and alterations and renovations to the Tunnel. Originally estimated at $902,688, this final phase of the project would eventually cost $1.7 million.

The completed building provided space for the Students’ Union Business Office, Sheaf Offices, commercial space for kiosks, meeting and seminar rooms, several general lounge areas, a theatre in the Arts Building, a discotheque (Louis’ Pub) in the MUB, a music listening room, a television lounge, a grad student lounge and a billiard and arcade room. Space in the building was also leased to campus radio station CJUS-FM, the Alumni Office, Student Counselling Services, a Canada Manpower Centre, the campus bookstore and food and vending services.

While construction on the complex was not begun until well into the 1970's planning for the structure actually began a decade earlier. During the 1964-65 academic year the Students’ Union recognized the need for facilities much more extensive than could be offered in the MUB. While the MUB had only been completed in 1955 an expanding student population had already made it obsolete as a central location for student activities and leisure on campus.

A Commission was established to investigate the matter and in 1964 student questionnaires and several studies were carried out. In a referendum in February, 1966 69.4% of students voted to increase a mandatory building tuition fee to $12. In 1967 the University and the Students’ Union jointly established a Project Building Committee to plan the required facilities. The University recognized its financial commitment to the project in late 1967 and included its anticipated share in the capital program request for 1968/69 and subsequent years. During the 1973-74 academic year the student body voted in favour of another increase in the annual building fee to $20.

From the Greek for ‘five and ten,’ Pente Kai Deka was created on 8 April 1911 with the first 15 women students on campus – five “big sisters” and ten “little sisters.” Every woman entering the University automatically became a member. Eventually the group became its own directorate within the Student Representative Council, and the PKD president, the vice-president of the SRC. Activities of the group included a Big Sister-Little Sister Dance, June in January, Jeanboree, a Spring Tea and a Frosh Week fashion show. As the sexual revolution loomed large in the late 1960s women on campus grew increasingly ambivalent toward the group, which had been seen by many female students as irrelevant and antiquated since midway through the decade. It was this attitude, as well as the sheer increase in the number of women and students in general at the University by the late 1960s that led to the group’s demise after the 1968-1969 academic year.

The "Partners in Growth" Campaign raised over $12 million toward the cost of the Agriculture Building. Donors included faculty, alumni, students, individuals and corporations. The campaign, begun in 1986, was organized by Ketchum Canada Inc. and directed by Scott Smardon.

The building of the Linear Accelerator (Linac) was not a random event but rather the result of a series of developments on campus. The Department of Physics had over the previous decades built a reputation for experimentation and innovation. The post-war period saw the University of Saskatchewan in the forefront of nuclear physics in Canada. In 1948, Canada’s first betatron (and the world’s first used in the treatment of cancer) was installed on campus. It was used for research programs in nuclear physics, radiation chemistry, cancer therapy and radiation biology. Next the world’s first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit for the treatment of cancer was officially opened in 1951. With this unit research was undertaken in the areas of radiological physics, radiation chemistry and the effects of high energy radiation on plants and animals. When the construction of the Linear Accelerator was announced in the fall of 1961, it was portrayed as the next logical step on the University’s research path. Varian Associates, Palo Alto, California, designed and built the accelerator with Poole Construction of Saskatoon employed as the general contractor. The 80 foot electron accelerator tube was to create energy six times that of the betatron. The cost of the $1,750,000 facility was split between the National Research Council and the University of Saskatchewan with the NRC meeting the cost of the equipment and the University assuming the costs of the building. The official opening in early November of 1964 was more than just a few speeches and the cutting of a ribbon. It was a physics-fest, with 75 visiting scientist from around the world in attendance presenting papers and giving lectures over the period of several days. Three eminent physicists were granted honorary degrees at the fall convocation and hundreds of people showed up for the public open house. For three decades the Linac has served the campus research community and will continue to do so as it has become incorporated into the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.

The Native Law Centre was established in 1975 to support undergraduate and graduate study, teaching and research in areas of law directly or indirectly involving native persons. The Centre offers library services, a seminar series and acts as a community resource centre. Through publications such as the "Canadian Native Law Reporter" and the "Legal Information Service", it has become Canada's largest publisher in the native law field. The Program of Legal Studies for Native Peoples, an eight-week summer orientation course in legal studies for native people, is also administered by the Centre. The following have served as Director of the Centre: R.C. Carter (1975-1981); D.J. Purich (1981-1994); J.Y. Henderson (1994- ).

Ellis Hall was designed and built as part of the University’s Medical Complex that included the Medical College Building and the University Hospital. As with the other two buildings, it was clad in locally quarried greystone. Opened in January of 1956, the Hall was designed by Webster & Gilbert to meet the needs of the 275 students in the School of Nursing who would study on campus, work in the hospital and live in residence. With the opening of the University Hospital in 1954, a basic 3-year diploma program was established aimed at producing bedside nurses. Board and room, laundry and uniforms were provided without charge. In addition an allowance of six, eight and ten dollars per month for first, second and third years respectively was granted. The Hall was named after Kathleen Ellis, who served from 1938 to 1950 as the School of Nursing's first director. It has the distinction of being the only building on campus named in honour of a woman. Today Ellis Hall is linked by a walkway to the 1979 Hospital Addition and is still home to the College of Nursing.

The University of Saskatchewan's Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies joined in 1965 with university scientists and researchers to form the Space Engineering Division (later known as SED Systems Incorporated). SED supplies both systems and services to the satellite industry. SED is located in the Innovation Place Research Park on the U of S campus.

The Division of Audio Visual Services came into existence in 1966 following a Council resolution of April 1965. The objective was to develop a centralized audio visual service to support teaching, research and extension. With the growing use of audio visual technology in education the Division has expanded both in size and the diversity of services offered. The Division provided a film and videotape library, equipment services, photographic services, multi-media and sound recording, and a wide array of television services. Starting in the 1980s, the Division was been heavily involved in the use of satellite communication for distance education. The Division was subsequently renamed the Division of Media and Technology, and later Educational Media Access and Production, reflecting an expanding role with new technologies. Following a reorganization ca. 2015, Media Production became part of the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning portfolio, with some other functions assumed by Information Communications and Technology. The following have served as director of the Division (revised 1994): P.R. Greenough (1967-1972); G.A. Farkas - acting - (1972-1974); G.A. Farkas (1974-1985); D. Fortosky (1985- ).

The original Victoria School, now known as the Little Stone Schoolhouse (LSS), was built in 1887 by Alexander Marr, known for owning the Marr residence, currently the oldest residential building in Saskatoon. The LSS building was not only Saskatoon’s first school and library, it was also its first public building. In the evenings, various community events were held here, such as dances, meetings and various religious events. The one-room school house was used until a two room school house was constructed in 1905, followed by an even larger Victoria School in 1909, officially assuming the role of the original Victoria School. In 1911 the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire raised funds to preserve and relocate the building to the University of Saskatchewan campus. The school was carefully dismantled and moved. Almost 50 years later, in 1967, the Saskatoon Council of Women raised money to renovate the building and officially opened the LSS as a museum. Later that year the LSS was declared a Municipal Heritage Site and eventually Provincial Heritage Property in 1982. The Little Stone Schoolhouse continues to play an important role in the Saskatoon community and on the University of Saskatchewan campus. The U of S took over the operation of the building in 1981 and the Diefenbaker Canada Centre has ensured the continued appreciation of this historical landmark. The main Little Stone Schoolhouse program focuses on a historical introduction and the docent roleplaying as a school teacher.

St. Chad College was established in Regina in 1907 for the training of divinity students. It amalgamated with Emmanuel College and moved to the Saskatoon campus in 1964. The Chapel of St. Chad was designed by Webster, Forrester and Scott of Saskatoon and constructed in 1965 and 1966. Located between Emmanuel College and Rugby Chapel near the Wiggins Street entrance, the stone clad structure’s dominant feature is its souring roof line.

Emmanuel College has a unique history and relationship with the University of Saskatchewan and pre-dates the Saskatoon institution by some thirty years. The College was founded at Prince Albert in 1879 by Rt. Rev. John McLean as a “training College for Native Helpers.” In 1883 by an Act of Parliament, Emmanuel College was incorporated as "The University of Saskatchewan.” When the provincial university was established in Saskatoon in 1909, the Synod decided to relinquish its title and opt for affiliation to the new university.

Emmanuel sold its old site to the federal government, to be used for a penitentiary, and shipped all its belongs to Saskatoon in four box cars. On unbroken prairie on the east side of the river, professors, students and carpenters began to construct a series of wooden buildings. This “College of Shacks” was moved between 1910 and 1912 to the campus. In 1913 Rugby Chapel, so named because it had been funded by the staff and students of Rugby School, England was moved to the campus from Prince Albert.

A stone clad, permanent college building was constructed between 1911 and 1912. Designed by Brown and Vallance, the building contained residential space for students and the college Principal, classrooms and a refectory in the basement. In 1916 the College was used as a military hospital for returned soldiers and in 1918, as a hospital during the outbreak of influenza. In 1962 McLean Hall was built as an addition to Emmanuel College but a proposed walkway connecting the two was never completed.

Rugby Chapel was reopened in 1922 after a period of disuse during WWI. A pipeless furnace was later installed to replace 3 heating stoves, the ceiling was raised, the walls decorated and finally, a pipe organ installed in the summer of 1923. In 1926 a stained-glass window, “For the sake of the Name they went forth,” was installed to commemorate the Emmanuel students who died in WWI.

In 1964 St. Chad’s College of Regina joined Emmanuel.

A School of Accounting was established in 1915 as part of the College of Arts and Science, with G.H. Ling, Professor of Mathematics and Dean of Arts and Science, as Head. Initially, only night classes were offered; in 1920, a complete 4-year course became available. The School was closely associated with the Institute of Chartered Accountants; a University Board of Examiners, chaired by Dean Ling, supervised the preparation and marking of examinations for the Institute. In 1936, the School was granted College status and formally separated from the College of Arts and Science. The College was renamed the College of Commerce in 1943 to reflect the expanded curriculum being offered to its students. The following individuals have served as Dean: G.H. Ling [School of Accounting] (1917-1936); J.A. Neilson [College of Accounting] (1936-1940); J.H. Thompson [College of Accounting] (1941-1943); J.H. Thompson (1943-1952); T.H. McLeod (1952-1961); Georgina Goodspeed [Acting] (1961-1962); T.H. McLeod (1962-1964); Georgina Goodspeed [Acting] (1964-1965); Lloyd Barber (1965-1969); Samuel Laimon (1969-1976); P.M. Maher (1976-1982); W.J. Brennan (1982-).

Rugby Chapel is situated on a parcel of land on the University of Saskatchewan campus adjoining College Drive. It features a wood frame, single story chapel constructed in 1911 on the site of the "College of Shacks". Heritage value of Rugby Chapel resides in its association with the history of Anglican education in Saskatchewan, and of the University of Saskatchewan. Constructed after the move of the Anglican Emmanuel College from Prince Albert to Saskatoon in 1908, Rugby Chapel is the first Anglican permanent place of worship built on the campus of the nascent University of Saskatchewan. Built with funds raised by students in Rugby, England, the chapel has served the needs of the Anglican community on campus for 54 years, gradually becoming a repository for religious artifacts associated with the Anglican tradition in Canada. Heritage value also lies in the chapel’s architecture and its historical integrity. Built in the Gothic Revival architectural style, it resembles the design of many English stone-built churches featuring a Norman tower with parapet, tracery and stained glass windows and exposed rafters. It is one of the few remaining Anglican places of worship in Saskatoon that is constructed of wood and one of the few wooden buildings remaining on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan. Its interior and exterior have remained virtually unchanged since its construction (2022).

"The building is the first one, and for many years will occupy the place of honor, and even in later years, when the principal buildings have been built, its position is such that it deserves thorough study to develop the architectural possibilities." - David Brown to Walter Murray, 5 November 1909.

Designated as a provincial heritage property in 1982 and as a National Historic Site in 2001, the University's first building has long served as the architectural, intellectual and emotional cornerstone of the campus.

Designed by Brown and Vallance, the College Building was originally intended ultimately to house the College of Agriculture; but from the start, served numerous purposes. As early as April 1910, the floor plan included space for milk testing, butter making, cheese making, grain work; a gymnasium; several classrooms; offices for the Registrar, Dean of Agriculture, Director of Extension, and President; the original "faculty club"; laboratories; the library; and quarters for the janitor. After a sod-turning ceremony on 4 May 1910, the cornerstone was laid by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier on 29 July 1910. It was constructed between 1910-12 by Smith Bros. and Wilson general contractors. Completed in 1912, the building was officially opened by Walter Scott, Premier of Saskatchewan on 1 May 1913.

The College Building serves as a memorial to much of the University's history: numerous plaques to individuals and organizations can be found in its interior, including memorial ribbons honouring members of the university community who served in the First World War. In 1997, the University created "Nobel Plaza" in front of the College Building, honouring two Nobel Laureates associated with the University: Gerhard Herzberg and Henry Taube.

As the University grew, the College Building gradually became the administrative centre for the University. By the 1950s, most of the original teaching facilities were taken over by new or expanded offices including those of the registrar, controller, alumni and news services, and presidential staff. The building became known as the Administration Building at this point, and later the "old Administration Building" to distinguish it from the new wing.

This expansion continued through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with the appointment of a university secretary and vice-presidents. While Convocation Hall became too small for regular Convocation ceremonies by 1930, it maintained its original, broader function as a venue for concerts, meetings, lectures, and other events.

Parts of the building were declared to be unsafe in 1979, which led to the construction of the new wing of the Administration Building, opened in 1987. Most of the original building was closed, but Convocation Hall remained in use until 1997.

The building was reopened and officially rededicated as the College Building in September 2005 after a major rehabilitation project. The rehabilitation was reported to be "one of the largest heritage conservation projects in Canada - second only to the work being done on Parliament Hill." In addition to senior administrative offices and Convocation Hall, the College Building became home to the Museum of Antiquities and new gallery space for the University Art Collection.