The Ryerson Rams and their longtime mascot, Eggy, the long-horned male sheep, no longer represent the academic institution now known as TMU (Toronto Metropolitan University.)

Say goodbye to the long-tenured farm furry, and hello to a brand new "bold" falcon.

"The Ryerson Rams are now the TMU Bold. In addition to the new team name, a new mascot has also been chosen, changing from a ram to a falcon," announced the university in a release on Monday.

"This change is part of Toronto Metropolitan University's (TMU) Next Chapter commitments," the news release continues.

"The selection of a new team name and mascot was one of the 22 recommendations put forward in PDF filea report by the Standing Strong Task Force in August 2021, which called for the university to reconsider the mascot 'Eggy', more formally Egerton the Ram, which had been the university mascot since 1961."

thought I’d hop on some more TikTok dance trends- what do y’all think! Should I do more 🤔 #renegade pic.twitter.com/v0RLTDOhvg

— Eggy The Mascot (@eggythemascot) February 9, 2020

The school had initially considered keeping the ram as its mascot when initiating recommendations put forward by the Standing Strong Task Force, but Eggy — named for problematic founder and residential school designer Egerton Ryerson — was axed from an eventual shortlist.

 "The values that we so closely associated with our athletics programs are not the same values evoked by a ram — they are values of our community, our athletes and our supporters," said school administrators in June. "Reconsidering our mascot and team name provides us the opportunity to find a name that better aligns with who we have become and who we wish to be."

Apparently, a falcon aligns much better with the university's new name, values and institutional aspirations, while still supporting its athletic program.

Admins made the choice based on feedback from the TMU community based on the following parameters:

• representative of positive qualities, ideals, or associations that align with TMU;
• broadly relevant across the community, student body, and among generations of alumni;
• representative of the TMU and/or Toronto experience and/or history, either generally or specifically;
• appropriate for all sports teams - regardless of gender or sport
• legally ownable and/or unique in the city/sector 

Introducing:

✨TMU Bold✨

Toronto Metropolitan University’s new team name is accompanied by a new mascot!https://t.co/0hJiElxTZp

— TMU Student Life (@studentlifetmu) August 29, 2022

"It was clear from the feedback that our community wanted the TMU mascot to be an animal with local significance, with a level of sophistication and something that would connect to the team name,” said TMU vice-provost of students, Jen McMillen, on Monday.

"Falcons are as bold as they come. They are fast and fierce, they are good critical thinkers, they are strong. These are all qualities that align with boldness, and represent many qualities of TMU student-athletes."

As for the new athletic name, TMU Bold, the roughly 74-year-old university's president says it was selected based on feedback indicating that community members wanted something "unique and confident."

“Boldness is a core value of our university. It is shared by our students, reflected in our approach to learning and research, and demonstrated on the court, the field, and the rink by our athletes,” said TMU president Mohamed Lachemi in the release announcing the news.

"Every legacy begins with a bold decision to start something meaningful, lasting and memorable. This is a team name that we can cultivate, own, and celebrate."