Carleton University

History

I learned very early the life lesson that it is people, not buildings, that make up an institution. And if we put our hearts to it we can do something worthwhile. – Henry Marshall Tory

Carleton College, a non-denominational institution, was founded in 1942 at the height of the Second World War by the Ottawa Association for the Advancement of Learning.

It began in a rented building and only offered night courses in public administration and introductory university subjects. When the war ended in 1945, the college began expanding to meet the needs of veterans coming home. The Faculty of Arts and Science was established, which included courses in journalism and first-year engineering.

In 1946, the college moved to First Avenue in The Glebe neighbourhood, the former location of the Ottawa Ladies' College. Its first degrees were conferred in 1946 to graduates of its programs in Journalism and Public Administration.

For nearly a decade the college operated on a shoestring budget, with funds raised mainly through community initiatives and modest student fees. During the war, student fees were kept low and Carleton gave special grants to veterans returning home who wished to continue their studies. The faculty was composed largely of part-time professors who worked full-time in the Public Service; some of whom were convinced to leave for full-time tenure positions. However, full-time teaching staff were still mostly young scholars at the beginning of their careers.

In 1952 the Carleton College Act was passed by the Ontario Legislature, changing its corporate name to Carleton College and conferring the power to grant degrees. Carleton thus became the province's first private, non-sectarian college. In the same year, the 62-hectare property nestled between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River on which the current campus is located was acquired. Some of the land was donated by a prominent Ottawa businessman Harry Stevenson Southam. Construction began on the new campus in 1953.

In 1957 the Carleton University Act, 1952 was amended, granting Carleton status as a public university and thus changing its name to Carleton University. Carleton's motto, "Ours the Task Eternal," is taken from Walt Whitman's poem, Pioneers! O Pioneers!.

The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a senate (faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (citizens) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority over all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the two bodies and to perform institutional leadership.

In 1959 construction was completed on the new Rideau River campus, and Carleton moved to its current location. The original buildings included three that still stand today, the Maxwell MacOdrum Library, Norman Paterson Hall and the Henry Marshall Tory Building. Following this, Carleton rapidly expanded to meet the need for tertiary education in Canada.

The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society.

In 1967, a Catholic institution, Saint Patrick's College, was incorporated into Carleton. Founded in 1942, it had been granting its diplomas via the University of Ottawa. Both University of Ottawa and Saint Patrick's had been inaugurated by the Catholic order Oblates of Immaculate Mary (OMI). The college was housed in a building on Echo Drive, near the Pretoria Bridge. Around 1973, a new building was erected on the Carleton campus proper. The college was dissolved as a separate entity after the 1979 academic year. Its final dean was Gerald Clarke who had been a professor from 1954. It had been known for its school of social work. Carleton's School of Social Work continues to offer undergraduate and graduate programs.

Improvements in Carleton's financial situation have resulted in many enhancements to the campus. These include, inter alia, the $30-million construction of new athletics facilities, the $22-million, 9,011 m² (97,000 ft²) Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Institute Facility and Centre for Advanced Studies in Visualization and Simulation (V-SIM), and the $17-million upgrade and expansion to the University Centre. In 2008, a green globe designed residence was added named Frontenac House.

Norman Paterson School of International Affairs

The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA, nip-see-yuh) is a professional school of international affairs at Carleton University that was founded in 1965. The school is housed in the River Building. Students, alumni and faculty of NPSIA are referred to as NPSIAns (nip-see-yins). NPSIA is Canada's leading school of international affairs, founded during what is commonly considered a golden age of Canadian diplomacy. The school offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of global issues, divided into seven clusters. NPSIA is the only full Canadian member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs, a group of the world's top schools in international affairs. NPSIA is well regarded within the international affairs community, and admission to the school is highly selective. In 2007, a poll of Canadian academics, intended to determine the best professional masters programs in international affairs, ranked NPSIA at No. 2, tied with Georgetown University, and ahead of programs at universities like Harvard and Columbia.

In 2007, a poll of Canadian academics intended to determine the best professional masters programs in international affairs ranked NPSIA at No. 2, tied with Georgetown University. Two years later, Canadian academics ranked NPSIA the fifth best school in the world from which to obtain a terminal master's degree, ahead of schools like Princeton University and Yale University. In the same study, factoring in votes from surveyed academics from around the world, the school ranked 14th in the world, the only Canadian school to rank.

Public Affairs

Many of Carleton's flagship offerings are housed in the Faculty of Public Affairs (FPA). This includes the School of Journalism and Communication, which offers the university's Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Journalism programs and has educated many leading personalities in the field, and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA), which houses Canada's oldest foreign affairs graduate program. NPSIA, founded in 1965, is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). The School of Public Policy and Administration is the oldest such academic division in Canada and one of the most respected, with the university's first graduate degree in the discipline being granted in 1946. Carleton's Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs offers the unique honours Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management (B.P.A.P.M) and is home to the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management.

In September 2006, Carleton was designated a European Union Centre of Excellence by the European Commission in Brussels, and was the first university to offer a BA (Honours) in European and Russian Studies and MA in European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. Its Department of Law & Legal Studies offers a BA (Honours) in Law and MA and PhD programs in Legal Studies, and is Canada's oldest legal department to take an epistemic, rather than professional approach. The Department of Political Science, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, was ranked 1st in 2006 amongst Canadian comprehensive universities based on total publications and citations by Research Infosource Inc. The faculty also features the Institute of Political Economy, the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice and African Studies, and is home to the School of Social Work and Department of Economics.

Arts and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) offers a variety of programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Bachelor of Arts (Combined Honours), and Bachelor of Music degrees. It also notably houses the College of the Humanities, one of Canada's few Great Books programs, which leads to a B.Hum (Bachelor of Humanities) degree, and Carleton's Institute of Cognitive Science, which offers the only fully structured PhD program in Cognitive Science in the country, as well as undergraduate and masters programs. There is also a collaborative MA in Digital humanities, one of the first in Canada. The Public History Program is known nationally for its innovative teaching and research, having recently won national prizes. FASS offers, in total, 14 master's and nine doctoral programs.

Science

The Faculty of Science offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Computer Science, Bachelor of Mathematics, Master of Science, Master of Computer Science, and PhD.

Business

The Sprott School of Business was the first in Canada to offer a Bachelor of International Business (BIB). Its principal undergraduate offering, however, is the four-year Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree, and at the postgraduate level, MBA and PhD programs are offered. The Sprott School has won the Overall Institution Performance Award, for its research contribution, at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC), in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012 among business schools at Canadian comprehensive universities.

Engineering and Design

Carleton's Faculty of Engineering and Design houses one of the country's first Industrial Design programs, Carleton's collaborative Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) program with Algonquin College, the university's Architecture program, and programs in a variety engineering disciplines leading to the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree, including Canada's oldest in Aerospace Engineering.

Admissions

Undergraduate admission requirements vary by academic program, with some specialized and limited enrolment offerings (e.g., Bachelor of Journalism, B.Hum., B.P.A.P.M. and Aerospace Engineering) requiring admissions averages markedly higher (i.e., in the A-/A range) than their faculty norms (generally in the B range). Many undergraduates find it difficult to retain their entrance scholarship, adding to their financial burden. Only 18 percent of Carleton undergraduates retain their scholarship.

At the postgraduate level, admissions requirements also vary depending on the program, and the university provides significant funding to support students as they complete their programs of study and research, totalling $43 million in 2011.

Rankings

Carleton has been included in Canadian and international college and university rankings. In 2013–2014, Carleton was ranked 276–300 in the Times Higher Education Supplement rankings, and 401–500th in the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In 2015, Maclean's magazine ranked Carleton as the 4th best comprehensive university in Canada.

Campus

The Carleton campus became the subject of an art exhibit conceived by local artist Adrian Gröllner. The MODERN U project sought to highlight the late modernist architecture exemplified by many of Carleton's early buildings.

An extensive system of underground tunnels links the buildings of the campus, such that members of the university need not walk outside when travelling across campus.

The university is served by the OC Transpo, which operates the O-Train — linking the university to Mechanicsville in the north and to South Keys in the south, and by bus routes 4, 104, 7 and 111.

Student accommodation

Carleton has eleven student residences. Each is either a traditional dorm or a suite-style residence. Traditional-style residences include Dundas House, Glengarry House, Grenville House, Lanark House, Lennox and Addington House, Renfrew House, Russell House and Stormont House. Suite-style residences include Leeds House, Frontenac House, and Prescott House. The houses – all named after counties in Eastern Ontario – are inter-connected and linked to the rest of the university by Carleton's tunnel system. The university's residence facilities house more than 3,000 students during the academic year, and serve both undergraduates and postgraduates.

Building projects

In the 2010–2011 school year three more buildings were built and an addition to an existing building began. River Building, Canal Building, and Lennox-Addington Residence were newly constructed. Canal Building will both house classes and serve as an extension to the Engineering faculties; River Building will house the School of Journalism and Communication, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and the School of Public Policy and Administration. An extension was added to the Residence Commons building. The extension of the Library was completed in December 2013.

Canadian Forces

Each summer the Canadian Forces use Carleton residence facilities—notably Glengarry House and the Residence Commons dining hall—to house and feed the Ceremonial Guard. The Guard performs daily parades on Parliament Hill, and mounts sentries at Rideau Hall and at the War Memorial. The Guard marches and drills at Carleton between June and August, and it is possible to watch formations carrying rifles in full ceremonial uniform marching to parking lots 6 and 7 to prepare for their daily parade. $6 million is paid to Carleton for the rental of these spaces.

Department of University Safety

The Department of University Safety (DUS) addresses the needs of the community for personal safety, protection of property and parking needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes referred to as "Campus Police" or, more commonly, "Campus Safety", the department is composed of:

The Auxiliary CSO program is used as a stepping stone for security guards to become Special Constables and essentially have the same duties but cannot do the duties of a sworn Special Constable. The Student Safety Patroller (SSP) program hires students to perform security duties and are primarily tasked with overnight residence patrols, responding to calls, and parking enforcement duties. The Special Constables and Auxiliary CSOs are primarily tasked with responding to emergency calls and conducting less serious criminal investigations. For serious crimes, Ottawa Police Service attends and leads the investigation.

Scholarships & bursaries

Carleton University has joined Project Hero, a scholarship program co-founded by General (Ret'd) Rick Hillier for the families of fallen Canadian Forces members.

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Carleton University scholarships for Aboriginal, First Nations, Métis & Inuit students include the Gordon Robertson National Inuit Scholarship.

Archives and Research Collections, Carleton University MacOdrum Library

Carleton is home to the MacOdrum Library, named after former Carleton President and Vice-Chancellor Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum, whose Archives and Research Collections includes more than three million items. The W. McAllister Johnson collection houses rare books. The Modern Poetry collection includes poetry broadsides. The archival research collections include Heritage Conservation Research Collection. The Carleton University heritage material includes student newspapers, yearbooks, university heritage photograph collection and ephemera. Its collections include the Maps, Data and Government Information Centre (MADGIC), the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Collection, and Special Collections & Archives. Included in the Special Collections & Archives collection are many of the papers, drawings and digital records of renowned Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal, which led to the Douglas Cardinal Archives Project which includes interviews conducted through the Carleton Centre for Public History about his work. Library also includes a "discovery centre" which is a multi-purpose space with resources such as gaming labs.

There are two resource centres at the university: an Audio Visual Resource Centre, and a European and Russian Studies resource centre. Other research facilities include the Herzberg Laboratories, Life Sciences Research Building, H.H.J. Nesbitt Biology Building, National Wildlife Research Centre, and Social Sciences Research Building.

Student unions and services

All undergraduate students are members of the Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA), Canadian Federation of Students Local 1. It was founded in 1942 and has a long history of being a nucleus of political activity. The organization advocates on behalf of undergraduates, organizes and delivers the annual frosh week in conjunction with the university, certifies and financially supports student-run clubs and societies and provides a variety of services to students. Students elect an executive and council members to represent them and their academic units within CUSA on an annual basis. The organization administers a number of student centres designed to cater to the safety and well-being of various members of the student body; these are the Aboriginal Service Centre, BECAMPS (for mature students), the Carleton Disability Awareness Centre, Food Centre, Foot Patrol, Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre, International Students' Centre, Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Hall, and the Womyn's Centre. It also runs a number of businesses: Oliver's, the undergraduate student pub which hosts a range of events throughout the year; Rooster's Coffeehouse, a café that serves a variety of non-alcoholic refreshments and fast foods; Henry's, a convenience store; and Haven Books, a discount textbooks outlet.

Undergraduate students who live in the university's residence facilities are also members of the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA). Founded in 1968 and incorporated in 1976, student members elect executives and floor representatives to the body, which endeavours to represent the interests of Carleton's undergraduate residents. It hosts a variety of events for resident students, including an annual formal, and runs Abstentions, a convenience store located in Residence Commons.

All of the university's graduate students are members of the Carleton University Graduate Students' Association (GSA), Canadian Federation of Students Local 78. Graduate students elect an executive and council members to represent their respective interests within the organization, which in turn advocates on their behalf and provides a variety of services that cater to postgraduates, which include the operation of a 'Grad Lounge' and graduate students' pub called Mike's Place (named after the late Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson), and the provision of access to a variety of office services.

Carleton is also the birthplace of the code for BigBlueButton, an open source project that enables universities and colleges to deliver high-quality learning experiences to remote students.

Arts and media

The student newspaper is The Charlatan, which was founded in 1945. A newspaper for residence students, The Resin, was published until 2014 when the residence association discontinued it. During the school year the School of Journalism publishes a community newspaper, Centretown News, which reports on the Centretown neighbourhood of Ottawa, and an online newspaper, Capital News Online, and produces Midweek, a 90-minute current affairs radio show which is broadcast to the city. There is also the student-run writers' zine, In/Words, which is sponsored by the Department of English Language and Literature, as well as The Iron Times, published by the Carleton Student Engineering Society.

Carleton is home to a community radio station, CKCU-FM. Broadcasting for the first time on 14 November 1975, CKCU-FM was the first licensed community-based campus radio station in Canada.

While Carleton does not have a theatre department, its student-driven Sock 'n' Buskin Theatre Company, which was founded in 1943, is one of the institution's important fixtures.

Athletics

The Ravens men's basketball team has won the national championship twelve times between 2002 and 2016, with five consecutive titles between 2002–03 and 2006–07 and six consecutive titles between 2010-2011 and 2015-2016, surpassing the University of Victoria at the top of the all-time list. The Vikes had seven consecutive wins in the 1980s. With its 12th crown in 2016, the Ravens eclipsed the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team as the college with the most national basketball titles, a feat accomplished in 14 years, compared with UCLA's 11 titles in 32 seasons.

The Ravens football program was abolished on March 3, 1999, due to a lack of success and the ensuing financial burden, then revived for the 2013 season. The idea for revival was first brought forward in 2000 by the Old Crow Society, which represents Carleton Football's alumni, but it was deemed premature at the time. Subsequently, a 2008 survey indicated 86% of students were in favour of resuscitating the university's football program. The team planned to form an independent corporate entity with its own revenue stream—a model that has proven successful at other schools, notably Laval University.

The Carleton Ravens men’s ice hockey team plays within the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports.

Fraternities and sororities

Carleton is home to local and international fraternities and sororities. The Carleton University Greek Council (of which nearly all fraternities and sororities are members) is recognized as a student organization by CUSA.

Notable alumni and faculty

Past faculty include three Nobel laureates; pioneering scientists in physics and chemistry – Gerhard Herzberg and Peter Grünberg and the former Prime Minister of Canada, Lester B. Pearson, as well as six Order of Canada recipients. The Right Honourable Herb Gray, Canada's longest-serving continuous Member of Parliament, former Cabinet minister in the Trudeau, Turner, and Chrétien governments, former Deputy Prime Minister, and acting Leader of the Opposition, was the 10th Chancellor of the University. The current Chancellor is Mr. Charles Chi (BEng '88), a venture capitalist and executive chairman of Lytro. His company has designed a revolutionary new camera that uses light field technology.

Roseann Runte was appointed the university's president on 8 January 2008, succeeding David W. Atkinson and his pro tempore (acting) successor Samy Mahmoud, the previous Vice-President (academic).