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Carleton University

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This article is about the university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For the college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA, see Carleton College.
Carleton University
Image:CarletonUniversityC.jpeg
Motto Ours the Task Eternal
Established 1942
Type Public
Endowment $241 Million[1]
Chancellor Marc Garneau
President Dr. Samy Mahmoud (acting)
Staff 2000
Undergraduates 20,582
Postgraduates 3,001
Location Ottawa, ON, Canada
Campus Urban, 62 ha (153 acres)
Mascot Raven
Website carleton.ca

Carleton University is a co-educational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1942 as Carleton College. Its first degrees, in journalism and public administration, were awarded in 1946. Carleton is primarily known for its professional programs (architecture & engineering), as well as international affairs. Carleton's first classes were held in a variety of rented spaces. In 1946 it moved into the former Ottawa Ladies College at 268 First Avenue in The Glebe. Property for the current site was acquired in 1952-1953. Carleton now offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, and enrolls both full- and part-time students.

The University was named after Carleton County, Ontario, which included the city of Ottawa and was later merged with the city as it grew. Carleton County was named after Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, an early Governor General of British North America.

Past chancellors include two Nobel laureates, Gerhard Herzberg, and former Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson. Marc Garneau is the current chancellor of the university. David Atkinson succeeded Richard Van Loon as president of Carleton on August 1, 2005. David Atkinson resigned shortly after on November 20, 2006, following a new labour agreement with the faculty union, CUASA. The acting president is now Samy Mahmoud, the previous vice president (academic)[2].

Contents

[edit] Academics

Carleton offers degree programs in a variety of fields. The university is comprised of six teaching faculties: Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and Design, Public Affairs, Science, Graduate Studies and Research, and the Sprott School of Business.

Carleton University campus, as seen over the Rideau River

The University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs is the only Canadian university to offer a master's degree in international affairs. Carleton's Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs is the only institution in Canada to offer a Bachelor's degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management (Honours).

Carleton University offers a number of courses that are unique or rare in Canada. It was among the first to offer a Bachelor of International Business. This program includes a mandatory language component and third year abroad. Carleton is one of only two universities to offer Aerospace Engineering in Canada. Carleton University is currently offering the first dedicated, fully structured Ph.D. program in Cognitive Science in Canada. Carleton's Industrial Design program is the oldest in Canada.

Carleton's College of the Humanities is the only four year interdisciplinary great Western books program in Canada. King's College at Dalhousie University has a similar Foundation Year program in the great Western books, but does not lead to a degree in itself.

[edit] Schools

Carleton is divided into 5 faculties, as well as one faculty for graduate students. of these faculties are subdivided into schools (such as the examples given below).

[edit] Reputation

Carleton has been included in a number of Canadian and international college and university rankings. Such studies must necessarily make subjective judgements as to criteria and methodology. As such they should be read with a certain level of statistical literacy:

  • Carleton is included in the Academic Ranking of World Universities published by The Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University [3]
  • Carleton University's department of physics is also ranked 1st in Canada in citations per paper (highest impact) from 2000-2004 by Science Watch newsletter, published by Thomson Scientific, which uses university science indicators to examine the research of 46 Canadian universities in 21 different scientific fields.
  • The Gourman Report, compiled by Dr. Jack Gourman of the Princeton Review, ranks Carleton University 7th out of 60 universities in Canada.
  • The Political Science faculty at Carleton University is ranked 1st amongst Canadian comprehensive universities based on total publications and citations by Research Infosource Inc. [4]

Carleton has always been fairly well-known in Canada for its Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management programs, and has recently garnered a positive reputation for its generous awards and entrance scholarships (ranking #1 in several editions of Macleans' university rankings report for student awards), as well as for newer programs such as the aerospace engineering program, the Bachelor of Industrial Design, and the Bachelor of International Business. Carleton University has been garnering increasing attention for the quality of its language courses, as of late.

Carleton University has It has also turned around its financial situation, resulting in many improvments on campus. These include the CAN$30-million construction of the new athletics facilities and the $21-million Human Computer Interaction and Centre for Advanced Studies in Visualization and Simulation buildings. More well-known is the $17-million upgrades to the Unicentre.

In the summer of 2006, Carleton announced that it was pulling out of the Maclean's University rankings, following the steps of more than a dozen other Canadian universities. Carleton President Dr. David Atkinson stated that Carleton and the other universities have long had concerns about the accuracy of the rankings. Atkinson also stated that before Carleton rejoins the survey, the magazine must meet with the universities involved in order for an agreement to be reached.

Carleton university has also been labelled "Last Chance U" after a poor showing in a MacLean's university ranking supplement in the early 1990s. The name was revived in 2006 when the Ottawa Citizen published an article about the latest MacLean's rankingthat again referred to Carleton as "Last Chance U" given its last place finish in the comprehensive category. Dr. Atkinson, the Carleton President at the time defended Carleton and its unwillingness to participate in the Maclean's annual university review.

Carleton has been subject to labour strife over the last period of years. A majority of the negotiations between management and the unions have gone until and past the final strike deadline, resulting in uncertainty among students.

[edit] Student life

The school mascot is the Raven and the student newspaper is The Charlatan which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2005.

The school also publishes a newspaper for residence students, The Resin. During the school year the School of Journalism publishes a community newspaper, Centretown News, and an online newspaper, Capital News Online, as well as producing 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 English department, as well as The Iron Times, published by the Carleton Student Engineering Society.

Carleton is home to a community radio station, CKCU-FM. While Carleton does not have a theatre department, its Sock 'n' Buskin Theatre Company [5] claims to be the oldest student-run theatre group in North America being founded in 1943.

Carleton has a large residence community, the majority being first year students. They are represented by Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA, usually pronounced 'raw').

[edit] Athletics

Carleton Ravens Logo

The university is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the Carleton Ravens. The men's basketball team has won the CIS championships for four consecutive years. Carleton is second only to the University of Victoria with the most wins. The Vikes have seven consecutive wins in the 1980's.

The Carleton University Physical Recreation Centre (PRC) - the largest facility of its kind in Canada - is a multi-use complex that offers a wide variety of training programs and services to accommodate every athlete - from beginner to professional.

Practioners of yoga, pilates and contact dance regularly instruct others in their respective arts at the PRC. Although powerlifting is strictly prohibited in the facility, PRC volunteers regularly assist and spot those wishing to lift heavy.

In addition, the PRC offers a private combat facility for students, alumni and non-students alike.

[edit] Rivalry with the University of Ottawa

Image:Dunton Tower.jpg

Since Carleton's inception the student body has encouraged a crosstown rivalry with the University of Ottawa. The rivalry has gained ground recently as the Carleton Ravens basketball team was defeated for only the second time in three years during league play by the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on Jan. 17, 2006. The University of Ottawa Student Newspaper (The Fulcrum) carried a celebratory frontpage headline; "Swish Mothafuckas!". In response, Carleton's student paper The Charlatan published the unofficial "Fuck You, Ottawa U" chant on its back page [6]. The Charlatan also published the headline "Last Laugh Muthafuckahs" after University of Ottawa was eliminated from the playoffs, while Carleton continued.

When Carleton University had a football team, the annual Ravens-Gee Gees match was held in Frank Clair Stadium. This was known as the "Panda Game."

[edit] Canadian Forces

Each summer, the Canadian Forces use Carleton residence facilities - notably Russell and Grenville residences and the Residence Commons cafeteria - to house and feed the Ceremonial Guard. The Guard performs daily parades on Parliament Hill, and mounts sentries at Rideau Hall. This agreement is beneficial both to the university and the military, as it allows the military to use cost-effective facilities, while Carleton stands to make money during the otherwise slow summer time by way of this agreement.

The guard can be seen practicing marching and drilling at Carleton between June and August of each year, and it is not unusual to see formations of troops carrying rifles and in full ceremonial uniform marching to parking lots six and seven to prepare for their daily parade.

[edit] Carleton Underground

[edit] Oliver's

Oliver's, or "Ollie's" (named after former President Michael Oliver) is the more well known of the campus pubs. With a generally more party atmosphere than Mike's Place, Oliver's is the venue for many high profile entertainment events throughout the year, and hosts regular weekday and weekend night events. All Ages events are common, with separate 19+ areas set up for alcohol consumption. Oliver's also has a selection of generally North American foods available, including burgers, fries, chicken fingers, and similar fare.

Oliver's begins serving alcohol at 11AM, and it's quite common to see students singly or in small groups studying while having a pint or a meal between classes. During the day Oliver's is generally pretty relaxed and quiet, with only background music, and it's a favoured place of study for those capable of tuning out distractions.

Oliver's was also the centre of student protests over the reduction of student space on campus. On April 21, 2005 protesters occupied Oliver's patio to prevent it from being torn apart to make way for a new university bookstore. The Student Asociation came to an agreement with the university and the protest ended. The agreement is coloquially known as the "Oliver's clause".[7]

Oliver's underwent an extensive renovation in the summer of 2006 and was reopened with a new industrial look the first week of October. The bar now features two plasma screen televisions, one big screen television and others throughout the venue. The bar also has a brand new patio.

[edit] Mike's Place

Long considered the exclusive domain of graduate students, Mike's Place (named after former Prime Minister and former Carleton U Chancellor Lester (Mike) Pearson) has quickly evolved into the on-campus home of aspiring hip-hop and electronic music DJs in the Ottawa area. The pub continues to host spoken-word poetry events and encourages open political discussion and debate. Fitting the name of the location, the Young Liberals at Carleton often congregate here.

Mike's serves various ethnic cuisines, and is a popular alternative to the more traditional North American fare served at Oliver's.

[edit] Rooster's Coffeehouse

Located on the fourth floor of the University Centre is Rooster's Coffeehouse which is run by students. It boasts the best coffee prices and pitas on campus, and a variety of coffee and teas. It has a seating area and a large, wide-screen television.

[edit] Leonardo's Lounge

Leonardo's Lounge (named after Leonardo Da Vinci and known to most simply as "Leo's") is the social and cultural hub of the Carleton Engineering community. Located in room 3342 of the Mackenzie Engineering building, Leo's is operated as a service of the Carleton Student Engineering Society. Leo's is operated exlusively by volunteers and is the cheapest place to get a coffee or snack on campus. Common sights at Leo's include heated games of euchre, Axis and Allies and Settlers of Catan, as well as napping students.

[edit] Tunnel System

The entire institution is connected by an elaborate series of underground tunnels covered in artwork and representative of the many groups on campus - both official and unofficial. Students are encouraged to create their own works of art, within reason. It is tradition for each floor in residence to paint a mural in the tunnels every year.

[edit] The Garden Spot

The Garden Spot is a not-for-profit pay-what-you-can volunteer vegan soup kitchen designed to serve healthy, affordable meals to all members of the Carleton University community. It believes in the importance of revealing how food affects the environment and to challenge the social inequalities that create barriers to proper nourishment. It is a student run organisation that is creating an alternative to the corporate dominated agricultural industry and the monopolistic food services at Carleton University.

The Garden Spot was based on an organization hailing from Concordia University with the name of the Peoples Potato. It has inspired one other student run organisation at The University of Ottawa using the name of the People Republic of Delicious or PRD.

[edit] Traditions

Prospective Carleton students may hear about some of these traditions while on a campus tour.

[edit] Climbing to the top of Dunton Tower

One of the campus traditions is to climb all 22 flights of stairs in the tallest building on campus.

[edit] The Alumni Park fountain

Students often jump in the Alumni Park fountain in front of the administrative building, Robertson Hall, during convocation, although they are generally warned that the water is dyed blue. The fountain is turned on in the summer.

[edit] Lineage & Establishment

Kofi Annan receiving honorary degrees from Carleton University and the University of Ottawa

[edit] Chancellors

[edit] Presidents

[edit] Notable alumni and faculty

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

Neatby, H. Blair, McEown,Don (2002). Creating Carleton: the shaping of a university. Montreal: Published for Carleton University by McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-2486-X.

[edit] External links

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