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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 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.
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. 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, and the only one at the university level (as of April 2006). 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. 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). 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 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 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. 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 * 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. Athletics
Rivalry with the University of Ottawa
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. Olivers 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, 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".* 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. Oliver's guarentees excitement and large crowds on the famous "Thirsty Thursdays", come early to avoid the line. Also this year Oliver's is promoting Tuesday as another lively night with $10 pitchers before midnight. Mikes 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. Roosters Coffeehouse Located on the fourth floor of the University Centre is Rooster's Coffeehouse which is run by students. It brags 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. Leonardos 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 Litres and napping students. 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. 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 organization 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 organization at The University of Ottawa using the name of the People Republic of Delicious or PRD. Traditions Prospective Carleton students may hear about some of these traditions while on a campus tour. 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. 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. Lineage & Establishment
Chancellors Presidents Notable alumni and faculty See also Further reading | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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