A task force, created in June 2006 to study the presence of French at the University of Ottawa, is looking for input from the public. The task force on programs and services in French, co-chaired by associate vice-president, academic, Sylvie Lauzon and Board of Governor member Pierre de Blois, was created in the context of the strategic plan
Vision 2010. The plan reaffirmed the University of Ottawa’s commitment in playing a leadership role in promoting Canada’s official languages. The task force has been mandated to draft a development plan for programs and services in French for 2007 to 2012.
Over the next few weeks, the university community and the general public are encouraged to provide input on the presence of French at the University. As a starting point, the task force prepared a state of affairs describing current programs and services in French at the University (available at
www.uOttawa.ca/vision2010/consultation, in French only. An English summary will be available shortly). The comprehensive report covers all facets of French at the University: proportion of courses offered in French, students’ first language, Ontario demographics, cost of bilingualism and many other elements.
The task force wants the public’s opinion on the University’s visibility within Francophone groups and leadership role in promoting and developing French culture.
Any interested individual or group is welcome to participate in the consultation by responding to a task force question. Comments and recommendations can be made through the Web site, by email or by regular mail.
The deadline for participating in the consultation process is November 17, 2006. The task force will submit their final report to the Senate in the spring of 2007.
