Tim Lougheed
Most people in Ottawa appreciate the significance of the information technology industry, but they might still be surprised to learn just how profoundly this field shapes the University’s Faculty of Engineering.
“We have 45 to 50 per cent of the faculty devoted to this area, where in other Canadian universities it might be more like 30 per cent,” says Dean Claude Laguë. “We have a major bias toward information technology, which creates challenges and opportunities at the same time.”
This unique character formed in 1997 when the Department of Computer Science merged with the Department of Electrical Engineering, ultimately forming the School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE).
The high tech boom of the 1990s fostered a dynamic market for graduates and collaborative research with SITE, but the industry’s downturn after 2000 led to a drop in the number of students applying to study computer science and IT-related engineering disciplines.
Laguë’s top priority is restoring student enrolment in these programs, preparing for the industry’s rebound.
“The people they’re going to need five years down the road have to start here now, to be ready when that day comes,” he says.
At the same time, undergraduate and graduate enrolment in all Canadian engineering programs has levelled off in recent years, with the number of female students remaining stubbornly low. The University is therefore competing within this limited population of good students, making it essential for the Faculty of Engineering to distinguish itself.
Laguë immediately saw this need when he took over as dean last August. He set about framing an action plan, using Vision 2010 as a reference.
“It was definitely useful, because it tells you where the University as an organization wants to go,” he says. “There are a number of the goals that really resonate with our faculty.”
Vision 2010 emphasizes research-driven programs, one of the Faculty of Engineering’s key strengths.
“We’re definitively above average in terms of graduate education intensiveness, and we’d like to maintain that status,” he says.
For just that reason, faculty members are busy visiting high schools to entice candidates for the next generation of undergraduates, especially in places such as northeastern Ontario, where the University’s bilingual programs may be especially appealing. And to help those candidates to succeed, the faculty offers a summer school for students who have been accepted into first year, ensuring that they will be prepped and enthusiastic once the academic year begins.
Above all, Laguë encourages the promotion of exciting extracurricular events such as competitions to design robots or concrete canoes. “Prospective students need to know that when they come here they will study hard,” he says, “but at the same time they can engage in these kinds of activities, which look great on a CV and can make a big difference with employers.”
