Bob LeDrew
If you happen to subscribe to Chinese astrology and be part of the University of Ottawa, you could be forgiven for adding an entry for a year like 2003 – the Year of the Brand.
Throughout a year in which the University of Ottawa had over 5,000 media “hits”, the launch of our new brand as “Canada’s university”, and the activities that supported that brand, seemed to turn heads everywhere, from Marketing magazine to The Globe and Mail to La Presse to the national television networks in both languages.
The new brand was launched in March 2003, and media coverage quickly followed, with a major feature in the Ottawa Citizen. As the year progressed, media coverage in local and national outlets continued to accumulate that mentioned – and sometimes endorsed the validity of – our brand. Among the events that were closely associated with “Canada’s university” were the Distinguished Canadian Leadership Awards, and the endowment of the Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management.
Perhaps the most public mention of our new brand came in November during the tribute to outgoing Prime Minister Jean Chrétien broadcast live on Radio-Canada, RDI, CTV, CBC and Newsworld, as well as CBC Radio. Co-host Charmaine introduced Gilles Patry as “the Rector of the University of Ottawa – Canada’s university…” Rector Patry then announced the establishment of the Jean Chrétien Scholarships at the University of Ottawa..
But while much attention was paid to the brand, there was much more to 2003 in the media.
Sharing the title of “first among equals” were Professor Michael Geist and Professor Diane Pacom, who were chosen as the first recipients of the Rector’s Award for Community Service through the Media. In addition to providing context and insight into any number of tech-law subjects, Geist was also in the news as a prime mover behind Canda’s first technology-law litigation clinic. Meanwhile, Pacom commented on a dizzying variety of topics.
Experts at the University commented on a panoply of subjects. Luc Dupont (Communications), Doug Angus (Health Administration), Errol Mendes (Law), Gilles Paquet (Governance), and François-Pierre Gingras (Political Science) were just a few of the experts that media have come to rely on for comment on news issues.
Major research projects led by University of Ottawa researchers continued to garner media coverage throughout the year.
Even the blackout of August 14 couldn’t keep the University of Ottawa out of the news. Within 24 hours of the blackout, Chad Gaffield (History) was on national radio talking about the impact of the introduction of electricity on Canadian society and drawing parallels to today.
With the launch of the Gazette’s new format last September, we began posting a brief and selective summary of media coverage online every day.
