Sophie Nadeau
The number of University of Ottawa employees taking advantage of tuition benefits to develop new skills by studying is steadily increasing, according to statistics provided by the Human Resources Service. More than 200 employees counted themselves as students in 2007.
The University of Ottawa offers financial assistance to help cover the cost of regular funded courses or programs of studies at the University in the form of an exemption of tuition fees. For individuals who decide to embark on the challenge, the University pays the entire bill for support staff, except for incidental fees. The dependents of professors and support staff can also draw upon tuition benefits depending on particular terms of agreement.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for employees to learn new skills and challenge themselves,” says Danielle Mudry, assistant director, Compensation, Benefits and Information. “We’re very happy to be able to support our employees as they work to accomplish their educational goals.”
Taking university-level courses and working full time can be challenging, as many of the employees who have successfully completed degrees over the last year will admit.
Halina de Maurivez, a uOttawa librarian at Morisset Library, completed her bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Spanish in 2007 and was also given the silver medal for academic excellence. De Maurivez was the first uOttawa employee to study as an exchange student, heading to the University of Granada for a semester in 2004.
“I love studying, meeting the students and learning what they need for their research. Many still come to my office for research help. It was also a great way to get to know the faculty and their requirement for the library collection,” says de Maurivez. “It was one of my best experiences and I would love to pursue a master’s in Spanish, except that it is so time consuming when working full time.”
Pierre K. Bercy, acting manager, Computing Help Centre, completed a graduate certificate in Information Technology Project Management in April 2007 and is now tackling an MBA on a part-time basis.
“Where I am originally from, Haiti, education is a privilege, especially university education. It is not given to everyone to get even primary education. Don’t even think about university education or graduate education,” says Bercy. “To me education is a value and it is precious. I decided to pursue the graduate certificate because I’d like to give my professional career a shift. I’d like to be more marketable and also to better do my job.”
Nicole Tremblay, manager, Training and Development for Human Resources, recently completed a Master of Education in educational counselling. She says the benefits of studying while working outweigh the challenges.
“My advice for employees who are considering pursuing studies at uOttawa is to believe in themselves enough to explore and research the learning possibilities available to them because there are so many choices,” says Tremblay. “In the end, the experience is worth it because it is more than academically and professionally fulfilling. It’s a great personal journey to embark upon.”
Sophie Nadeau is a uOttawa media relations officer, who will complete a Master of Arts in Communication at the University in 2008.
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