David Mitchell
Vice President, University Relations
What’s older than Canadian confederation but vividly reflects our modern, bilingual, multicultural nation? Full marks to anyone who answered: the University of Ottawa.
This year, after greeting a record number of students on our campus, it’s worth reflecting upon the fact that for 155 years we have provided a truly unique learning environment. And it’s equally impressive to note that each and every year, for longer than anyone can remember, students have been welcomed to Canada’s university.
A year ago we launched a branding initiative with the objective of raising the profile of the University of Ottawa and ensuring that our reputation matched our actual performance as one of Canada’s leading research universities. Through an extensive process of research and consultation we discovered that we had a significant challenge on our hands. Many of the communities we serve were unaware of our extraordinary growth (30,000 students this year) or numerous achievements (faculty awards, research funding) in recent years. Rather than let other people define us on the basis of dated information or ignorance, we decided it was time to define ourselves more clearly.
One of the catalysts in the process was our Brand Council, comprising representatives of the University of Ottawa community including students, faculty, staff and alumni. This advisory group helped test a number of assumptions and considered different ways of describing our University to ourselves and the world. And while we examined a range of themes and messages, we were seeking much more than a slogan or a logo. In fact, we were looking for the essential characteristics that uniquely describe the University of Ottawa.
Interestingly enough, time and again we returned to a phrase that encapsulated the way the University of Ottawa has always described itself: Canada’s university. Eventually it became clear that this was the way the University preferred to define itself: a special institution offering a broad range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, located in the heart of the national capital in a rich multicultural milieu and operating impressively and flexibly in both of our country’s official languages. The consensus was so strong, it was irresistible: we are Canada’s university!
So, as it turns out, our new brand is actually our old brand – but we’re determined to make sure that it’s understood, appreciated and celebrated.
