uOttawa News

OTTAWA, October 16, 2012  —  The University of Ottawa filed yesterday its strategic mandate agreement (SMA) proposal with the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

The document features three value-added strategies that highlight the university’s distinctness and will mark its growth in the years to come.

“The University of Ottawa is on the move and our submission to the Ministry strongly reflects the university’s vision of its future. While the three objectives we propose reflect the Minister’s stated areas of special interest, they are also closely aligned with uOttawa’s own strategic plan, Destination 20/20. They involve priorities that we are already pursuing, and in which we are already investing,” said Allan Rock, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa.

Objective one: Innovation in teaching and learning
The quality of each student’s experience is the first Destination 20/20 priority. The first of three objectives the university presents in its submission therefore focuses on the best ways to teach our students and for them to learn, be it through hands-on education, student mobility, technology-assisted learning or French immersion.

Objective two: Secure Ontario’s future through training highly qualified people and knowledge transfer
The University of Ottawa is already a major contributor to innovation and investment in the National Capital Region and in Ontario generally. It stands out particularly in the fields of health, science, engineering and public policy. To support these efforts, and to produce the highly qualified people that Ontario will need to build its economy, we will increase the size of our graduate cohort across the university from the present 14% to 18% by 2020, with particular attention to areas where we hold a competitive advantage.

Objective three: Bilingualism and the francophonie
Since its founding in 1848, uOttawa has stood out from all other institutions of higher education in Ontario (and indeed in Canada) in its singular commitment to bilingualism and the Francophonie.
Our bilingualism has enabled us to make a particular, decisive and highly productive contribution to Ontario in the areas of health care, law and education. We will continue to increase our efforts to create an environment where Ontario Francophones can complete their studies in French, while continuing to play an active role in postsecondary education in the Francophonie worldwide.

uOttawa looks forward to realizing the vision that the Minister and his officials have set out for the future of Ontario’s postsecondary sector as a highly productive, innovative and financially sustainable sector.
We share that vision, and we sincerely believe that by pursuing the directions and commitments set out in our proposed SMA, we can contribute meaningfully toward its achievement.