Media

OTTAWA, April 13, 2010  —  But for the photograph of Tabaret Hall, I would not have recognized the University of Ottawa from the erroneous portrait contained in Sunday’s front page story in the Ottawa Citizen.

Given uncertain economic times, all Canadian universities face challenges in maintaining excellence in teaching and research while balancing budgets. This is all the more so since governments, the most important sources of funding for universities, face deficits and pressure to control or reduce spending. Some Canadian universities have had to lay off staff, close programs, levy special fees and reopen collective agreements.

Fortunately, the University of Ottawa has not had to do any such thing. And contrary to Sunday’s Citizen report, we remain in a very strong financial position as a result of a history of fiscal prudence.

Although the University anticipates a $14-million deficit out of a total budget of $800 million for the current fiscal year, that shortfall will be covered by reserves large enough to sustain us through the immediate future.

As for the coming fiscal year (May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011), we are working toward a balanced budget thanks to a comprehensive spending review that involved the entire University. Over the last several months, members of a steering committee led by Professor David Zussman met with all campus stakeholders to look for ways to reduce spending and increase revenues without compromising key priorities - namely, our commitment to students and the quality of their experience and our excellence in research.

Contrary to the impression left by Sunday’s article, it is precisely because of our strong financial position that we have managed in these difficult times without drastic cuts in programs or services.

My senior management team, which includes the deans from all of the university's faculties, is closely examining the Zussman committee's report as well as the suggestions and recommendations received from students, professors and employees. It is already clear that we will table a balanced budget for the coming year and that we are in much better shape than many other Canadian universities.

There is no doubt that we need to continue our efforts to improve the quality of our students’ experience. Sudden growth over the last eight years, including the arrival of the double cohort, has put pressure on our facilities and class sizes.

But we have been working hard to address these issues. Since 2005, we have created over 500 new faculty and staff positions. We have opened more than 400,000 square feet of new teaching and research space, including the state-of-the-art Desmarais Building, the environmental award-winning SITE Building on King Edward Avenue, the $59-million teaching and research Biosciences Complex, and the Roger Guindon North Research Wing for health sciences.

In the last three years alone, the University of Ottawa has carried out more than $75 million in renovations and other facility upgrades. We are right now building a 15-storey, $120-million building along the canal for Social Sciences —our largest faculty — and we recently acquired over 25 acres of land adjacent to our Alta Vista and downtown campuses to enable additional growth.

I was astonished to read the suggestion in Sunday’s Citizen that the University of Ottawa’s “focus on research is unsustainable.” In recent years, we have become one of the most research-intensive universities in Canada, ranking second in the country, for example, for peer-reviewed grants in medicine and science. Overall, we received over $240 million from granting councils last year alone. That research excellence, in turn, strengthens our teaching by allowing our professors to share the latest knowledge with our students. In short, our research focus is not only sustainable, it is indispensable.

The spending review that we have just completed was not an easy exercise. But sometimes with crisis comes opportunity. In reviewing what and how we spend, we have the opportunity to improve what we do and how we do it.

So let’s set the record straight. The University of Ottawa has weathered many storms since its founding in 1848. It has survived economic recessions and depressions, riots and rebellions, periods of want and years of war. Yet through it all, it has continued to grow and serve Canada and the world as a unique resource of learning and innovation in both of our country's official languages as North America's largest bilingual university campus.

As the current custodians of that long tradition of service and achievement, we are now doing our part to ensure that we pass onto the next generation an even stronger University of Ottawa.

Allan Rock, President of the University of Ottawa.