Beyond language, bilingualism is also an academic asset, enabling us to engage with researchers from various intellectual traditions, continental and Anglo-American. In terms of our external relations, our bilingualism allows us to serve students from Quebec, Ontario and elsewhere in Canada, and to play a leadership role among Francophone communities in minority language settings who strongly identify with our institution. Internationally, this positioning is an extraordinary opportunity. For many French-speaking countries, we are a gateway to the Anglo American world.
A top research university: A member of the prestigious U15 group, we rank seventh among research universities in Canada. In 2024, our researchers attracted nearly half a billion dollars in research income, an increase of over 50% in five years. We also rank fifth in Canada for research intensity (just a few thousand dollars behind McGill), third for awards per professor, and second among Ontario’s U15 universities for Tri-Council research funding between 2019 and 2023 (Research InfoSource, 2024).
Beyond these impressive figures, we can be even prouder of the culture of research and innovation we have built. The University is home to hundreds of dynamic research chairs and centres, including the one-of-a-kind Collège des chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone. We also benefit from an extraordinary local ecosystem that supports and accelerates research and innovation.
Exceptional human resources: We have over 49,000 talented and ambitious students, over 3,500 accomplished and creative professors, 3,000 dedicated and skilled support staff and an exceptional leadership team. We also have an influential and loyal network of 300,000 alumni.
Where we are
Our geographic location is extraordinary and a source of envy for many. We are situated on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation, in the heart of the national capital of a G7 country, at the crossroads of civil law, common law and Indigenous legal traditions. Ottawa is a bilingual city and a major economic engine, known for its intersection of intellectual life, business and public policy. We are located near national research centres and funding agencies, Canada’s major democratic institutions, and a vast network of embassies and internationally-renowned hospitals and health-care organizations that form the Ottawa Health Academic Network, and just a few kilometres from the Kanata North tech park, Canada’s largest, where we have a growing campus. We also have a very dynamic business and arts community.
We will therefore be capitalizing on those strengths to achieve the following seven key objectives during my term as president:
