What happens when a university dares to reIMAGINE its role in the world? At the University of Ottawa, it leads to lives transformed and ideas unleashed.
The reIMAGINE campaign has exceeded its $500 million goal, making it the most ambitious and impactful fundraising initiative in the University of Ottawa's history—and it’s rewriting what’s possible for students, researchers and the communities they serve.
University of Ottawa grads go on to leave their mark on every continent, in every field. So when we say “thank you,” it’s for more than just helping us to reimagine the future of uOttawa. It’s in appreciation of your support in building a brighter, better world. We’re beyond grateful to every donor and partner who helped us reach this goal.
University is a place of new beginnings—a time to pursue our boldest ideas, forge lasting memories and find mentors who inspire growth.
The reIMAGINE campaign demonstrated the power of investing in the holistic student experience. With your support, we created spaces for experimentation and exploration, expanded university resources, fostered health and wellness, and created a future-ready mindset for success on campus and beyond.
Raised for student awards
Directed towards enhancing the student experience
Scholarships and bursaries created
Creativity and resourcefulness are key, no matter your field. Backed by significant campaign support, the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Design (CEED) gives students and faculty access to hands-on makerspaces and experiential learning, competitive teams and workshops. From designing wheelchair-accessible fitness equipment to creating startups to engineering a race-worthy concrete toboggan, CEED is where collaborations are sparked and ideas are shaped.
Impact: 2,500 students benefitted each year and 275+ projects developed in CEED spaces.
Read the story: Centre for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Design: Fostering the next generation of innovators
The School of Music’s Piano Renewal Campaign resonated with the community. Thanks to an anonymous legacy gift and other generous donors, the school acquired five grand pianos, seven uprights and its crowning jewel, a concert grand for Freiman Hall. The result? Enhanced opportunities for students to develop their craft and a music program that has greater appeal for prospective students, faculty and visiting artists.
Impact: 13 pianos that will serve generations of talented uOttawa students.
Read the story: An anonymous donation with a big impact
From the evolution of artificial intelligence to digital surveillance concerns, the lawyers of tomorrow need all the experience they can get today. The Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), based at uOttawa’s Faculty of Law, is the country’s first and only public interest technology law clinic. Campaign funding enables JD students to get first-hand legal experience while also advancing the clinic’s critically important work.
Impact: Crucial support of CIPPIC’s work that creates experiential learning internships for Faculty of Law students.
Read the story: Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic: A voice for Canadians in the digital world
“Many of us have benefited from our time at the University of Ottawa, so when it comes to scholarships, there’s an element of ‘let’s pay it back.’ I was able to benefit from that, and now it’s immensely rewarding to see other people benefit from it, too.”
Reg Thompson (BSocSci ’91, LLB ’94), an alumnus donor whose gifts now aid two Indigenous students by covering their full tuition
“I thought it was time to be thankful for what I had achieved through uOttawa and Telfer, and to try to help others.”
Marlene Patrick (BAdm ’79, BCom ’80), an alumna donor who created an entry scholarship for women from Black, Indigenous or racialized communities newly admitted to an undergraduate program at the Telfer School of Management.
The largest contribution to the reIMAGINE campaign, made by Jean and Alex Trebek
Endowed gifts totalling $88M, which helped to grow our endowment fund to more than $350M
Gifts of less than $1K raised $30M in support—it adds up!
We care deeply about all dimensions of student health. The reIMAGINE campaign focused on the holistic student experience, recognizing that academic success is underpinned by mental, cultural, and social wellbeing. In support of this mission, $500,000 from the University of Ottawa Alumni Association enabled the Health and Wellness team to extend their hours to ensure no student faces challenges alone.
Impact: 500 additional sessions per year, enhancing front-line support in the afternoons and evenings.
Dr. Gary Greenberg (MD ’77) is a familiar face around uOttawa’s athletic facilities. For 45 seasons he’s been the team physician for the Gee-Gees football and men’s hockey programs, making him one of the University’s most committed volunteers. During the campaign, he decided to give back even more, becoming the largest-ever donor to our sports programs.
Impact: 62 annual athletics scholarships.
The transition from university to workplace can be daunting. Enabled by $750,000 in support from RBC, uOttawa has created resources to prepare students to launch their careers and build their networks. RBC’s Future Lauch Program helped create the Career Corner and funded the development and launch of the uoCompetencies program for students to learn soft skills.
Impact: 6,000 students per year are better prepared for the world of work.
“By supporting Indigenous students in their education, we are contributing to the sustainable transformation of the health-care system.”
Dr. Jeffrey Weitz, faculty alumnus (MD ’76) and donor to the Indigenous Medical Education Program
“We don’t give to get rid of something. We give to achieve a goal that matters to us.”
Marie des Anges Loyer, (BScN ’60, MEd ’68, PhD ’82), founder of the Loyer-DaSilva Research Chair in Community and Public Health Nursing
We’re a community of problem solvers. Our students and faculty recognize that their studies and research take place in the context of fast-paced change. That’s why we believe in the power of partnership, collaborating with other experts to identify gaps and co-create solutions.
Thanks to support from the reIMAGINE campaign, uOttawa is at the forefront of research that’s building a better society locally, nationally and internationally—because as a university, we measure our success by the positive change we create together.
Raised for groundbreaking research
Ranked in research intensity per professor in Canada
In support of research chairs and professorships
Globally significant discoveries start with visionary research. Powered by a $5.8 million anonymous campaign donation, uOttawa researchers at the Faculty of Health Sciences are unravelling one of the great mysteries of the human body, the gut microbiome. The implications and applications of this research are huge—by uncovering the link between diet, nutrition and the gut, scientists are finding alternative treatments for mental health conditions.
Impact: Promising research points to adding probiotic-rich foods to a patient’s diet to improve physical and psychiatric recovery.
Campaign support strengthened uOttawa’s commitment to climate action. Matched by the University of Ottawa, a $2 million gift from the Jarislowsky Foundation established the Jarislowsky Chair in Clean Economy and Innovation. Research chair Stewart Elgie now advocates for economic policies that drive the transition to a low-carbon economy in Canada and beyond.
Impact: Successful carbon pricing policy helping Canada transition to a low-carbon economy.
The late Dr. Éric Poulin, a pioneering chief of surgery and uOttawa faculty member, left a lasting impact on a generation of young physicians and surgeons. Diagnosed with ALS in 2011, Dr. Poulin passed away five years later. His legacy lives on through the Éric Poulin Centre for Neuromuscular Disease (CNMD) supported by generous donations from his wife, Margo Brousseau, to advance ALS research and provide hope for patients and their families.
Impact: CNMD expanded from 12 scientists in 2014 to over 60 scientists and clinicians today.
In 2022, a generous $2.5 million donation from BMO for health sciences infrastructure helped establish the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health. This community partnership demonstrates how uOttawa is taking action to pursue Indigenization in our courses, curricula and research, and in our relationship with communities.
Impact: Part of the University of Ottawa's commitment to truth, reconciliation and Indigenization.
“This generosity doesn't just change our university—it changes the world.”
Jacques Frémont
— President and Vice Chancellor
“Philanthropy is how we unlock progress, it doesn’t just build labs or endow scholarships—it drives discovery, it breaks down barriers, and it fuels bold ideas that solve real problems.”
“In today’s reality of limited public funding, campaigns like reIMAGINE are not just helpful—they are essential. This is about ensuring that brilliant minds—regardless of background—have the tools and the opportunity to lead. Our donors didn’t just invest in a university. They invested in people, and a better future for all.”
“This generosity doesn’t just change our university—it changes the world.”
—Jacques Frémont, President and Vice Chancellor
We pay respect to the Algonquin people, who are the traditional guardians of this land. We acknowledge their longstanding relationship with this territory, which remains unceded.
We pay respect to all Indigenous people in this region, from all nations across Canada, who call Ottawa home.
We acknowledge the traditional knowledge keepers, both young and old. And we honour their courageous leaders: past, present, and future.
