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Carleton University

This article is about the university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, USA, see Carleton College.

Carleton University is an international, comprehensive university located in Canada's capital of Ottawa, Ontario. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines, inter alia, public affairs, journalism, film studies, engineering, high technology, and international studies. More than 2 000 faculty members instruct some 23 000 students drawn from over 147 countries, studying for a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral degree. Over the years it has gained a reputation due to its highly demanding and rare programs.

The University is named after Carleton County, Ontario, which included the city of Ottawa at the time Carleton was founded. Carleton County, in turn, was named in honour of Guy Carleton, 1^st Baron Dorchester, an early Governor-General of British North America.

Past chancellors include two Nobel laureates; pioneering scientist Gerhard Herzberg and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, as well as six Order of Canada recipients. Astronaut Marc Garneau, the first Canadian to travel in space, is the current Chancellor of the University. Dr. Roseann Runte was appointed the university's president on January 8, 2008, succeeding David W. Atkinson and his pro tempore (acting) successor Samy Mahmoud, the previous Vice-President (academic).

History

I learned very early the life lesson that it is people, not buildings, that make up an institution. And if we put our hearts to it we can do something worthwhile. -- Henry Marshall Tory

Carleton College, a non-denominational college was founded in 1942 at the height of the Second World War by the Ottawa Association for the Advancement of Learning. It was originally located in a rented building and only offered night courses in public administration and introductory university subjects. When the war ended in 1945, the College began expanding to meet the needs of veterans coming home. The Faculty of Arts and Science was established, which included courses in journalism and first-year engineering.

In 1946 the college moved to The Glebe neighbourhood along First Avenue at the former Ottawa Ladies' College. Its first degrees were conferred in 1946 to graduates of its programs in Journalism and Public Administration.

For nearly a decade the College operated on a shoestring budget, funds raised mainly through community initiatives and modest student fees. However, due to the war, student fees were kept low as Carleton gave special grants to veterans returning home who wished to continue their studies. The faculty was composed largely of part-time professors who worked full-time in the Public Service; some of whom were convinced to leave for full-time tenure positions. However, full-time teaching staff were still mostly young scholars at the beginning of their careers. This faculty composition set a dynamic culture for Carleton which continues to pervade the University to this day. The faculty was dedicated to making education accessible for all students, while maintaining high academic standards of achievement.

In 1952 the Carleton College Act was passed by the Ontario Legislature, changing the official corporate name to Carleton College and officially conferring the power to grant degrees. Carleton thus became the province's first private, non-sectarian college . In the same year, the 62 hectare property nestled between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River on which the current campus is located was acquired. Some of the land was donated by a prominent Ottawa businessman Harry Stevenson Southam. Construction began on the new campus in 1953.

Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario was granted a university charter in 1957. In 1957 the Carleton University Act, 1952 was amended, officially granting Carleton status as a university and thus changing its name to Carleton University. Carleton's motto, "Ours the Task Eternal," is taken from Walt Whitman's poem, Pioneers! O Pioneers!.

The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a senate (faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (citizens) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the 2 bodies and to perform institutional leadership.

In 1959 construction was completed on the new Rideau River campus, and Carleton moved to its current location. The original buildings included three that still stand today, the Maxwell MacOdrum Library, Norman Paterson Hall and the Henry Marshall Tory Building. Following this, Carleton rapidly expanded to meet the need for tertiary education in Canada.

The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society.

Carleton University launched its program in architecture in 1968.

Academics

Carleton has become known for its unique range of programs that are often difficult to find in Canada. Notably, degrees in journalism, commerce, aerospace engineering, geomatics, interactive multimedia and design, European and Russian studies, network technology, international affairs, industrial design, public policy and film studies. Carleton offers over 60 programs, highlights of which are included below.

Faculty of Public Affairs

The University's Faculty of Public Affairs offers a number of unique and highly regarded programs. Indeed, Carleton's first degrees were awarded in Journalism and Public Administration. Carleton's top-ranked Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) offers Canada's only graduate programs in the field -- an MA, a combined MA and LLB (offered in conjunction with the University of Ottawa Law School), and a PhD in International Affairs. In a survey of 110 Canadian foreign affairs scholars published in Foreign Policy, Carleton's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs ranked 1st in Canada and 2nd in North America in schools offering Masters degrees in International Relations. Carleton has a long standing tradition of conferring an honorary doctorate on each of the Secretaries General of the United Nations, beginning with Dag Hammarskjöld in 1954. The two shades of blue in Carleton's doctoral gown are in fact those of the UN and are meant to recognize the University's long-standing interest and expertise in international affairs. Carleton's unique Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs offers a Bachelor's degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management (Honours). The Institute of European and Russian Studies, which has been active in the field for over forty years, offers the most comprehensive range of courses in the country. It offers a BA (Honours) in European and Russian Studies and an MA in European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. In September 2006 Carleton was designated a European Union Centre of Excellence by the European Commission in Brussels. The Department of Law offers a BA (Honours) in Law; one of only three in Canada that takes an epistemic approach to legal studies. The Department of Political Science was ranked 1^st in 2006 amongst Canadian comprehensive universities based on total publications and citations by Research Infosource Inc.

Book Publishing

Carleton University Press, which was founded in 1982, focused on Canada's history, society and institutions.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences offers degrees in all the standard areas, including Film Studies, Philosophy, Art History, Psychology and Sociology. Some of the more specilized offerings include a Combined BA (Honours) interdisciplinary degree in Human Rights. This degree leads to a Major in Human Rights, as well as second Major in another field, such as Law, Philosophy, Political Science or Sociology and Anthropology. The four-year Bachelor of Humanities program is also unique in North America. Carleton's Institute of Cognitive Science is currently offering the first dedicated, fully structured BA and PhD program in Cognitive Science in the country.

Sprott School of Business

Carleton's Sprott School of Business was the first in Canada to offer a Bachelor of International Business (BIB). This program includes a mandatory language component and the third year is spent abroad. Possible year-abroad locations include Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Chile, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru or Spain. Sprott's principle undergraduate offering, however, is the 4-year Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree. It is designed to be flexible, allowing a variety of concentrations and opportunities for Co-operative education (Co-Op). It offers students the choice to specialize in either one or two concentrations through a range of subjects (e.g.: Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, International Business, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Operations Management). Students also have the opportunity to study abroad in conjunction with their Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree Exchange Partners The Carleton BCom degree is agile and prepares students with a solid educational foundation, the knowledge to compete, and the ability to reach their career goals. Sprott boasts two excellent MBA programs: The Sprott MBA for professionals is led by our award-winning faculty who showcase management tools and best practices combined with practical examples and real-world solutions. Sprott MBA In addition to the standard Canadian-taught MBA are two international MBA programs designed for international students. This special program are offered to students in Tehran, Iran and Shanghai, China in collaboration with a local university. Most courses are taught by Carleton professors who travel to Tehran and Shanghai. There is a study abroad portion of this program, which is taught in Ottawa at the Sprott School of Business.

Faculty of Engineering and Design

The Faculty of Engineering and Design is another strong point of the University. Founded in 1973, Carleton's Industrial Design program is the oldest in Canada, and is the only one leading to a university-level degree in the country. Students can choose to specialize in the following disciplines:

Carleton offers one of only two fully dedicated Aerospace Engineering Bachelor's degree programs in Canada. The program avails itself of an extensive network of well-equipped laboratories encompassing the entire scope of mechanical and aerospace engineering sciences, including rapid prototyping facilities. In 2006, Carleton became one of only three Universities in Canada to offer both a Bachelor's (Honours) and a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering features a state-of-the-art structures lab, a High Performance Computing Laboratory and is home to the Advanced Geotechnical Research Laboratory, which is one of the most comprehensively equipped geotechnical research facilities in Canada; and also it has many well-known professors in the field of earthquake engineering. The Department of Electronics features an Anechoic chamber, Photonics Research Laboratory, NeuroModeler Laboratory, Sun/Unix Network and an Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory housed in an ISO 5 cleanroom.

Faculty of Science

Carleton's Faculty of Science is well-equipped to conduct scientific investigations in a sophisticated environment. The Department of Biology is equipped to allow students to carry out contemporary procedures in experimental biology including all aspects of molecular genetics such as gene splicing, polymerase chain reaction, and DNA sequencing; ultracentrifugation; various types of electrophoresis, tissue culture; phase contrast, polarizing, interference and fluorescent light microscopy among others. The Department of Earth Science maintains its own JEOL JSM-6400 digital scanning electron microscope, Camebax MBX electron microprobe, ThermoFinnigan Triton TI thermal ionization mass spectrometer and a Philips X-ray powder diffractometer. The Department of Physics is home to the KEG research computing system, which consists of a 100+ CPU Linux cluster complete with multiple storage arrays totalling more than 10 Terabytes. The Department of Physics was also ranked 1^st in Canada in citations per paper (highest impact) from 2000-2004 by Science Watch newsletter, published by Thomson Scientific, which uses university science indicators to examine the research of 46 Canadian universities in 21 different scientific fields. The Herzberg Laboratories building is equipped with roof-top observatory housing a 14 inch reflecting Celestron telescope which is used in first-year Astronomy courses.

The mineral Carletonite is named after the university, one of the few universities with that honour.

Centre

High Performance Computing Consortium (HPCVL)

Led by Queen's University, the HPCVL mission is to provide supercomputer power to a number of universities in Eastern Ontario: Queen's University, Royal Military College of Canada, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. Researchers are provided with the computational power needed to solve increasingly complex problems.

Learning environment

The typical classroom at Carleton is a very modern affair. Facilities can be divided into three types depending on size: Lecture Halls, Classrooms and Seminar rooms. Lecture Halls and larger Classrooms are equipped with a high resolution LCD projector, a networked computer terminal with LCD screen and USB port (for uploading files), a DVD/CD player, stereo sound system, laptop video connection, and Wireless networking. Newer rooms have dedicated laptop power outlets located throughout to allow students to plug-in their computers. Two projection screens are installed, allowing for simultaneous use of the LCD video projector and traditional overhead projector or other media device. Overhead lighting is switched in zones and/or dimmable to facilitate multimedia presentations. Seminar rooms are similar to classrooms, though usually somewhat smaller and with tables arrange around the periphery of the room, and may not have permanent media facilities installed. Satellite video conference and television feeds are available in 90 locations throughout campus. A dedicated video conference facility seating 47 is located on the sixth level of Southam Hall.

Carleton's campus was the subject of art exhibit conceived by local artist Adrian Gröllner. The MODERN U. project sought to highlight the late modernist architecture exemplified by many of Carleton's early buildings.

Carleton University is quintessentially modern. The symmetry, earth colours and deliberate non-monumentality of its early architecture betray the egalitarian sensibilities of its founders. Indeed, Carleton was to be a new sort of university, one not dogged by class and the trappings of old, but one built for the people, one built for the future. - Excerpt from the MODERN U. website.

Reputation

The mean admission grade for 2006 undergraduate entry was 81.7% or an A- in high school studies. Carleton has been included in a number of Canadian and international college and university rankings. Such studies must necessarily make subjective judgements as to criteria and methodology. As such they should be read with a certain level of statistical literacy:

In the 2007 Academic Ranking of World Universities published by The Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Carleton placed in the fourth quintile category (305^th-401^st overall) of the top 500 universities of the world. Seventeen Canadian universities ranked higher than 305.

Carleton was not among 15 Canadian schools ranked in the top 200 Economics programs worldwide, according to research output, as reported in a study by Kalaitzidakis et al.

The University is one of 3 in Canada that offers a specialization in Financial Economics.

The Gourman Report, compiled by Dr Jack Gourman of the Princeton Review, ranks Carleton University 7^th out of 60 universities in Canada.

Carleton University's Department of Physics is ranked 1^st in Canada in citations per paper (highest impact) from 2000-2004 by Science Watch newsletter, published by Thomson Scientific, which uses university science indicators to examine the research of 46 Canadian universities in 21 different scientific fields.

The Department of Political Science is ranked 1^st amongst Canadian comprehensive universities based on total publications and citations by Research Infosource Inc.

In a survey of 110 Canadian foreign affairs scholars published in Foreign Policy, Carleton's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs ranked 1^st in Canada and 2^nd in North America in schools offering Masters degrees in International Relations, tieing with Georgetown University.

Carleton was known for admitting a high portion of undergraduate applicants, earning it the derogatory moniker of "Last Chance U"; however, since the early 1990s the admissions focus has changed considerably. William Edwin Beckel, President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton from 1979 to 1989, had faith that many high school students with poor academic records, who often came from underprivileged backgrounds, would blossom at university. Beckel believed that "Every student should have the right to fail. Today, the mean undergraduate admissions average is just under 82%, or an A- in High School studies.

Many undergraduates find it difficult to retain their scholarship, adding to their financial burden. Only 18 percent of Carleton students retain their scholarship which has prompted Carleton's administration to consider lowering the CGPA necessary to maintain an award from year to year. At Carleton, a CGPA of 10 out of 12 points (equivalent to an A-), is necessary to maintain a scholarship.

Carleton has also turned around its financial situation, resulting in many improvements on campus. These include, inter alia, the $30 million construction of new athletics facilities and the $22 million, 9 011 m² (97 000 ft²) Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Institute Facility and Centre for Advanced Studies in Visualization and Simulation (V-SIM). More well-known, perhaps, is the $17 million upgrade and expansion to the University Centre. More recently a green globe designed residence was added named Frontenac House.

Libraries

Carleton is home to a number of specialty libraries, in addition to the three-million volume MacOdrum Library.

Maxwell MacOdrum Library

Named in honour of former Carleton President and Vice-Chancellor Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum, Carleton's premier collection includes more than three million books, journals, government documents, maps, newspapers, music scores, CDs, microforms, archives and rare materials. In addition, Carleton subscribes to numerous specialty electronic information sources, which are playing an ever increasing role in student scholarship at the University.

The Learning Commons provides students with access to all the research facilities and resource support of the main Library, along with contemporary technology. Services include Wireless networking (University intranet and high-speed internet), 160 networked computers, laser printers, photocopy machines and Laptop Loans; all set in a variety of custom designed ergonomic study spaces. Private desks with LCD monitor-equipped computers, group study rooms, and comfortable reading chairs are available to all students until 02h00 every day.

The Government Documents Collection contains official publications from all levels of government and international organizations in print, microform and digital formats.

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Collection contains orthophotos, airphotos and satellite images, digital elevation models (DEMs); topographic, street and boundary layers; thematic layers for Ottawa and the NCC; as well as geospatial data for geology, building heights, and Carleton University campus.

The Map Collection consists of topographic and thematic sheet maps, and air photos.

The Data Centre collects microdata and public opinion surveys, including those from Statistics Canada, Gallup, POLLARA and the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research.

The Special Collections & Archives is responsible for the Library’s Special Collections, the Carleton University Historical Collection and the Library’s own Archives.

Notable possessions include:

Paradise lost: a poem, in twelve books.

London: Printed for C. Hitch and L. Hawes...[et. al.], 1757

Paradise regain'd: a poem in four books: to which is added Samson agonistes; :and Poems upon several occasions.

London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson...[et. al.], 1753

The Faerie Queen; with a glossary, explaining the old and obscure words.

London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson, 1758

There is also a rare 1609 edition of The Faerie Queen in the collection

800 contemporary pamphlets of the French Revolution and Moniteur universal, le Journal officiel de la République français.
A collection of 52 titles, chiefly on natural science and botany, almost half being published from the 16^th to the 18^th centuries. inter alia, titles by Adanson, Aldrovandi, Dalechamps, Ray, Lindley, Gesner, Gray, and Traill. Many are first editions, some in original bindings, illustrated with woodcuts and engravings. A highlight is a first edition of Linnaeus’ “Species plantarum”.
The Batchinsky collection, an extensive collection of over half a million items dealing with 19^th and 20^th century Ukrainian history and politics up to World War II.
The Novosti Collection, a collection of 70 000 photographs, briefing notes, speech drafts, press releases, newspaper clippings and some pamphlets which was acquired from the former Soviet press agency Novosti in Ottawa. The collection covers the Soviet Union and Soviet society from 1917 to 1991 and USSR - Canada relations since World War II.

Audio Visual Resource Centre

Located on the fourth level of St. Patrick's Building, this Centre serves the School for Studies in Art and Culture. This includes Art History, Film Studies, Music and Sonic Design.

The Centre houses a large collection of films (16mm, DVD, Laserdisc and VHS); a Slide and CD Collection Room; an Audiovisual Study Room and Computer Lab; course reserves, and staff that can provide students with specialized research assistance. There are also two photocopy machines available to students, along with some basic office supplies.

European and Russian Studies Resource Centre

The EURUS Centre houses a large collection of European, Russian and Eurasian-centred material that support the work of the Department. It is located on the 13^th level of Dunton Tower. Collections include:

Course reserves
International newspapers
Theses and master's research projects
Honours research projects and essays
About 325 periodicals, both general interest and specialist

inter alia: Business Central Europe, Canada-Ukraine Monitor, Canadian Slavonic papers, CIS Environmental Watch, Croatian International Relations Review, Economics of Transition, Environmental Policy Review, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights Quarterly, Interflo, International Affairs, Kommersant, New Hungarian Quarterly, RFE (several series), The Economist, Ukrainian Quarterly, NATO Weekly Press Review

Several hundred ‘pamphlets’ (working papers, occasional papers, government documents, NGO publications, et cætera.)

inter alia: Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre, CSIS, CSCE, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, EBRD, Hungarian Academy of Science, Institute of Finance Warsaw, IMF, Catholic University of Leuven, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, OECD, Osteuropa-Institutet, Hoover Institute Stanford University, UNCTAD, UN Institute for Disarmament Research, US National Defence College, Vienna Institute for Comparative Economic Studies, and WIDER

Student life

Culture

The atmosphere at Carleton is generally quite relaxed and easy-going. In a sense typically Canadian, both students and instructors go about their business with a notable lack of pretension. Interaction between students and instructors is usually informal, though when addressing an instructor, academic titles are still commonly used.

The school mascot is the Raven and the student newspaper is The Charlatan, which celebrated its 60^th anniversary in 2005. CUSA, the Carleton University Students' Association is one of the most revered and respected student unions in the country. It puts on programming for students every year including Pandamonium, which was started in 2006 by then President, Shawn Menard. The school also publishes a newspaper for residence students, The Resin. During the school year the Carleton School of Journalism publishes a community newspaper, Centretown News, which reports on the Centretown neighbourhood of Ottawa, and an online newspaper, Capital News Online, as well as producing Midweek, a 90-minute current affairs radio show which is broadcast to the city. There is also the student-run writers' zine, In/Words, which is sponsored by the Department of English Language and Literature, as well as The Iron Times, published by the Carleton Student Engineering Society. Carleton is home to a community radio station, CKCU-FM. Broadcasting for the first time on 14 November 1975, CKCU-FM was the first licensed community-based campus radio station in Canada. While Carleton does not have a theatre department, its Sock 'n' Buskin Theatre Company was founded two years after the founding of the university, in 1943.

Student accommodations

Carleton has ten Houses of Residences. The Houses -- all named for counties in Eastern Ontario -- are Dundas, Frontenac, Glengarry, Grenville, Lanark, Leeds, Prescott, Renfrew, Russell, and Stormont. They are inter-connected and linked to the rest of the University by Carleton's tunnel system. Carleton has a sizable residence community, the majority of whom are first year students (Except for those in Leeds House and Frontenac House, Leeds is usually reserved for upperclassmen/women and international students). The Frontenac house which opened on the 1st of September 2008, also hosts 2nd year (returning) students only. They are represented by the Rideau River Residence Association(RRRA, usually pronounced 'raw'). On-campus graduate students, who are housed on the upper two floors of Leeds House, are represented by the Graduate Residents' Association (GSA).

The bulk of upper-year students, however, live off-campus. A popular off-campus housing estate is the four-building high-rise Prince of Wales Complex on nearby Prince of Wales Drive. The footpath running along the Rideau Canal can usually be seen crowded with students walking the 2km to Carleton.

Going east of the school gives students the option of renting a (usually) vintage house in The Glebe, one of the city's trendier neighbourhoods. From there it is usually only a short walk to campus. Though further afield, students also often rent in Centretown and downtown neighbourhoods.

Carleton is connected to the rest of the city by multiple transport links. In addition to regular bus service, there is a dedicated light rail station connecting the University to Ottawa's O-Train network. A permanent BlueLine taxi-cab stand is also available outside the University Commons building.

Athletics

The Carleton University Physical Recreation Centre (PRC) - the largest facility of its kind in Canada - is a multi-use complex that offers a wide variety of training programs and services to accommodate every athlete - from beginner to professional.

Carleton is home to Keith Harris Stadium where the Ottawa Fury Soccer team plays.

The University is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the Carleton Ravens. The men's basketball team has won the CIS championships for five consecutive years (2002-2007). Carleton is second only to the University of Victoria for the most wins. The Vikes have seven consecutive wins in the 1980's.

Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement, convocation and athletic games are: "On the steps of Carleton" the Carleton University fight song.

Rivalry with the University of Ottawa

Since Carleton's inception the student body has encouraged a crosstown rivalry with the University of Ottawa. The rivalry has gained ground recently as the Carleton Ravens basketball team was defeated for only the second time in three years during league play by the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees on 17 January 2006. It is not uncommon to hear a profane and explicit song sung about Carleton's good natured dislike for the urban campus of the University of Ottawa and their ambiguous mascot, the Gee-Gee. This song is an integral part of student culture and passed down to every matriculating class during frosh week.

When Carleton University had a football team, the annual Ravens-Gee Gees match was held in Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park. This was known as the "Panda Game." Notably, Canadian comic and former Ottawa resident Norm Macdonald attended the Panda Game and discussed his experience on the Late Show with David Letterman. Audio recordings of this are perennially circulated and played to incoming freshman at both the University of Ottawa and Carleton.

University traditions

Climbing to the top of Dunton Tower

One of the campus traditions is to climb all 22 flights of stairs to the top of the tallest building on campus. The Tower is also known by some as "Isengard" due to its size and the fact that many TAs have their offices in it.

The Alumni Park fountain

Students often jump into the Alumni Park fountain in front of the administrative building, Robertson Hall, during convocation despite generally being warned that the water is dyed blue. The fountain is turned off during the winter months.

Carleton Underground

The tunnel system

The entire University is connected by an elaborate five kilometre network of heated underground tunnels adorned with murals created by student groups. Students are encouraged, within reason, to create their own works of art. Each floor of the ten residence halls paint a tunnel mural near the end of each school year. It is not uncommon to see students wearing pajamas in class, having come directly from bed in residence. Sky-lit or windowed student lounges and snack-shops can be found at various points along the tunnel system. Students often hold competitions to determine who can remain "submerged" longest in tunnel-life (that is, remaining indoors and moving about the campus using only the tunnel system for days or even weeks on end). This occurs especially during the frigid winter months. Carleton students, and especially resident students, are commonly nicknamed "tunnel-rats".

Oliver's

Oliver's, or "Ollie's", run by the Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) and named after former President Michael Oliver, is the more well known of the campus pubs. With a generally more party atmosphere than Mike's Place, Oliver's is the venue for many high profile entertainment events throughout the year, and hosts regular weekday and weekend night events. All Ages events are no longer common after Oliver's rebuilding operations in 2006, and nearly all events are 19+, making some first-year students feel frustrated that they cannot take part in the social life of their university. Oliver's has a menu of principally North American foods, including University mainstays like burgers, fries, chicken fingers, as well as other light meals.

Oliver's begins serving alcohol at 11:00 am and is open at 9:00 am for Breakfast, and it is common to see students studying alone or in small groups while having a pint or a meal between classes. During the day Oliver's is generally pretty quiet and relaxed, with only background music, and it is a favoured place of study for those capable of tuning out distractions.

Thursday nights are Oliver's busiest night with line-ups starting to form around 8:00 pm most weeks. The night is a club night with anything from top 40 to 80's music being played. Oliver's was one of Ottawa's original 80's nights, when it was hosted by Steve Portt.

Oliver's underwent an extensive renovation in the Summer of 2006 and was reopened with a new industrial look the first week of October. The bar now features two plasma screen televisions, one big screen rear-projection television and other mid-sized sets throughout the venue. The bar also has a brand new patio.

Oliver's was the centre of student protests over the reduction of student space on campus. On 21 April 2005 protesters occupied Oliver's patio to prevent it from being torn apart to make way for a new university bookstore. The Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) came to an agreement with the University and the protest ended. The agreement is colloquially known as "Oliver's clause".

Oliver's is CUSA's most unprofitable business, losing approximately $100,000 in the 2006 fiscal year. This is a continuing trend for Oliver's. It is made worse in the 2007 fiscal year by the loss of their liquor license, costing students an additional $40,000.

Mike's Place

Long considered the exclusive domain of graduate students, Mike's Place (named after former Liberal Prime Minister and former Carleton Chancellor Lester "Mike" Pearson) has quickly evolved into the on-campus home of aspiring hip-hop and electronic music DJs in the Ottawa area. The pub continues to host spoken-word poetry events and encourages open political discussion and debate. It also hosts a popular karaoke night on Tuesdays. In the mid 1980's, Mike's Place was host to the Apathy Club.

Rooster's Coffeehouse

Formerly a pub run by the Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA), Rooster's is now a student-run coffeeshop located on the fourth level of the University Centre. In addition to a variety of coffees and tea, it serves homemade baked goods and other light snacks. There is a comfortable seating area and a large, wide-screen television.

Rooster's opens for all day breakfast at 8:00 am daily and closes at 7:00 pm. The Rooster's kitchen specializes in affordable breakfast bagel sandwiches, as well as a variety of pita wraps. Rooster's recently switched its coffee supplier to accommodate an entirely fair trade based product line. Rooster's coffee is available for bulk purchase.

Rooster's can also be booked for student events through the VP Student Life at CUSA.

Leonardo's Lounge

Leonardo's Lounge (named after Leonardo Da Vinci and known to most simply as "Leo's") is the social and cultural hub of the Carleton Engineering community. Located in room 3342 of the Mackenzie Engineering building, Leo's is operated as a service of the Carleton Student Engineering Society. Leo's is operated exclusively by volunteers and is the cheapest place to get a coffee or snack on campus. Common sights at Leo's include heated games of euchre, Axis and Allies and Settlers of Catan, as well as napping students.

The Garden Spot

The Garden Spot (also commonly known as the "G-Spot") is a not-for-profit pay-what-you-can volunteer vegan food service designed to serve low cost meals to the Carleton University community.

The Garden Spot was based on an organization hailing from Concordia University with the name of the Peoples Potato. It has inspired one other student run organization at The University of Ottawa using the name of the People's Republic of Delicious or PRD.

Canadian Forces

Each summer, Canadian Forces use Carleton residence facilities — notably Russell and Grenville Houses and the Residence Commons cafeteria — to house and feed the Ceremonial Guard. The Guard performs daily parades on Parliament Hill, and mounts sentries at Rideau Hall, and the War Memorial. This agreement is beneficial both to the university and the military, allowing the military to use cost-effective facilities, while Carleton profits during the otherwise slower summer season.

The Guard marches and drills at Carleton between June and August, and it is possible to watch formations carrying rifles in full ceremonial uniform marching to parking lots 6 and 7 to prepare for their daily parade.

Lineage and establishment

Chancellors

1952-1954 Harry Stevenson Southam
1954-1968 Jack Mackenzie
1969-1972 Lester B. Pearson
1973-1980 Gerhard Herzberg
1980-1990 Robert Gordon Robertson (Emeritus 1992-)
1990-1992 Pauline Jewett
1993-2002 Arthur Kroeger (Emeritus 2002-2008)
2002 Ray Hnatyshyn
2003-present Marc Garneau

Presidents

1942-1947 Henry Marshall Tory
1947-1955 Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum
1955-1956 James Alexander Gibson (pro tempore)
1956-1958 Claude Bissell
1958-1972 Davidson Dunton
1972-1978 Michael Kelway Oliver
1979 James Downey (pro tempore) 1 January - 15 May
1979-1989 William Edwin Beckel
1989-1996 Robin Hugh Farquhar
1996-2005 Richard J. Van Loon
2005-2006 David W. Atkinson
2006-2008 Samy Mahmoud (pro tempore), from 20 November 2006
2008-present Roseann Runte, effective July 1, 2008

Notable alumni and faculty

Nahlah Ayed, reporter for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Dan Aykroyd, Actor and Comedian
David Azrieli, Architect, 10^th richest man in Canada
Conrad Black, former businessman
Lindsay Blackett, first black Cabinet minister in Alberta
Taz Boga, Anchor/Reporter(A-Channel Ottawa)
Keith Boag, chief political correspondent for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Patrick Boyer, Member of Parliament
K-OS (Kheaven Brereton), Canadian musician
Gord Brown, Member of Parliament
Louise Charron, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Rita Celli, host for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Mike Colle, Member of Provincial Parliament
Alex Cullen, Member of Provincial Parliament, Ottawa City Councillor
Hans Daigeler, Member of Provincial Parliament
Barry Devolin, Member of Parliament
Paul Dewar, Member of Parliament
Michelle Douglas, Human Rights Activist
James Duthie, TSN host and Journalist
Bruck Easton, former president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Ward P.D. Elcock, Deputy Minister of Defence, former Director of Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Ivan Fellegi, Chief Statistician of Canada
Matthew Fraser, Editor-in-Chief of National Post
Evelyn Gigantes, Member of Provincial Parliament
Edward Greenspon, Editor-in-Chief of The Globe and Mail
Allan Gregg, pollster, political pundit
Peter Grünberg, Nobel laureates in Physics 2007
Gregory Henriquez, Architect, Governor-General's Medal for Architecture 2004
Abdul Rahman Jabarah, alleged al-Qaeda member killed in 2003
Peter Jennings, journalist and news anchor for ABC News, two-time Peabody Award winner, awarded a Litterarum doctor, honoris causa, in 1997
Pauline Jewett, Member of Parliament, professor and Chancellor of Carleton University
Leo Jordan, Member of Provincial Parliament
Jim Judd, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Wilbert Keon, Senator, heart surgeon
Warren Kinsella, lawyer, author, musician, political consultant, lobbyist and commentator
Chalmers Jack Mackenzie, former chancellor, first president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Robert MacNeil, journalist, Officer of the Order of Canada
John Manley, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Canada
Randal Marlin, Carleton philosophy professor specializing in the study of propaganda
Yasir Naqvi, Member of Provincial Parliament
Thomas Nevakshonoff, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Paul Okalik, Premier of Nunavut
Gordon Pape, financial self-help writer
Ernie Parsons, Member of Provincial Parliament
Lester Bowles Pearson, former chancellor, professor, Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Michael Prue, Member of Provincial Parliament
Karim Rashid, Industrial Designer
Scott Reid, Member of Parliament
Norman Sterling, Member of Provincial Parliament
Barbara Sullivan, Member of Provincial Parliament
Judy Wasylycia-Leis, Member of Parliament
Jim Watson, Member of Provincial Parliament, former Mayor and City Councillor of Ottawa
Keenan Wellar, Sociopreneur and Founder of LiveWorkPlay and Heartwood House charities
Susan Wood, Canadian literature scholar and pioneer of feminist science fiction studies
Peter Worthington, Editor-in-Chief of the Toronto Sun

Notable honorary degree recipients

Dag Hammarskjöld, United Nations Secretary-General (1953-1961), Nobel Peace Prize laureate, awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1954
U Thant, United Nations Secretary-General (1961-1971), awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1962
Kurt Waldheim, United Nations Secretary-General (1972-1981), awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1972
Tommy Douglas, 7^th Premier of Saskatchewan, led the first socialist government in North America and introduced universal public health care to Canada, awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1980
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, United Nations Secretary-General (1982-1992), awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1985
Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1993
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, United Nations Secretary-General (1992-1997), awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1995
Romano Prodi, 79^th Prime Minister of Italy, awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2001
Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General (1997-2007), Nobel Peace Prize laureate, awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2004

Notes

References

Blair Neatby 'Creating Carleton: The Shaping of a University' (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, October 1, 2002)
Paul Axelrod 'Scholars and Dollars: Politics, Economics, and the Universities of Ontario 1945-1980' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, September 1, 1982)
Roger J. Mesley 'Art Carleton: Carleton University Art Collection' (Ottawa: Carleton University Press)