The University of Ottawa (U of O) was established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and is now a major bilingual university of Canada. Located in Ottawa, Ontario (the national capital), it has made a unique place for itself among Canada's leading universities. Originally a liberal arts college, it has been teaching pure and applied sciences in both French and English since the 1800s.

The university is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Ottawa University, which is in fact the name of an unrelated institution in Kansas. "Ottawa University" is never a correct designation for the University of Ottawa.

Its nine faculties (administration is no longer available) offer an array of undergraduate and professional programs in a wide variety of disciplines:

• Arts
• Education
• Engineering
• Health Sciences
• Law
• Management
• Medicine
• Science
• Social Sciences

Masters and doctoral degrees are also offered in most disciplines by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The U of O offers the second-highest number of doctoral programs in Ontario. The U of O houses Ontario's second-largest graduate studies and co-operative education program.

The academic and other needs of about 30,000 students are facilitated by a fully bilingual support staff and programmes that include everything from physical resources security to health, sports and teaching and learning support services.

The campus is located along the banks of the Rideau Canal in the Sandy Hill area of Ottawa.

There are two weekly newspapers published by students: The Fulcrum in English, and La Rotonde in French. The university is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the Ottawa Gee Gees.

Notable Alumni

• Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo, Ivoirian poet
• Michel Bastarache, puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Louise Charron, puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Erica Ehm, Canadian television personality and songwriter
• Howard Hampton, leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party
• Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Member of Parliament
• Sherraine MacKay, Olympic athlete (epee fencing )
• Dalton McGuinty, current Ontario premier
• Paul Okalik, first premier of Nunavut
• Allan Rock, former Canadian politician and Ambassador to the United Nations
• Hugh Segal, Canadian politician
• Alex Trebek, host of the popular gameshow, Jeopardy
• Roch Voisine, singer-songwriter
• James Cartwright Whitewater , Olympic athlete (kayak)

External link

• University of Ottawa

See also Student Federation of the University of Ottawa