Ottawa Custom Essay - University of Ottawa

Vital Statistics

• Motto: Deus Scientiarum Dominus Est
• No. of Faculty: 2,911
• No. of Undergraduates: 35,515
• No. of Postgraduates: 6,741
• Location: Ottawa
• Sport Teams: Gee-Gees (29 varsity teams)
• Colour: garnet and grey
• Mascot: Gee-Gee (horse)

Faculty & Academics

The University of Ottawa was founded as an English-French bilingual university and today is the world's largest to operate bilingually in those two languages. One third of students use French as their primary language, and two-thirds use English. Two thirds of faculty in bilingual positions and ninety percent of staff are functionally bilingual. Courses at the university are typically offered in both French and English versions, and there is no requirement that students be fluent in both languages to attend the university. Bilingualism became officially mandated in 1974, and the university actively promoted bilingualism and understanding between languages.

Each year, the university confers nearly 5,000 undergraduate degrees and 1,500 postgraduate degrees (master's and Ph.D.). Programs of study are offered under ten faculties and cover a wide variety of academic areas, including the arts and sciences, humanities, technology, and more. As a large research university, it offers one of Canada's widest academic selections. In addition, the university has an active cooperative education program, which allows students to use life experiences to bring in additional credits toward their degrees. The university today is typically ranked among Canada's top ten and among the top 200 in the world. Its MBA program is one of the most respected in the country, and it is one of the only schools to receive triple accreditation for its MBA program.

Student Life

Students at the University of Ottawa are represented by two student unions, one for undergraduate students and one for graduate students. There is an association representing residential students, and the university offers more than 175 clubs and organizations representing a wide variety of academic, professional, and recreational areas of interest. There are two student newspapers, the Fulcrum, in English, and La Rotonde, in French. CHUO-FM (89.1 FM) is the campus radio station, and it is the second-oldest in Canada. There are three officially recognized fraternities and eight officially recognized sororities.

Athletics are conducted in a variety of sports at the intramural, junior varsity, and varsity levels, including 29 varsity-level teams competing under Ontario University Athletics or the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec conference of Canada Interuniversity Sport. (Participation varies by team.) In 1885, garnet and grey became the team colors, prompting the sports teams to become known as G. G., later called the Gee-Gees. Because a gee-gee is also the name of the lead horse in a race, the horse became the team mascot.

Most of the university's students live off campus, but the university does operate seven residence halls for on-campus students in a variety of living arrangements, including standard dormitory rooms and apartment-style living.