Carleton was founded in 1942 by a group of local businessmen and senior civil servants, who formed The Ottawa Association for the Advancement of Learning.  These individuals saw higher education as a worthy cause and hoped to broaden the career opportunities and the cultural horizons of ambitious young people by giving them an opportunity to go to university. In 1952 the provincial government confirmed the College’s degree-granting privileges and in 1957, the Act was amended to change the name of the institution to Carleton University.