History
1942-2021
Carleton University’s roots as a non-denominational college supported in part by charitable donations from the Ottawa community make it unique among Ontario universities. Founded in 1942, Carleton was created in response to the need to help provide the young people in Ottawa, many of whom had taken on jobs to cope with the pressures of the Depression, with an opportunity to continue their formal education.
From its humble beginnings on Ottawa’s First Avenue, Carleton has grown into a dynamic research and teaching institution with a tradition of anticipating and leading change. Today, the university sits on more than 100 acres, on a site between the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal, just a short distance from downtown Ottawa.
The university provides an excellent education and experience to its more than 24,000 full- and part-time students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Its more than 875 academic staff are recognized internationally for their scholarship and cutting-edge research in more than 50 disciplines.
Carleton’s reputation is built on its strengths in the fields of journalism, public affairs, international affairs, architecture and high technology. Its students benefit from the interdisciplinary, active, hands-on approach to teaching and research practiced by its faculty members and from the numerous partnerships the university has with the federal government, other universities and private sector partners.
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
Historical Timeline
Carleton’s future promises to be as bright and exciting as its past.
The YMCA Board of Directors appointed Dr. Tory as Chair of the College Grade Education Committee. The committee was to study the possibility of establishing a non-sectarian post-secondary institution for part-time evening study in Ottawa. At that time the YMCA was located at the current site of the Hotel Roxborough.
YMCA College Grade Education Committee became the Carleton College Committee with the adoption of the name “Carleton College” for the operations of the undergraduate program.
The Ottawa Association for the Advancement of Learning was established to assume the responsibility for the operation of Carleton College and later the Institute of Public Administration. At the same meeting, the first Board of Governors was elected, and Dr. Tory was appointed President and elected Chairman of the Board.
Classes began at the High School of Commerce (now Glebe Collegiate).
Established in the summer of 1943, the Institute of Public Administration opened its first classes on this date.
The College offered the first day classes as a series of special intensive Matriculation courses to returning veterans and hired full-time instructors to teach these courses.
During 1945-46, the College consolidated courses in arts, pure science, journalism, and applied science and engineering in a Faculty of Arts and Science, and reorganized the Institute of Public Administration as a Faculty of Public Administration.
Classes began at the first permanent location on 1st Avenue – formerly the Ottawa Ladies College (was used as a barracks for the Canadian Women’s Army Corps during the war).
First degrees were presented at the convocation ceremonies on this date – three in journalism and three in public administration.
The College committed itself to complete Major and Honours courses, the third year of the program being offered for the first time in 1947-48, the fourth year in 1948-49, and the fifth (Honours) year in 1949-50.
Harry and Wilson Southam donate 39 acres of land south of Dow’s Lake.
Dr. Henry Marshall Tory dies. His assistant and Vice-President of the College, Dr. Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum, is appointed by the Board of Governors to succeed him as President on February 18,1947.
The first full-time teaching appointments in the ranks of lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor became effective on this date.
School of Social Work established.
Formation of Senate. First Pass degrees in Arts, Science, and Commerce were conferred at May convocation.
Harry Stevenson Southam became first Chancellor.
The first Honours degrees in Arts, Science, and Commerce were conferred at May convocation.
Ravens won first Panda football game against the University of Ottawa.
The Carleton College Act was given royal assent. Carleton University was the first academic institution within the Queen’s Realms to be chartered in Her Majesty’s reign (April, 1952). The statute 1 Elizabeth II. c.18 of the Province of Ontario (amended in 1957 – see below) provided and defined the University’s powers including the power to grant degrees.
Establishment of the School of Public Administration.
The first honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the United Nations.
A.Y. Jackson and H. Northrop Frye received honorary degrees.
Dr. M.M. MacOdrum dies and is succeeded in an acting capacity for the 1955-56 academic year by the Dean of Arts and Science, Dr. James Alexander Gibson.
First Master’s degree awarded.
Sod-turning ceremony at the Rideau River campus site
After having been appointed earlier that year, Dr. Claude Thomas Bissell was officially installed as Carleton College’s fourth president on this date.
Establishment of the Institute of Canadian Studies.
School of Engineering established.
Carleton College became Carleton University when the Carleton College Act (see above) was amended to change the name.
Leslie Frost, Premier of Ontario, laid the cornerstone for the H.M. Tory Building. This was the first cornerstone ceremony on the new Rideau River campus.
Official dedication of the Maxwell MacOdrum Library. This was the first building to be completed at the new Rideau River campus.
A. D. Dunton appointed President of Carleton University. He was subsequently installed as President on the 7th of November, 1958.
Leslie M. Frost, Premier of Ontario, officially opened the Rideau River campus of Carleton University. The campus at that time consisted of the Henry Marshall Tory Building (Science), the Maxwell MacOdrum Library and the Norman Paterson Hall (Arts). Classes actually began at the new campus in September 1959.
Frank Patten, member of the original YMCA committee which established Carleton College, received an honorary degree.
The first Doctor of Philosophy degree (Mathematics) was conferred on Peter Ivan Fellegi, now a member of the Board of Governors. The first degrees in engineering were awarded.
First PhD in engineering awarded.
Students are accommodated in residences for the first time.
The formal opening of H.S. Southam Hall (including Alumni Theatre), University Commons, Lanark House, Renfrew House, the University Union (including the Gymnasium and recreational facilities), the extension to Norman Paterson Hall (Arts) and the sixth level of the Henry Marshall Tory Building (Science).
Academic units are reorganized into Faculties of Arts, Engineering, Science, and graduate studies. Committee on Soviet and East European Studies is established.
The formal opening of the C J. Mackenzie Building for Engineering. Classes were first held there in September 1964.
Opening of Grenville-Russell House – Student Residence.
Formal dedication of the E.W.R. Steacie Building (Chemistry). Classes began in the new building in September 1965.
First PhD in engineering awarded.
Classes began in the Herzberg Laboratories. Establishment of the School of International Affairs, School of Commerce, and Comparative Literature Committee.
Integration of St. Patrick’s College as a division of the Faculty of Arts, and of the School of Social Work on the St. Patrick’s campus.
Official opening of the Loeb Building.
Establishment of the School of Architecture. New University Government established with student representatives at all levels of the University system from departments to Board of Governors. Inauguration of the academic exchange agreement between Carleton and the University of Leningrad.
Former prime minister Lester B. Pearson became Chancellor.
Administration Building and the Environmental Laboratories (ELBA) opened.
Agreement completed between Carleton and the University of Ottawa to accept “visiting” students at the graduate level. Biochemistry degree program initiated. The Institute of Soviet and East European Studies is established.
Official opening of Dunton Tower.
Official opening of the University Centre (called the “Unicentre”)
School of Social Work moves to Rideau River Campus. Exchange program with the University de Savoie, Chambery, France, is inaugurated.
Official Opening of the Herzberg Laboratories
Installation of Carleton’s fifth President, Dr. Micheal Oliver.
First degrees in Architecture are awarded. School of Industrial Design is established. New physical recreation centre is opened.
Gerhard Herzberg became Chancellor.
Official opening of the Architecture Building.
Official opening of St. Patrick’s Building.
Faculty of Graduate Studies renamed Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. School of International Affairs renamed The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. St. Patrick’s College held first convocation ceremony at Rideau River campus. Exchange agreement with the International Cultural Institute, Budapest, Hungary, inaugurated. New Master’s programs in journalism, anthropology, and religion approved. Program leading to Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language established.
First students enrol in joint Master of Public Administration program offered in conjunction with the University of Ottawa. CKCU-Radio Carleton has FM license approved. New undergraduate programs in Canadian studies and computing science are introduced.
Creation of the Paterson Centre for International Programs to co-ordinate world-wide exchange programs. Division of the Faculty of Arts into the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences. First Master of Journalism degrees awarded.
Criminology and Corrections concentration (later renamed Criminology and Criminal Justice) begun at St. Patrick’s College.
School of Continuing Education established. Credit courses offered on cable television. Institute of Biochemistry established.
St. Patrick’s College ceased to operate as an academic unit of the University. Department of Film Studies established. Ph.D. program in English and French Canadian literature begun. Dr. James Downey is appointed President Pro Tempore for the period January 1 to May 15 until a replacement for Dr. Oliver is found.
Dr. William E. Beckel is appointed Carleton’s sixth President. He was installed on November 3,1979.
Undergraduate School of Computer Science established.
Robert Gordon Robertson became Chancellor.
Establishment of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Research and Graduate Studies in Chemistry and a joint Ph.D. program in Economics, both joint programs with the University of Ottawa. Establishment of the Computer Systems Engineering program in the Faculty of Engineering.
Establishment of the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Geoscience Studies leading to a Master’s and Ph.D. in Geology and a joint Master’s program in computer science in conjunction with the University of Ottawa. Carleton celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Establishment of four joint graduate programs with the University of Ottawa: the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Graduate Studies and Research in Biology; the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Graduate Studies and Research in Physics; the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Research and Graduate Studies in Electrical Engineering; and the Ottawa-Carleton Graduate Specialization in Neuroscience.
Two new combined Honours programs in the B.Sc. were introduced: Biology and Biotechnology, and Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Joint graduate programs with the University of Ottawa were established in the areas of civil engineering, mechanical and aeronautical engineering, and mathematics and statistics.
Master of Management Studies program established in the School of Business. The School of Public Administration offers a concentration in development administration in conjunction with the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
Official opening of the addition to the Herzberg Laboratories (School of Computer Science).
The Paterson Centre for International Programs is renamed Carleton International with the broader mandate to administer Carleton’s international activities in teaching and research.
Official opening of the Social Sciences Research Building.
The Institute of Women’s Studies is established. The undergraduate exchange agreement with the University of Ottawa undergoes major revisions and is significantly expanded.
A. Davidson Dunton, Carleton’s fourth president and director of the Institute of Canadian Studies, dies. The Arts Tower is renamed the Dunton Tower in his honour.
Canada’s first Bachelor of Engineering program in aerospace engineering is established. Bell Northern Research Ltd. and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council provide funding for an Industrial Research Chair in computer-aided engineering within the department of electronics. The departments of electronics and systems and computer engineering are major partners in the Telecommunications Research Institute of Ontario (TRIO), one of seven “centres of excellence” chosen by the provincial government for scientific research. The Faculty of Science introduces co-operative education programs in computer science and biochemistry/biotechnology.
Department of mechanical and aeronautical engineering renamed department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Institute of Political Economy is established. The Canadian Centre for Trade Policy and Law, a joint initiative of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and the University of Ottawa, is established. Carleton and Apple Canada Inc. form a partnership in the Apple Research Partnership program. Addition to Southam Hall completed
Dr. Robin H. Farquhar is appointed Carleton’s seventh President. He is subsequently installed on November 19,1989.
New Ph.D. program in computer science, offered jointly with the University of Ottawa, is established. Introduction of Bachelor of Social Work degree program. The Paul Menton Centre for Persons with Disabilities is opened. The Centre for Research in Particle Physics is established to carry on the work of the National Research Council’s large-scale physics projects.
Pauline Jewett became Chancellor.
Opening of the Life Sciences Research Building.
The University’s $30 million Challenge Fund campaign surpasses its goal, and a $1.5 million “enhancement” campaign is launched. Introduction of new M.A. programs in political economy, communication, legal studies, and applied language studies. The Faculty of Arts establishes two new schools: one for Studies in Art and Culture and the other for Comparative Literary Studies. The Centre for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry is formed. The Chair for Management in Technological Change is announced. International exchange agreements are formalized between Carleton, Laval, York, and British Columbia, and four Swedish Universities.
Opening of Stormont House and Dundas House – Student Residence.
Opening of the addition to the MacOdrum Library
Carleton celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies is established. School of Journalism renamed School of Journalism and Communication.
Centre for Aboriginal Education, Research and Culture is established.
New PhD program in public policy, first of its kind in Canada, offered by School of Public Administration.
Opening of Art Gallery in St. Patrick’s Building.
Opening of the Minto Centre for Applied Studies in Engineering
Establishment of the Centre for Memory Assessment.
Expansion of computing systems at Carleton, extending Internet and email access to all students and faculty.
Opening of Research Facility for Electron Microscopy.
Establishment of PhD program in Public Policy.
Carleton establishes an Institute of Neuroscience.
Opening of Carleton Technology and Training Centre (CTTC).
College of the Humanities established.
Richard Van Loon becomes President and Vice-Chancellor, serving until 2005.
Carleton receives its first Canada Research Chair appointment. Zhi Yuan Wang is appointed in Emerging Organic Materials.
Opening of Leeds House residence.
Opening of the H.H.J. Nesbitt Biology Building.
Opening of Prescott House residence.
Environment Canada’s National Wildlife Research Centre opens on campus.
Marc Garneau is named Chancellor.
Carleton and University of Ottawa award honorary degree to Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006.
David W. Atkinson becomes President and Vice-Chancellor.
Official opening of the Learning Commons in MacOdrum Library.
Board of Governors approves faculty status for the Sprott School of Business.
Samy Mahmoud serves as President (pro tempore) from 2006 to 2008.
Opening of Human Computer Interface (HCI) and the Centre for Advanced Studies in Visualization and Simulation (V-SIM).
Establishment of Bachelor of Arts in Greek and Roman Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Religion, Master’s concentration in Intelligence and National Security at the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, Game Development Stream in Computer Science.
The Science Student Success Centre is established.
Roseann O’Reilly Runte becomes President and Vice-Chancellor.
Opening of Frontenac House residence.
Carleton opens a $5-million, 6,500 square foot state-of-the-art lab in the Steacie Building.
Establishment of the Institute of African Studies.
Establishment of the Centre for Monetary and Financial Economics.
Department of Neuroscience established.
Opening of the Innovative Language and Brain Lab in Carleton’s School of Linguistics and Language Studies and the Institute of Cognitive Science.
Launch of Carleton’s Centre of Excellence in Indo-Canadian Relations.
Canal Building opens.
Establishment of Canada’s first Carillon program in Carleton’s Bachelor of Music program.
Establishment of doctoral program in Legal Studies.
Opening of the River Building, later renamed Richcraft Hall.
Carleton opens lab in Collaboration with Hydro Ottawa – the Hydro Ottawa Laboratory for Smart Grid Technologies.
Establishment of the Institute of Health: Science, Technology, Policy to administer the new graduate program of the same name.
Carleton launches first-in-Canada Graduate Degree in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership.
Opening of Ojigkwanong Indigenous Student Centre, designed by renowned architect Douglas Cardinal.
Carleton opens new 11,000-square-foot Fitness Centre.
Carleton revives its football team after a hiatus since 1998.
Opening of renovated and expanded MacOdrum Library.
Sprott School of Business launches new Entrepreneur Accelerator facility.
Sprott launches the Sprott MBA in Bogotà, Colombia, in conjunction with the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administració (CESA).
Establishment of Institute of Data Science.
Opening of Mass Spectrometry Centre.
Opening of the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship.
Opening of the Ottawa Research Room in MacOdrum Library.
Grand opening of the Urbandale Centre for Home Energy Research.
Establishment of new master’s concentration in Indigenous Policy and Administration.
First Master of Accounting Class graduates at fall Convocation.
Announcement of New Open Space Lab.
Launch of Program for Climate Change Scholars in Sub-Saharan Africa and Canada.
Establishment of the Global Water Institute.
Establishment of Diploma Program in Curatorial Studies in conjunction with the National Art Gallery of Canada.
Carleton celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Official opening of the Health Sciences Building.
Benoit-Antoine Bacon appointed as 15th President and Vice-Chancellor.
Yaprak Baltacioğlu appointed as Carleton’s 12th Chancellor.
Carleton purchases the Dominion-Chalmers United Church building.
Opening of the ARISE building (Advanced Research and Innovation in Smart Environments).
The Book Arts Lab opens in MacOdrum Library.
The Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre is renovated and opens as a performing arts and community space.
Release of final report of the Carleton University Strategic Indigenous Initiatives Committee, Kinamagawin (Learning Together).
Men’s basketball team defeats Dalhousie, giving the Ravens their 15th national basketball championship in the last 18 seasons.