A glimpse into Carleton’s history of community engagement.
For the past 80 years, Carleton has been dedicated to engaging with communities. In 1942, the university was built by, for and with the community to meet the needs of veterans returning from World War II to enter a new post-war economy. This deep connection to community continues to be an integral part of Carleton’s story. As a public institution, it is our responsibility to generate, preserve and share knowledge, understanding that knowledge is created by and for society as a whole. Our collective effort is critical to solving our challenges and uplifting everyone. As such, Carleton is here to Serve Ottawa and Serve the World, a key direction for the university as defined by the Strategic Integrated Plan (SIP).
Our past and ongoing work in community engagement is truly extensive. Our engagement with communities will continue to move naturally throughout the university, with the Centre for Community Engagement aiming to help support, promote and measure these efforts in a strategic way. From the formation of the Community Based Research Network of Ottawa in 2000, to the important groundwork laid in The Oxygen of Community Report in 2009, to a campus wide Community Engaged Pedagogy Group established in 2011, a continuous thread of dedication and enthusiasm links us all to community-engaged work at Carleton.
Not only does our Strategic Integrated Plan prominently feature community engagement, but other institution-wide plans speak to the SIP’s aspirations concerning community engagement. These include the Kinàmàgawin Report; International Strategic Plan; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan; Coordinated Accessibility Strategy and Sustainability Plan, among many other important initiatives.