Carleton University Ottawa

College & Education

North America, Canada, Ottawa

Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has been consistently ranked among the top ten comprehensive universities in Canada. More than 2000 faculty members instruct some 23,000 students drawn from over 147 countries, studying for a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral degree. The University is named after Carleton County, Ontario, which included the city of Ottawa at the time Carleton was founded. Carleton County, in turn, was named in honour of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, an early Governor-General of British North America. Past chancellors include two Nobel laureates; pioneering scientist Gerhard Herzberg and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, as well as six Order of Canada recipients. The Right Honourable Herb Gray, Canada's longest-serving continuous Member of Parliament, former Cabinet minister in the Trudeau, Turner, and Chrétien governments, former Deputy Prime Minister, and acting Leader of the Opposition, is the current Chancellor of the University. Dr. Roseann Runte was appointed the university's president on January 8, 2008, succeeding David W. Atkinson and his pro tempore (acting) successor Samy Mahmoud, the previous Vice-President (academic). In 2010, the Times World University Rankings placed Carleton in the 201st position (tying with the University of Maryland) as well as the 10th position in Canada.