Aiming to highlight the international focus of its programs and studies, Carleton University recently announced the Faculty of Public Affairs will now be known as the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs (FPGA).
Brenda O’Neil, the dean of the newly renamed faculty, announced the significant change for the institution on July 3.
In a video message distributed to students within the faculty and displayed on the FPGA website, O’Neil called the renaming “a new start for us and a new future.”
Established in 1997, the Faculty of Public Affairs originally united 12 departments and schools within Carleton.
Over the years, it has grown to offer an array of academic programs, offering more than 80 degree programs and 800 courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.
The renaming is meant to better encapsulate the global nature of FPGA programs, researchers, students and alumni, according to the FPGA website.
“You can think of the Bachelor of Global and International Studies, in which we encourage our students to take a term or have an experience somewhere else in the world,” O’Neil said.
O’Neil also pointed to the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, with its focus on diplomacy and international relations.
In addition to highlighting the international focus within its programs, the renamed faculty’s mission is to build better democracy, improve governance, foster informed citizenship and address global challenges, according to its website.
“Adding global into our name also provides a better sense of one part of our mission, which is to address regional and global challenges,” O’Neil said.
According to the FPGA website, the name change is only the first step in transforming the faculty, and a full strategic plan will be shared in the coming months.
Featured image by Arno Ryser/The Charlatan.
