Carleton is pushing ahead with its vision for the future, including new campus spaces for a health sciences undergraduate program, as outlined in the university’s new strategic mandate agreement.
The agreement between Carleton and the Ontario government sets out expectations around where the university is planning to develop and what its strategic directions are for the next three years, Carleton provost and vice-president (academic) Peter Ricketts said.
Carleton’s strategic mandate submission outlined five areas for focus and future growth: health science, international studies, information management and digital media, business, entrepreneurship and governance, and advanced technology.
The health science focus will begin to be realized in September 2014, when a new undergraduate program is scheduled to begin.
The new bachelor of health sciences program is intended to provide students with essential skills for a range of health careers.
As part of Carleton’s strategic mandate submission, the university said they will focus any available provincial capital funding on health science initiatives, according to Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities spokesperson Tanya Blazina.
Carleton vice-president (finance and administration) Duncan Watt said there has not been any decision made to construct a new space, nor has a location been determined, but the Faculty of Science has identified a need for additional space for the program.
“This will evolve over the next couple of months,” he said via email.
Carleton president Roseann Runte said no further decisions have been made at this time regarding the building, as the university is at the very initial stages of putting plans together.
She said the next task is to seek funding.
Carleton is also focusing its energies on expanding global and international studies.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is finalizing a bachelor of global and international studies.
Ricketts said the new program is a “key element” in growing Carleton’s liberal arts and an important part of the strategic mandate.
“Even as we increase the number of science and engineering students, they’re still proportionally smaller than students in the other programs,” Ricketts said.
The program is set to begin accepting students September 2015.
