Our Support Staff
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said “Change is the only constant in life”. While every year brings its fair share of changes, the 2016-2017 academic year was noteworthy in many ways. With a new President at its helm, not to mention an impressive number of organizational and systems changes, our University is reshaping itself for the future. What I find particularly remarkable is how, as a team, our Faculty was able to work together over the past year to ensure that we stay on top of, and even ahead of these changes.
Thanks to its active involvement in addressing everything from student experience to professors’ support, and from budgets to operations, our administrative personnel, across the Faculty, enriched strategic discussions with creative ideas and insights on how best to adapt to this new reality.
As I think back on all that was accomplished, I am filled with gratitude for the solid work done by Faculty staff who might have come and gone, but who have left their mark through the judicious planning and dedication, which has helped us be in the solid position we are in today. I also feel much esteem for the invaluable expertise contributed by all our employees who infuse our day-to-day operations with their hard work, professionalism and an especially dynamic spirit.
While we know the next few years will bring on more challenges, I cannot think of a better team with which to be surrounded by to face these changes with resilience, efficiency and brio.
Lastly, in the name of the Faculty of Social Sciences’ administrative personnel, I wish to thank the Dean, the vice-deans, the directors, professors and researchers who shoulder us, day after day, as we carry out our Faculty’s mission and functions in the best interest of our students.
JoAnne St-Gelais, Chief Administrative Officer
Finances
The Faculty has an operating budget of over $56 million and a research and trust fund budget over $10 million.
- Operating Budget $56 268 607
- Research and Trust Funds (managed by the Faculty of Social Sciences) $10 500 000
History of the Faculty and its Academic Units
The social sciences have enjoyed a distinguished history at the University of Ottawa, one that begins with the creation of the School of Political Sciences in 1936. Over time, the founding disciplines, such as political science and psychology, have become the heart of the Faculty; however, they were established before the Faculty itself existed. It was not until 1955, with the addition of the Department of Economics, the Department of Sociology and the Department of Political Science, that the Faculty of Social Sciences was formed. In the following decades, from 1968 to 2008, the Faculty grew by six more academic units. Today the Faculty has nine units, including two departments, six schools and one institute, all of which foster interdisciplinary work.