By Johanne Adam
“The Francophonie must return to being central to the University’s mission,” says Linda Cardinal, who holds the research chair in Canadian Francophonie and public policies.
Professor Cardinal reached this conclusion after consulting 33 different groups and individuals throughout the University. She doggedly pursued this internal research at the request of uOttawa President and Vice-Chancellor Jacques Frémont, who sought to better understand the situation of the Francophonie at the University.
This in-depth investigation is the basis for Professor Cardinal’s proposed action plan, which aims to refine the Francophone mandate of the institution, from both a Canadian and an international perspective. The University of Ottawa must ensure that since the Francophonie is one of its strategic priorities, it is given due consideration in all of its activities.
“The Francophonie boosts the University’s position, in Ontario, across Canada and internationally," said Jacques Frémont. "It is also a remarkably enriching aspect of life on campus that benefits our entire University community."
Recommendations
One of the report’s 40 recommendations is to adopt a more targeted approach to recruiting Francophone and Francophile students. Professor Cardinal stressed the importance of improving the student experience – in French.
“We must ensure a high level of quality, whether we’re talking about the range of courses, the teaching tools used, or even the scheduling of courses taught in French,” she said. “The University must also regularly assess its own actions.
“When a course taught in French is assigned a less-than-appealing timeslot, the number of students enrolled in it drops, which greatly increases the likelihood of its cancellation. This is less of a problem for courses taught in English because the pool of Anglophone students is much larger.”
Professor Cardinal also noted that the University’s website must highlight the importance of French on campus. “We must do a better job of communicating messages to this effect to our target audiences,” she said.
Another recommendation suggested that the University seek out donors to create a fund dedicated to hosting events on the dialogue between Francophone languages and cultures around the world.
The report also recommended the hiring of a Chief Francophonie and French Services Officer to implement the action plan.
“We want to implement all of the proposed actions within the next three-to-five years,” said Linda Cardinal.