Latest News
- Category: Latest News
Lavagnon Ika is a Full Professor of Project Management and founding director of the new Observatory on Large-Scale Projects at the Telfer School of Management, who makes a difference at the school and beyond when it comes to his research, teaching, and practice. His research interest focuses on the evolution of complex projects that have developed around the globe. He is also affiliated with the uOttawa School of International Development and Global Studies. Ika holds both a MSc and a PhD in project management from the Université du Québec.
Mastering Hurdles in Life
Last year, Professor Ika came across Bruce Feiler’s bestselling book Life is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at any Age: “It resonated with the story of my life as a Black faculty member of African descent in Canada.” Almost twenty-five years ago, just after the ice storm crisis, he arrived in Canada to pursue a master’s degree. That transition was not always easy as he faced a number of hurdles to prove his academic excellence. These obstacles did not deter him from pursuing his dreams. A few years later, Professor Ika found himself doing his PhD.
“As a project management scholar, I was well aware that project planners and managers end up underestimating the times, costs, and challenges of such big endeavours, only to sometimes ‘stumble into success’ as Albert Hirschman, the late economist and social scientist said,” shared Professor Ika. Ironically, his own PhD turned out to be a very complex project to manage; first, it was not easy to gain access to the data around World Bank funded project management. Finding researchers who were experts on international development projects proved to be another struggle to form his thesis committee. Financial challenges forced him to commute to the National Capital region for a part-time teaching position while having to attend classes in Montréal. However, his hard work and excellence were rewarded. Professor Ika was proud to receive two prestigious competitive doctoral scholarships. After stumbling on many difficulties that delayed the completion of his doctoral studies, he defended his thesis and won several academic awards. Before his long-awaited defense, he got a tenure-track position at the Université du Québec, then he later joined the University of Ottawa.
Valuing Inclusion in Academia
Professor Ika also overcame challenges of being different in the academic environment in Canada: “As a Black faculty member, I am well aware that we have a long way to go in terms of equity in Academia.” A 2017 study has recently shown that discrimination remains a complex phenomenon in higher education in Canada. Reflecting on many situations that were personally discouraging for him, Professor Ika says that we need to have these difficult conversations in a constructive manner: “The representation of BIPOC in the students, faculty and staff communities is a work in progress at Canadian universities.”
One positive example that he notes is called Dimensions; it is a government-led initiative that supports post-secondary institutions that are collectively seeking to drive cultural change and increase equity and diversity within the research ecosystem. Professor Ika believes that it is also important to implement these strategies into actions. “Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is a long-term transformation that requires changing behaviours and tackling bias and prejudice at all levels,” he says.
Mentoring Others and Conducting Impactful Research
Professor Ika champions equity and inclusion in his teaching, research, and leadership activities: “Some of the challenges I faced made me more understanding of the hardships that many students and colleagues go through.” In class, he works hard to integrate students into diverse teams so that they can learn to work with people from different backgrounds. Professor Ika has also mentored several BIPOC graduate students, including a very bright young man who was struggling to establish himself in the job market. Professor Ika helped the recent graduate to secure a very well-paid job, became a close friend, and still advises him today.
When asked what he would advise to junior colleagues who arrive from other cultures, Professor Ika focuses on the importance of persistence and mentorship. “Always tell yourself that you can make it, tap into your creativity to that end, and never stop fighting.” He has encountered many supportive colleagues who opened their doors and offered insights and advice. “Find a mentor to help you navigate the complexities and uncertainties of academic life,” he adds.
Professor Ika is also proud of having become a well-established researcher in the area of project management in Canada, Africa, and other global economies. Beyond his many recognized research contributions in the field, he is also an engaged scholar who is having an impact: “I was motivated to study projects in the global South because when I was younger, I always wondered about how these large international development projects had varying degrees of success,” he shares. He collaborates with several African universities to expand the knowledge of project management and to improve education programs offered to academics and practitioners. Ultimately, these investments can help address issues pertaining to project management capacity and infrastructure development.
Professor Ika is an academic leader whose research, teaching, and practice contribute to advancing our knowledge of project management are recognized across the world. As a result, he was recently invited by the Minister of Higher Education in Guinea to share his knowledge on project management. He also worked with the African Capacity Building Foundation, to evaluate and enhance capacity building standards. He is currently a World Bank Research Fellow, sharing research insights to help the organization strengthen its project management systems.
Professor Ika is not only excelling in his field and pushing the frontiers of impactful research, but he is also inspiring the next generation of academics to push all frontiers.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
MSc Systems Science graduate (uOttawa, 2012) and Data Analyst at Baker Tilly Ottawa LLP, Abtin Shakiba, recently received a 2021 Ottawa Award from Faces Magazine for Best Data Analyst in Ottawa. Abtin happily shared his achievement on LinkedIn and was congratulated by his proud employer.
Abtin specializes in onboarding and engaging with clients for growth and expansion. He enjoys helping clients efficiently solve their problems while offering consultative services to enable cost and time savings with the use of data and analytics.
Abtin works on projects across various verticles, applying advanced data analytics, technologies, data intelligence, data mining, data modelling, algorithms, automation, and visualizing tools. He is passionate about building his clients’ trust in comprehensive data products and services, while emphasizing education and developing more sophisticated and scalable tools to tackle complex data problems within the industry.
The Journey of Ottawa’s Top Data Analyst
After obtaining his Bachelor of Honours studying E-Commerce in Malaysia, he completed his Masters in Systems Science Engineering in 2012, a joint program from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering and the Telfer School of Management. During his Masters, he worked closely with his thesis supervisor, Telfer Professor Sandra Schillo. Abtin shared: “I always enjoy the numbers and relations between them. However, the journey started at the University of Ottawa when I was doing my Master's thesis under Professor Sandra Schillo’s supervision. We gather, collect and analyze the numbers to search for questions and solutions for real-world problems.” He also reflected that he gained the ability to look at questions from different angles: “I learned to look at the questions from different perspectives, think outside of the box, learn life lessons, and develop and hone my skills.”
Upon reflection of his journey up until his Ottawa Award achievement, Abtin noted: “I started working in a couple of startup organizations (I highly suggest it to everyone), which helped me build my professional network and slowly move up in my personal and professional life. I kept in contact with friends from university, classmates, professors, subject matter experts and anyone who taught me something new. Those were the people who nominate and support me, and I will be there for them when they need me.
Abtin continued to work with Professor Schillo when she brought him onto a research project she was working on in the area of biofuels. Professor Schilo shared her experience working with Abtin on the project: “the data we were looking for was hard to find. Abtin had to dig quite a bit to find the data we were looking for.” In 2017, Professor Schillo, Abtin and Professor Diane Isabelle from Carleton University’s business school would see their publication, “Linking advanced biofuels policies with stakeholder interests: A method building on Qualty Function Deployment”, shared in Elsevier’s Energy Policy. The paper discusses advanced biofuels and the impact it has on Canadian decision-makers in the renewable energy industry.
Professor Schillo was thrilled to see Abtin’s latest win: “I am very proud of Abtin’s accomplishment. He works incredibly hard, which is the reason why he would have received such an award. He is a team player who has always been passionate about continuous learning, and I have a lot of respect for him after working together over the years during his thesis, on our publication, and when he was a teaching assistant for one of my classes.”
In conclusion, Abtin shared his takeaways when it comes to career development: “No matter where you work, when you start and where you are in your life, the hard work, professionalism, and grinding will always show themselves when you least expect it.”
Congratulations to Abtin on his exciting achievement, and we wish him continued success in his career.
- Category: Latest News
Abdul-Aziz Garuba Jr. is a strong business leader who leaves an indelible mark on those who interact with him. He graduated from the Telfer School of Management in 2008, where he obtained his BCom with two specializations in Accounting and Finance. He then went on to complete his MBA at Queen’s University in 2012 and earned his CPA designation in 2013. Aziz is currently the Director of Cost Transformation and Reporting Finance for RBC Capital Markets.
Standing out in the crowd
Aziz had been a very shy kid, but when he joined the Telfer School of Management, he quickly realized that he had to find ways to be heard and present if he was to succeed in a business career. Therefore, he emersed himself fully in the university experience. To challenge his comfort zone, Aziz signed up for the Telfer Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE), and became VP Finance and eventually President of the Telfer Student Council (CéTSC)
The added benefit of getting involved in these extra-curricular activities was that he was able to connect with people and enjoy his student experience. Upon reflection of his experiences as a Telfer student, Aziz shared: “I also felt that I needed to build something beyond grades to set myself apart; being involved gave me a lot of leadership exposure and other skill sets that you don’t necessarily learn in class.”
Making a difference for other students
His engagement outside of the class offered him opportunities to have an impact; Aziz also discovered that he wanted to leave a mark behind and uplift others. This became the guiding principle of his leadership journey. “The School gave me the foundation for my future, and all the things I was able to do there set the foundation for my character,” shared Aziz.
At the beginning, making a difference meant to take small but important steps to enhance the student experience within the student council and for clubs at Telfer. Aziz helped to spruce up and paint the outdated student council office, which was situated in the basement of the Vanier building at the time. Later, he was able to influence the university student association to direct more funding to Telfer student clubs to help improve student activities.
Aziz also realized that there were very few Black students on campus. He met Omar Hashem at Telfer at the time. Both young students were originally from Africa, and they both wished to encourage a diverse group of bright students to apply to Telfer. Upon his graduation in 2008, they established the Garuba-Hashem Admission Scholarship, a funding opportunity for students of African descent interested in pursuing a BCom at the University of Ottawa.
After moving to Toronto, Aziz continued to support fellow alumni. “I joined the Dean’s Advisory Board and signed up for many events organized by the Toronto Telfer Alumni Association because I wanted to help ensure that Bay Street companies considered recruiting Telfer graduates.”
A diversity and inclusion advocate on Bay Street
One of the engagement activities that mostly tapped into Aziz’s passion was his involvement with the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP). He was the president of CAUFP for two years and, more recently, sat on its advisory board. He leveraged his Telfer education and helped the organization increase corporate sponsorship. Through some of his strategic and leadership insights, the organization added a lot of value to the community: “We elevated this non-for-profit organization and built on the importance of having a representation of Black professionals on Bay Street,” says Aziz.
Today, Aziz makes sure the voices and messages of Black professionals are being heard in Made to Lead, a podcast he produces and hosts. “I wanted to tell the stories of leaders of African descent from around the world who were under-the-radar and to highlight that these are some of the hidden gems that you may not even know,” he says. By connecting with each of these leaders on a personal level, he believes everyone can collaborate better, understand other life experiences, and appreciate diversity.
Aziz shared that these principles can also be applied to the workplace: “It is not that we need to recruit BIPOC people to fill this diversity situation, but it’s because they bring a whole different perspective that can help the bottom line.” Many Canadian corporations came to this sudden realization when the Black Lives Matter movement erupted in 2020, but Aziz agrees that a lot of progress is still needed.
Aziz’s suggestions to corporate organizations that seek to foster a more equitable and diverse workplace for Canadians: First, corporate leaders should acknowledge the gaps that still exist and recognize that a lot of great talent has been marginalized in the Black and Indigenous communities as a result of systemic issues. Second, he calls for more public transparency: “Companies should start collecting and reporting diversity and equity data instead of sharing information that suits their own needs.” Finally, he believes companies can collaborate with not-for-profit organizations that help bring in this diverse talent.
“Representation matters,” Aziz says, especially for our younger generations. “Young people may make a decision about the career choices just by the mere fact that they have seen someone that looks like them in that workspace,” he adds. Aziz continues to set an example through his passion for diversity in the corporate community and leads his inspiration podcast with conviction as he brings key stories of notable professionals to life.
- Category: Latest News
Madison Shearer and LeShaun Bernett, both in their third-year of studies at the University of Ottawa, are two of the choreographers responsible for the success of this year’s amazing CASCO fundraising production. Despite the pandemic disrupting their usual annual gala plans, the team managed to raise an impressive $53,524 for CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario), just $9,000 short of their last year’s donation.
A digital pivot for Telfer Nation’s biggest charity fundraiser
For the past 21 years, the Telfer student-run initiative, CASCO Charity Organization, has produced an annual gala show, putting the spotlight on the talents of students from various programs at the University of Ottawa. The much-anticipated soirée is an evening of song, dance and fashion, and succeeds in unifying students, business professionals and community members who share the common goal of providing support for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
However, because of the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, the members of CASCO knew that hosting an in-person gala wasn’t going to be an option for the 2020 edition. They also knew that not doing anything at all for the children of CHEO was even less of an option, but trying to hold the 4-hour gala online was likely not going to capture the attention or produce the results they were after. So they went back to the drawing board, and with the creativity and dedication of their members, the organization completely re-invented the format of the 20 year-long tradition.
Meet Madison and LeShaun
Madison Shearer and LeShaun Bernett joined the CASCO Charity Organization three and two years ago, respectively, and have both played a vital role in the development and choreography of the this year’s adaptation of the CASCO Gala video series entitled “The Show Must Go On” that released a new performance each week between November 2nd and December 21st across all of their media platforms.
Madison, a third-year student at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Arts undertaking a joint Honours degree in Communication and Sociology, joined the Telfer Nation community when she became a member of the CASCO team in her very first year of studies at uOttawa. She enjoyed her first gala experience so much that in the following year she came back again, this time with her friend and dance teammate LeShaun Bernett, also a third-year student completing his Health Sciences Major with a Minor in Psychology at uOttawa.
While the pair had participated as dancers during the previous years’ galas, it is fair to say that their work as choreographers for the 2020 edition would come with unprecedented challenges. From video chat auditions to physical distancing rehearsal restrictions, there were a lot of trials and errors and just as many lessons learned. “At Gala, you would have the support of an entire technical team, but in our version, it was just us, so we were doing everything from the choreography, to the lighting and smoke machines, sometimes outside in freezing conditions, and many times over 6 consecutive hours”, explained Madison. Despite these challenges, the results were well worth it; Regardless of not being able to perform live and with the entire team together at the Gala like usual, the digital pivot made by CASCO was a monumental success resulting in thousands of views and some of the videos still being shared months after the event.
“While this will never replace the in-person magic and excitement that is a gala night”, said Madison who can’t wait to go back to an in-person event, “this allowed us to step out of our comfort zone and show that we can be innovative.” Echoing her comments about how special the in-person event is in comparison to the digital one, LeShaun also acknowledges the opportunities that a virtual-live hybrid model could mean for the future of CASCO. “For instance, the digital release of the videos gave us the opportunity to have a much broader audience, and for people back at home to be able to see what we actually do and why we do it - that felt very validating.”
Regardless of if the next edition of CASCO Gala will be a live one or not, we can be certain that it will be fuelled by the passion and dedication of amazing Telfer Nation members who just like Madison and LeShaun, will ensure the 22-year-old legacy keeps going strong. “This is the first time I felt that dancing was doing something for my community, doing something bigger than me”, shared Madison. “Dancing is a very competitive world”, added LeShaun, “but in CASCO, we get to showcase this talent in a different light where winning is not about winning a trophy, but making a difference instead.”
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Congratulations to Telfer PhD graduate Vusal Babashov on the successful completion of his PhD in Management. He defended his thesis on practical problems in healthcare analytics just a few weeks ago.
First of many PhD graduates
The thesis defense was conducted on January 18th as Vusal presented a quick overview of his thesis followed by two rounds of questioning by the examiners. Satisfied with his answers, they unanimously agreed that he had successfully defended his thesis. He will be the first student to have officially completed his doctoral degree at the Telfer School of Management.
Vusal began his health systems research in 2016 when the Telfer PhD in Management was first created. Upon reflection of his time at Telfer, Vusal shared: “It has been an incredible four years of PhD that was challenging and somewhat stressful at times. It's a long, but unique experience you draw upon not only to become a domain expert in your area of research, but also to become a better person who is self-motivated and who develops problem-solving and leadership skills. There is certainly a lot to learn from this experience. I'm deeply grateful to everyone including my supervisors for the support and guidance along this journey. I'm glad that I've been able to reach the finish line in this marathon, and I wish the best of luck to other doctoral candidates.”
The Finish Line
Vusal worked closely with his supervisors, Dr. Jonathan Patrick, Telfer Full Professor and Vice-Dean of the Faculty, and Assistant Professor Dr. Antoine Sauré, throughout his thesis journey. Dr. Patrick, shared his thoughts about his collaboration with Vusal: “It was a source of great satisfaction to watch Vusal defend his thesis. The development of a thesis worthy of defense is a long, hard process. Every research endeavour has its roadblocks - promising avenues that go nowhere, puzzling components that take months to figure out - and I know that there were many times along the way where Vusal was tempted to call it quits. It is a testament to his character that he persevered and is now able to reap the benefits of that determination. So congratulations Vusal on becoming the first graduate of Telfer's PhD program!”
Dr. Sauré described his pride for Vusal’s accomplishment: “Vusal’s experience, dedication, and determination to master new concepts, and desire to make a positive difference with his work will make him an excellent professional in his chosen career path. I expect him to continue contributing to our field in many different and valuable ways.”
Vusal has until February 18th to complete the revisions he received at the thesis presentation, which will then be approved by his supervisors before official submission to the University of Ottawa’s Library.
Thesis topic:
Three Practical Problems in Healthcare Analytics
Examiners:
Associate Professor Gilles Reinhardt at the University of Ottawa
Associate Professor Jonathan Li at the University of Ottawa
Assistant Professor Onur Ozturk at the University of Ottawa
Associate Professor Peter Vanberkel at Dalhousie University
Co-Supervisors:
Full Professor Jonathan Patrick at the University of Ottawa
Assistant Professor Antoine Sauré at the University of Ottawa
Chair:
Full Professor Samia Chreim at the University of Ottawa
Date of oral defence:
Monday, January 18th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Vusal is the first of many PhD students that will be completing their doctoral studies starting this year at Telfer. We are extremely proud of all of our PhD candidates, and look forward to their continued success.
Stay tuned for more to come on this amazing milestone. Congratulations to all faculty, staff, and students who helped Vusal throughout his candidacy and made this journey possible.
- Category: Latest News
Gaëlle Faye has been an integral staff member at the Telfer Career Centre since starting her role as Career Engagement Coordinator in early 2019. Her commitment to students shines through in her one-on-one discussion with students, her Instagram Live appearances on Telfer’s account, and in her many accomplishments both during her time as a student and as a staff member.
As a former Telfer student herself, she uses her personal experiences at Telfer to provide advice and share opportunities with current students, particularly those that come from marginalized groups like international students and francophones. As a francophone and woman of colour herself, she relates to several students with these elements in common, and she is passionate about making sure that they are not only aware of the many opportunities that are available at Telfer and at the University of Ottawa but that they also take advantage of them and get involved.
As a manager of the Connexions and Career Centre Ambassador programs at the Career Centre, Gaëlle has worked closely with several students, many of whom have chosen to come study in Canada from another country; these students are often facing challenges like looking for a job in a new country, learning how to network with prospective employers, finding an internship or other relevant job experience to add to their resumes. “I met with a student recently that was extremely nervous about networking and not sure where to start. I told her that I too was an international student once, and directed her to speak with one of our Relationship Managers and our Professional Development Coordinator who focuses on assisting international students to help point her in the right direction. You don’t have to be an ‘international student’ forever. You can gain experience to then become immersed in the Canadian job market and get involved in several opportunities at the school.”
During her time as a student, Gaëlle was highly involved, spending four years as part of the Telfer Finance Society, representing undergraduate students on the Telfer's School Council’s monthly meetings during her third year, a University of Ottawa Student Ambassador for three years, and a member of the University of Ottawa Model African Union for two years before becoming an advisor for the organization, and a member of President Fremont’s uOttawa’s Ad Hoc Committee for Equity & Diversity. She felt it was important for students of all backgrounds to be more involved in clubs, on organizing committees, and at school events. She took most of her classes in French, seeing as it is an important part of her identity, but also to provide her with an opportunity to passionately advocate for her fellow francophone classmates to get involved in activities on campus.
She is currently an advisor for the University of Ottawa International Model African Union. During her time as a delegate and Vice-Chair, she not only represented uOttawa on the world stage but she has also been active with uOttawa Student Life to ensure this program happens each year (in previous years it was not always available) as it promotes diversity on campus. She is also advocating for it to be opened up to more students at uOttawa, with the support of the University. Along with fellow advisors, she is collaborating with the University to include this opportunity as part of the newest African Studies minor at uOttawa.
In addition to all of these amazing accomplishments that have led her to become an exceptional role model for the students she interacts with at the Career Centre, one of her proudest accomplishments thus far was representing the University of Ottawa in Egypt at the World Youth Forum in December 2019. She was chosen by the Egyptian government, amongst 300,000 applicants. Gaëlle represented Canada, and her native country, Senegal, in this international forum of 7,000 people from 150 different countries. This opportunity, fully-funded by the Egyptian government, allowed her to travel to Egypt for two weeks where she networked with other attendees and attended sessions about the latest in world innovation, technology, development, and more.
Gaëlle continues to lead with passion, driven by her belief in Telfer’s mission for building a Better Canada. “Telfer really is a community where anyone who comes into it feels this sense of belonging. It is a smaller community within Canada that reflects Canadian culture of inclusiveness, and a place of equality that is open to everyone.”
- Category: Telfer Announcements
By Dorra Jlouli, Ing, Agr, MBA
Part-Time Professor at the Telfer School of Management, uOttawa
Telfer School of management MBA’s students in the course Leadership & Management - MBA5636 – felt proud this semester about experiencing an interactive online simulation to acquire leadership skills preparing them to successfully lead change management process in their organisation!
« We are very proud to have been part of the first group in North America to complete Wallbreakers Leadership online simulation.! » said Vickie L. , Mireille N., Cherlande R and Charlotte K., candidates to MBA 2022, Telfer School of management. I warmly thank the University of Ottawa and Professor Dorra Jlouli for providing us with this rich experience as part of our MBA journey", added Mireille N.
Who had not faced challenges while managing one’s team resistance caused by a major process of organisation’s change ? Our recent context of COVID-19 is the best shared example.
Innovate in our way of teaching
The recent move to the online training in our Ottawa University was itself a significant change that had a major impact on the teaching methods we have been using. That said, this context was also a great opportunity forcing us to lead with innovative ways of teaching. The Funding Program for Pedagogical Innovation of Telfer School of Management supported our initiatives to innovate in our way of teaching. My certification for using and facilitating a workshop with Wallbreakers leadership simulation was supported by this innovation Fund. It’s an excellent example proving the efficiency of learning by action where the students enjoy the game while learning leadership skills.
"And honestly, I would r'ank this method at the top of the list for learning change management and leadership in general! ”, said Arlette G.
How does it work?
Prior to the two day simulation workshop, the students learnt the different theory related to leadership and change management that they need to practice during the simulation. We went especially through the Gauleman leadership styles, disc® 8 dimensions of leadership , Ungian-Inspired Personality Types, Rick Maurer approach to change management, Jand ohn Kotter’s Eight Accelerators.
During the workshop, the students are divided into 4 teams where every team represents the manager of one of the major four departments of the company who have to lead the change and overcome the resistance of their 10 employee who have recently heard about a fusion between their company and an unknown one. The buses, the game’s metaphor for the department, are presented with different colours (green, red, yellow and violet).
The students are competing and every team see simultaneously the way the other teams are managing their change process. What you see inside the buses are not pieces of Lego game, but the employee. The students have to move forward the buses from the first phase of the change process (The Start-up phase) to the last one (the anchoring one). They are challenged to keep as many employees as inside the bus during the hole process of change. That’s a continued challenge as the “virtual employee” resist all along the three phases of the change process.
The students have to manage both the gear they decide to use to move the buses forward (the speed of managing the change) and to take the suitable leadership action to manage their employee’s resistance. They immediately see the effect of their decision in terms of employee resistance as shown below.The only way to overcome their employee resistance is to choose the suitable leadership decision to bring their employee back to the bus “their department”.
“Through a practical case on managing a merger of two companies, I had fun using the Wallbreakers tool. This allowed our team to have real-time feedback from employees on our various decisions and to regularly adjust our actions in order to get everyone on board ” Said Pierre C.H.
The debriefing session following the simulation is as important, if not even more important than the simulation itself, as the students synthetize on their experience, share their lessons learned, realize and understand the consequences of their leadership decisions and comment on their own leadership style and how it affects the team dynamic. They make the connection between the theory and their active learning experience.
How does it benefit MBA students?
“The Wallbreakers simulation allowed us to exercise our different styles of leadership and to understand that the situational leadership was the one that best suited team mobilization and goal achievement. “ Said Charlotte K., candidate to MBA 2022.
For MBA Students, who have already an experience in management, the active learning methods such using simulations is suitable. Indeed, it offers them a similar environment of a real professional situation they might had experienced. This stimulates their learning capacity by helping them to make some connections with their own experience. They learn from their mistakes and capitalise on their success.
"The Wallbreakers experience allowed me to put the theoretical concepts I learned in the course into action immediately. We had the opportunity to have several important team discussions on change management and leadership that will be useful throughout my career path.", said Justin Thibault, candidate to MBA 2022.
“Wallbreaker simulation give us the opportunity to practice the concepts learned in class. We really experienced it as a real business situation, sometimes forgetting that it was just a simulation, so heated were the debates to reach a consensual decision within the group!”, said Arlette G.
To learn more about Wallbreakers simulation, the recording of one of the debriefing sessions following the simulation of the course MBA5636 is available here.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Telfer School of Management MBA alumni, Soumi Sarkar, Anjaney Agashe, and Arun Subramanian performed excellently at the 8th annual Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition (SG-FECC), placing second on the podium in the Graduate Studies category. SG-FECC is a case competition hosted by the University of Vermont, in order to prepare participants for unique and troublesome issues related to Family Enterprise. Participants are expected to solve complex cases as well as present their solutions over the course of four rounds of competition. The competition was exceptionally held online this year.
According to the team’s coach and Telfer Full Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, Peter Jaskiewicz, despite Telfer’s first time competing in the SG-FECC, they were held in very high regards by the organizers of the event, stating that “our team rocked although we lacked the experience of prior SG-FECC competitions and the track record of a long-standing family business curriculum at Telfer.”
Moreover, business owners and consultants who worked as judges at SG-FECC, highlighted on many occasions how well the Telfer former students performed, which Professor Jaskiewicz believes is a good indication that the MBA program is performing well.
“It has been very rewarding for me to coach them because they are smart, hard-working, and fun”, stated Jaskiewicz. “I enjoyed seeing them excel at analyzing complex family business problems and offering intriguing solutions to address these problems.”
“Moreover, they have shown a great team spirit from the time they took my class ‘Advising Family Business’ to their final presentation at the case competition: they always worked smoothly as a team, behaved very professionally, supported each other, and had lots of fun along the way. Well done & chapeau!”, added Professor Jaskiewicz.
See the full recording of the award ceremony here.
For more information on the Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition click here.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Represented by 60 students from its BCom program, Telfer obtained outstanding results during the 33rd edition of Jeux Du Commerce (JDC), which took place earlier this month.
This multidisciplinary annual competition involving over a thousand students from 13 universities is the biggest inter-university competition of its kind in Eastern Canada.
The team excitedly competed online and shared their exciting results throughout the weekend across social media. Congratulations to each team for their remarkable work!
VIP Cards
VIP card holders are students who have distinguished themselves throughout the weekend:
- Catherine Gingras
- Alex Dalcourt
- Ayaan Virani
- Rosemary Ashlie
- Charles Doray
- Aman Sidhu
- Marie-Madeleine Kabupu
- Emily Chiazza
- Emma Rankin
Competition results
Human Resources Management
First place: Emily Chiazza, Marie Madeleine Kabupu and Robyn Moke
Debate
First place: Ayaan Virani, Justin Abraham, Alex Dalcourt and Martina On
OPS (Operations Management)
Second place: Aadi Koundal, Vicky Laliberté and Emma Rankin
Entrepreneurship
Second place: Aman Sidhu, Kristelle Rivard and Daniela Diaz
Men’s formula 1 racing
Second place: Rajeev Chansingh and Abderrahmane El Bakkali
Marketing
Third place: Liz Tran, Charles Doray and Nicole Sauvé
Interactive
Third Place: Jean-Simon Lavoie-Albert, Clarissa Tremblay-Filion and Catherine Gingras
Accounting
Third place: Haya Alshaer, Ali Hassan and Rosemary Ashlie
The Telfer School of Management team also came in second place for the Academic Cup and first place for Best Improvement. Our Telfer Nation students have a lot to be proud of this year after representing their school with a presence on 10 podiums!
Visit the Telfer Competitions Committee’s Facebook page to learn more about JDC 2021 and other upcoming case competitions.
- Category: Student Announcements
The Bachelor of Commerce fourth-year students completed their respective capstone courses this past Fall 2020 semester. As a team, students had to conduct and present a live case study on a specific issue related to a real company. This semester, finalists of each discipline presented their work virtually, using video conferences to present their work in front of a panel made of professionals and professors.
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition
On December 8th , the Telfer School of Management hosted the Michel Cloutier Competition, a live case competition where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan which aims to solve a real-life business issue for an existing company. This year's organization for the case was Rideau Canoe Club.
Congratulations to the winning team: Aleksandra Romanowski, Amanda Lanteigne, Laura Tran, Maria Sokolov, Marianne Couture-Benitez, and Reema Radia.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take the Equity Valuation course in which they will undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real-life company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance. On December 9th, 5 teams had to virtually present their results regarding the valuation of Aritzia in front of a panel of judges from Fiera Capital and BMO Capital Markets, as well as a private investigator and former Professor Allan Riding, the founder of the course. The judges were extremely impressed by the quality of the students’ presentations: “The quality of the presentations was exceedingly impressive! I had a challenging time coming up with my rankings,” shared one of the judges.
Congratulations to the winning team of the Finance case competition: Justin Abraham, Julia Magahey, and Liam Woodside.
Accounting Capstone (French section)
On November 25th, the finalists of the French section of the Accounting capstone course presented their analysis of a company and report on accounting issues in front of a panel of professionals and their peers. This year the case was based on a fictitious company, and the competition was sponsored by CPA Ontario and Logan Katz.
Congratulations to the winning team of the French accounting section: Gabriel Baril-Lavoie, Guillaume Forget, Julien Lafleur, Mike Sirhan, and Kevin Wilson.
- Category: Latest News
By Dorra Jlouli, Ing, Agr, MBA
Part-Time Professor at the Telfer School of Management, uOttawa
Innovation is not only about creating new products and services but especially when we innovate in our way of teaching our “Green mind” leaders!
I'm happy that my students enjoyed the World Climate Simulation we run in November; a great success! We are innovating at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa by using interactive tools to teach our students complex topics with simple simulations.
Climate change is a matter of all. It’s so efficient to explain a complex climate system within our current virtual e-learning environment by using innovative simulations such as En-Roads and World Climate simulations.
During my class of Leadership, Strategy and Sustainability, for the 4th year Business students, they got the memorable chance to have a roleplaying game where they play diplomats at a virtual urgent UN climate summit. After playing the World climate simulation a month ago (C-Road simulation) focusing on making strategies to define when and how much nations must reduce their emissions to reach the international climate goals (reducing the global warming to less than 2 degree Celsius), this week the students learnt how it’s possible to reach the target warming by playing En-Road simulation. They learnt how sectors of activity like energy supply, energy use, and land use affect climate change.
I believe in the power of learning by action. En-Roads simulation is an efficient interactive tool to engage my students by action to experience what do we mean when talking about the interconnectivity in the "Climate system".
Within a 3 hour workshop, the students had the opportunity to see what’s going on globally and how every action is important in contributing to reduce the climate change issues. Ultimately, this is to achieve the Paris United Nations Climate Change Conference's central goals.
The students were divided into six teams that represent different global stakeholders of the business, government, and civil society who can influence climate solutions: Clean Tech; Conventional Energy; Industry & Commerce; Land, Agriculture & Forestry; World Governments; and Climate Justice Hawks.
Their actions are analyzed in real-time with the En-Roads simulator to determine their effects on the climate.
Every team was asked to present their scenario from their Stakeholder-role’s perspective and give the arguments to the audience, where the Secretary-General of the UN takes notes and animate the debate.
While using interactive modes, like En-Roads simulation and world climate simulation, it’s easier to explain to “business students” who don’t have a scientific background in the climate system and environment, the environment’s issues of complex theory like climate system.
By acting, the students not only understood the correlation between the different factors of the climate system but also became climate ambassadors. This is with the conviction that it’s not too late to fix the issues of climate change as long as every stakeholder contributes to the global effort for reaching our common goal.
Big thanks to Climate interactive and MIT Sloan for their amazing job in creating such innovative tools.
See the full recorded session to learn more.
#EnROADS #ClimateAction
- Category: Student Voices
As a fourth-year student in the Telfer BCom program, I remember vividly how each year at the University of Ottawa, more specifically at Telfer, was like for me. For most students coming into university, it is hard to picture what to expect in your first year, as university is much different than the scheduled routine of high school, regardless of which town, city, or country you graduated from.
Over the years, I realize I would have benefitted from key knowledge, advice and information in first year, where ambiguity, change, and confusion are typically high. Therefore, I have broken down three key tips in which first-year students may benefit from knowing in advance of starting their university career. I hope you may find them as useful as I would have found this information to be in my first year.
Tip #1: Be Prepared to Adjust your Study Strategy
Your first year is the most ambiguous, as it is usually different for most students. However, the majority of students can attest to feeling shocked, confused, and like they’re trying to relearn how to walk. Most of us have a clear idea of how to study thanks to our high school classes, however, the difference between university and high school is that you have a lot more content to study for your courses at a much faster rate.
Additionally, you will most likely notice that you may have to study differently for each course, or at least for each type of course, or even with various professors. For example, a course that is textbook heavy will require you to read your textbook on a weekly basis, and if you write your textbook notes using your laptop then you may also want to take your lecture notes using a laptop as well, so that you can easily merge your notes making it more efficient to study for exams. In comparison to your more practical courses such as Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting, where you will most likely want to write your notes using pen and paper and instead of weekly textbook readings, you’re doing practice questions using paper as well. Therefore, expect to adjust your note-taking method and studying approach with each course you take. Keep in mind as well that your strategy may be completely different than your friends’, which is completely normal.
Ensure that you figure this out within the first week of new courses, if possible. The sooner you have a strategy for each of your courses, the easier studying for your midterms and finals will be. This may sound straightforward, but this is crucial as you can easily get overwhelmed during midterm season if you haven’t realized this early on; you may be cramming to organize your notes, when you should be studying the material instead. Bottom line: don’t skip “syllabus week”!
Tip #2: Be Aware of the Opportunities Around You
Aside from courses and studying, first year is all about exploring and learning more about yourself. You will be entering a brand new world, where opportunities are offered to you all the time, such as being a member or even a first-year representative for a Telfer club, volunteering with clubs outside of Telfer, getting a job on campus, or attending events and workshops hosted by Telfer’s Student Services such as the Peer Mentorship Office or the Telfer Career Centre.
Don’t be overwhelmed! Depending on the type of person you are, you may want to wait until another year to participate in extracurriculars, or you may want to join as many as you can the day you arrive. There is no wrong strategy, so long as you never limit yourself from exploring new opportunities for too long, whether it’s extracurriculars or simply attending campus events. You will learn rather quickly that Telfer has a lot of opportunities for you, and so in order to make the most out of your university experience by the time you graduate, attending events you’re interested in or engaging in extracurriculars will go a long way for your personal and professional growth.
Tip #3 Negative Stress is NOT Inevitable
It is no secret that university is stressful. Most of us will be taking four or five courses, each taking a lot of time and energy. It can be extremely difficult to maintain a balance between courses, extracurriculars, social life, house chores, cooking/meal prepping, fitness, commuting and everything else in between. It is important to realize that reaching that perfect balance is unrealistic, whether as a student, working adult, parent, etc. Therefore, instead of stressing about being imbalanced, dedicate more time to learning about a routine that works with your lifestyle and priorities. The more you are self-aware, the more likely you will be at a state close to balance (but remember, we will never be perfectly balanced and that is OK!).
Another important point to recognize is that although university is stressful, it doesn’t have to be taxing on your mental and physical health. University is infamous for accepting “stress culture”, where suffering is normal. You do not have to be suffering to be a good university student.
I like to categorize stress as negative stress and positive stress. Positive stress is inevitable, as university is a high-stress, fast-paced and heavy-loaded environment, and experiencing a stress where it pressures you to get work done efficiently, to be organized and make wise decisions about how you spend your time is GOOD. Negative stress, however, is taxing stress, where your mental and physical health are compromised. This type of stress happens when we don’t take corrective measures using our positive stress. Negative stress is NOT inevitable. You can go through university successfully without compromising your physical and mental health. You don’t have to take all-nighters, compromise your social life, or cram for exams to do well.
When we are in first year, we are still learning how to manage our time, to determine what routine works for us, and to become self-aware of our priorities and limits. Therefore, expect to experience stress, however, do not expect to suffer with negative stress. Be patient with yourself, invest in self-awareness, and make the most out of the positive stress you will experience.
When I was in first year, and even second year, I was constantly stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious, as I didn’t know what my study style was, what my priorities were, and how to manage my time. Those are expected reasons to feel overwhelmed when starting university for any student. However, I could have limited my negative stress by being realistic with myself, telling myself that I am still learning about who I am, what my priorities are, and what kind of student I am.
Other reasons that enhanced my stress was not knowing about the above three tips I broke down for you. I didn’t know until too late that I had to create a study strategy for each course within the first week of classes, I didn’t tell myself to not compare my methods and routine to my friends, and I definitely wasn’t aware about the difference between positive and negative stress. Therefore, I hope by reading through these tips that you are more mentally prepared and aware of what to expect and what to do for your first year in university.
Goodluck and don’t hesitate to reach out for additional tips, advice and support from myself, or from Telfer’s Student Services Centre!
- Category: Student Voices
As an international student, I have faced many challenges at uOttawa in my first year. When I first arrived in Canada, I was over the moon that my dream finally came true. However, the new life in Canada is totally different than what I imagined. It was much colder and more challenging than I thought. I lived in a new country, met new people from multicultural backgrounds, and dealt with a heavy school workload. However, being open-minded, developing strategic learning habits, and proactively seeking advice will help you overcome these challenges in your first year.
Challenge #1: Culture Shock
Culture shock is a feeling that most people experience within their first year in a new country. It is a common experience, and it also changes the way you behave in a new environment. There are some tips to overcome cultural shock:
- Learn about Canadian culture before you arrive in Canada: I researched popular culture and learned how to adapt to Canadian culture. Canadians are very polite, and it’s important to remember your manners if you want to make a great first impression. Do make sure to say “thank you” and “please” in an appropriate and meaningful way, but do not overuse it.
- Set realistic expectations: Accepting a culture shock is a part of adapting to a new country. Give yourself more time to experience and adjust to your new surroundings. Don’t push yourself too hard. Everything needs time, especially a new transition like this. Getting positive energy from other hobbies also helps you overcome your difficulties instead of mainly focusing on them.
- Get involved in group activities, school events, and social festivals: community-based festivals grow over time to reflect the values, interests, and aspirations of residents. These activities will help grow your capacity to learn languages, familiarize yourself with cultures, and build new relationships. You can find some upcoming festivals from the Ottawa Festivals website.
- Meet your international mentor: Telfer also supports us in adapting to a new environment. International students will have their own international mentor in their first year. Having a conversation with them and asking them questions will help guide you in improving your current experience. They are also international students like you, so they understand your problems and will have some helpful tips to improve them. Moreover, they are very friendly and willing to help, so don't be shy.
Challenge #2: New People
I have a lot of friends from high school and university back in my home country. However, I have fewer friends than before when studying in Canada. English and French are official languages in Canada. If language is a barrier when making friends, deal with it., and be proud of your accent because the accent is developed around our language, and Canadians are not experienced at speaking your native language. The University of Ottawa offers many language programs that can help enhance your communication. The English Intensive Program is available to help you build your confidence and acquire your new language skills.
Moreover, Conversations Workshops are also available to help you make new friends who have similar language problems and who make you feel more comfortable speaking English. I met so many friends from this workshop and ultimately improved my speaking skills. Most importantly, actively making friends and building relationships with your classmates will help you overcome your fear of speaking English. Your first year is the best time to make friends when most people haven't known each other for a while yet. Don't be shy at the beginning! If you lose this chance, it will be harder for you to find new friends when you go into your second or third year of studies.
Challenge #3: Heavy Workload
The third challenge is the heavy school workload that you take on when you are at university. I believe that many of you have faced so many assignments and deadlines when you were in high school. However, it's totally different when you get to university. University life is much more stressful than high school. Sometimes, you may feel tired and may want to give up. Here are some reasons why you are so stressed and how to overcome them:
- Unfamiliar with a schedule: Most students find it more stressful when dealing with a ton of assignments and a hectic work schedule. Creating a detailed plan is the best way to manage your time and prioritize the most important things. You can't change your class hours or your working schedule, but you can work to make the most of your time. Setting aside a certain time for homework, assignments, and relaxation will help you create a routine that makes you feel less stressed.
- Afraid to ask questions: This is probably the most common situation that international students face at uOttawa. They are scared to speak out about their problems and opinions. In my experience, language is a barrier for many non-native English speakers, and it prevents them from speaking their thoughts. People who have a lower level of English proficiency faced problems in class discussions, which naturally led to them being silent in the class. There are many different ways you could ask questions: meet your professor after class, send them an email about your questions, or even ask your classmates. Your language may not be proficient at the moment, but practice makes perfect.
- Unhealthy lifestyle: Not drinking enough water, not getting enough exercise, skipping out on a good sleep schedule, and eating junk food are common lifestyle choices of students. International students find it harder to take care of themselves in their first year because they were more used to relying on their parents at home, leading to possible bad habits. Therefore, establishing a healthy routine, taking breaks, making time for habits, and working with friends is essential and useful for you to overcome stress and get enough positive energy to better cope with challenges. The University of Ottawa also offers wellness resources that will help you improve your mental health and wellness.
These are three challenges that international students at uOttawa face in their first year of studies. I hope you will find these tips to be useful for yourself and help you to manage any challenges you have in your first year at uOttawa. Once you overcome these challenges, your next semester will be more comfortable and more enjoyable. If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to help you with your first year! Thanks for reading!
- Category: Student Voices
Since the beginning of my undergraduate studies, I have been immersed in entrepreneurship activities at the University of Ottawa, and over the years, I have been excited to see startup culture growing on campus. After participating in Startup Garage’s 2018 summer cohort at the uOttawa Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), I have been impressed by the number of innovative ideas produced on campus and have been further motivated to collaborate with uOttawa students and alumni.
The University of Ottawa’s eHub and Startup Garage programs have been a great tool that has helped me cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit and grow my previous and current startups. The Makerspace Lab and eHub in the STEM building offer a space where aspiring entrepreneurs can collaborate and network with fellow students on campus.
Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have been fortunate enough to have been given a wide array of startup opportunities including working at an artificial intelligence focused startup and launching an e-commerce platform.
My Most Recent Startup Experience
I am currently working on an education technology startup called The GlobalPass. The GlobalPass is a web application that allows students to discover and easily apply to universities all over the world. We assist students in finding schools that fit their needs, financial goals, and academic interests. Additionally, the GlobalPass matches students with hundreds of scholarship opportunities and provides marginalized students with access to funding options.
Coming to Canada (or any country for that matter) for school can be daunting, and The GlobalPass aims to make it easier by providing professional Visa support as well as discovering affordable student housing.
Overall, The GlobalPass connects students to international opportunities and gets them settled into the new country they are exploring with visa, community information, and mentorship.
The Opportunities on Campus
From my experience, I have found that entrepreneurs can greatly benefit from collaborating with peers in the startup community so if you are interested in starting a company, I strongly encourage you to explore and take advantage of all uOttawa resources during your degree. Telfer and the uOttawa eHub have plenty of mentors and founders willing to brainstorm ideas and help get you started.
If you are interested in The GlobalPass, education technology, or would like to see how your institution can benefit from working with our technology, feel free to reach out to me.
- Category: Student Voices
For many Canadian university students, the first fully-online fall semester is coming to an end, which means that it is time to write virtual exams. With exams right around the corner, I wanted to share my guide to writing online exams with my top five exam tips that have shaped my university exam career, which I think can also be valuable to you.
1. Eating Well
My number one tip is to eat well because it’s so important to be well-nourished come time for exam day. Personally, I like to start my day with a healthy breakfast that includes foods like oats and toast. Consuming oats provides you with lots of energy because your stomach takes more time to digest. Throughout the day I’m grabbing dried fruit bars or chopping up vegetables to keep me energized until supper. For supper, it’s important to have a complete meal along with a source of protein in order to stay fuelled while studying in the evening.
I’ve sourced plenty of delicious recipes this semester from The College Vegetarian Cookbook. For more recipes check out the Grateful Grazer blog!
2. Getting Enough Sleep
University students are notorious for being sleep deprived. More and more students nowadays suffer from poor sleep quality, and their success in school is oftentimes hindered because of it. In my opinion, university students should aim to sleep 8 hours per night, for at least 3 consecutive days, leading into a final exam; I call it “getting into the routine”. I have been successful in many courses because I had chosen to sleep over additional hours of studying. It has allowed me to feel better, be more focused, and be more productive every day leading into my final exams.
3. Taking Breaks
Especially now during the pandemic, taking breaks is so important because we all spend way too much time sitting down and glued to a screen. My breaks often consist of going for walks, playing video games, or listening to podcasts. Going for walks and listening to a podcast takes me away from the screens I spend so much time on. My eyes are able to rest and I can get out of the home office. I also enjoy playing video games because there are no rules, and an online experience is a great stress-free break activity. The duration of breaks should be considered prior to taking a break so that you can ensure that all of your studying gets done. I typically go for walks on bright sunny days and take plenty of photos, which you can find on my Instagram.
4. Having A Clean Workspace
For me, having an organized workspace means removing all dishes and drinkware by the end of the day. Dishes and glasses take up, what I like to call, “prime desk real-estate”. I can’t have that when I have lots of tasks to complete, plus, there is nothing better than starting your day with a clean workspace. For anyone other than me, having a clean workspace could mean making sure that all of your tools and your documents are organized. Not being able to find a tool or document can mean that you are not getting the most out of precious study time leading up to your exam.
5. Upgrading Your Office or Study Room
This semester my studies have been enhanced with the help of some office upgrades. Installing a secondary monitor was my first upgrade and has helped me to become more organized. I feel strongly about having an additional screen because it can truly enhance your efficiency when studying. It allows me to clearly display multiple documents and lectures at once. Another office upgrade that I have physically benefited from is my office chair. Seeing as I spend so much time sitting down and doing work on my computer, I thought that I should value my posture and purchase a comfortable office chair to get me through long hours of studying.
All-in-all, these are the five tips that I hope will bring you the most success for all of your exams this semester. Best of luck!
- Category: Student Voices
After writing several exams, I have developed three key methods for preparing my study notes for exams. Don’t you hate it when you have studied for hours upon hours, yet you still feel like you need more time to study? Let it be known that you’re not alone.
The first method we will discuss is a combination of taking your notes and making them into visual maps. Also, creating fill-in-the-blank sheets. The second method is the tools that can be used for taking your notes or modifying your notes for studying. The last method is using your notes to create flashcards through Quizlet and Anki.
Over the years of taking exams, I’ve come to realize that certain studying methods are good for certain types of exams. For example, when using the first method for studying I mentioned, you want to use this for multiple-choice exams or true-or-false exams. It helps to bring technology into your note-taking methods, as it could save you time and stress. There is nothing more annoying than having to sift through hundreds of papers with your notes on them. Even if you’re organized, having to go through each note on paper is very time-consuming. Now, let’s get into saving you time and stress with these three study tips!
1. Bring Your Notes to Life
While attending our lectures, many students might take their notes by writing down word-for-word what the professor is saying. This may not be the most effective method of note-taking. It may feel like you are being productive and like you’re going to do well on your exams, but the truth couldn’t be any further from this style of “studying”. First things first, start taking your notes from lectures and convert them into more visually-appealing pieces. For example, when you have to memorize or understand a diagram, you can make it easier by mapping out the diagram into smaller chunks. Each smaller chunk can be colour-coded to make certain information pop-out from the rest of the information. Along with bringing colour and design to your notes, you can create fill-in-the-blank (FIB) notes. As the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University shares, the repeated retrieval helps students to enhance long-term retention. The FIB method also helps you to get instant feedback from your wrong answers. In other words, when conducting your studying through this method, your memory of certain concepts becomes even stronger by getting feedback on what answers were wrong and what the correct answer is instead.
2. Make Technology Your Friend, Not Foe
Every student wants the latest laptop or tablet for their new classes. Some students swear by using paper and a pencil to take notes during their lectures. What if we could combine the best of both worlds? The first thing to do as a student is to buy yourself a device for taking notes. This can be a laptop or tablet. If you’re lucky, purchasing a tablet and laptop can be the best combination of tools for taking notes. Once you have at least one of the mentioned devices, start using OneNote or Notability. These two apps allow you to convert hand-written notes into text, organize all your notes by course, store all your notes in the cloud, and transfer notes between devices. The one benefit of using OneNote over Notability is having all your Word documents available for editing through OneNote. Building off the first point of bringing your notes to life, this is even easier to do when using a tablet. Long math equations are nothing to fear when your paper is endless on a tablet. Lastly, highlighting your notes with a colour, which makes polishing your notes fun and engaging. Remember, we’re trying to make your notes better while making it feel fun!
3. Flashcard Programs and Their Effectiveness
Flashcards have been used for years when it comes to public speaking, but how about as a tool for studying? There are two very useful flashcard programs that many students lack awareness of. The first program is called Quizlet. This program is free, and it allows you to create your own deck of flashcards or search for identical flashcard decks for your course. The set-up is simple, name your deck and start adding cards to start studying from. While you answer the flashcards, you can provide how well you knew a flashcard, which affects how frequently it shows up in your study deck. The advantage of using Quizlet is being able to create your deck on any device and being able to view the deck on any device.
The next program is called Anki. This program is free, but only for the computer version. Just like Quizlet, you can answer each flashcard with how well you knew the topic, and from there it will go back into the deck or a separate deck for studying later. The one disadvantage that Anki has is having to pay for the mobile version of Anki. There are many other flashcard programs for free that still share the same features as Anki, but with the ability to share decks across any device. The effectiveness of these programs is impactful for your grades. A recent study showed that students who used flashcards as their studying method ended up achieving much higher grades than the students who studied their notes.
By this point, you are either saying to yourself, “I love these tips!” or “I’m not going to try these.”, but let’s bring everything together. Start making your notes more visually appealing to you, not your professor. You are the one studying them, not your professor. Make sure the content you have in your notes makes sense to you, this way when you map your points you can connect the smaller ideas to the main idea. Don’t be afraid of technology, I promise it is here to make your life easier! The ability and luxury of having all your notes organized and in one place will make your exam preparation simple. Lastly, try different studying methods like the FIB method or using flashcard programs. Don’t leave your studying to the last minute, and make it a routine to keep your memory sharp and ready!
- Category: Student Voices
If I had a Telfer time machine, here’s everything I would do differently and everything I would do the same in order to graduate from business school without regrets. If you’re reading this before entering your first year, you’re in a great position to make a plan. If you’ve partially completed your degree and don’t feel entirely fulfilled, I urge you to read on and explore some of the opportunities mentioned -- it’s never too late!
Regardless of your program of study, making the most of your education goes beyond the classroom. It’s who you meet, who you talk to, and what you challenge yourself with. Now, it doesn’t need to be a point of stress; I have some strategies to help you enforce and enjoy balance throughout your business degree. Enough with the preamble, I’m going to show you how to graduate from business school without regrets.
Everything I Got Right
This isn’t a magic formula, but by taking good advice and seeking opportunities of my own, here’s what worked out well for me! First, let’s take a look at program-specific tips.
Use an Agenda or Planner
Simple and essential! If you’re doing this already, keep it up.
I was fortunate to receive one in my Telfer 101 week welcome kit, but if you didn’t get one, the UOSO sometimes offers complimentary agendas at the start of each new academic year.
Time management is the key to life. Write all your deadlines down. Section parts of your day around classes dedicated to studying and save time for yourself as well.
Smartphones and online calendars work great for many people, but if you’re prone to get carried away on your phone after a harmless notification check, I recommend entertaining the low-tech option of pencil and paper to minimize distractions and help with visualization.
I strongly recommend this QUO VADIS Textagenda - it has awesome features and it is reasonably priced at less than $20. This agenda is a perfect size, and you can recycle the paper once you are done with it, and reuse the cover. I picked mine up at the uOttawa Boutique Campus Store.
Join Clubs
You’ll hear the suggestion to join clubs no less than 416 times throughout your undergraduate career, so you might as well embrace it.
Joining clubs is often such a fulfilling experience. By joining the executive team, you organize and run events for your members, which looks great on your resume, but is also a ton of fun!
If you can’t handle the time commitment, then join clubs as a member for access to events for free or at a reduced rate for the premium ones.
I was part of TECDE before joining the Telfer Career Centre team of ambassadors.
Check out the full list of Telfer Clubs and Association, and find what intrigues you!
Talk to your Professors Outside of Class
Office hours are great for asking specific questions and getting one-on-one instruction from your professors, but aside from that, you should get to know them!
You could ask them about their passions and experiences. Some of the most impactful, meaningful conversations in my experience have taken place this way. Studying in an online environment doesn’t have to change this. I can safely say I’ve made some great connections over Zoom this past year! Professors can offer great career advice and potentially connect you with individuals from their network who can provide guidance in your particular area of interest if they cannot.
Case Competitions
Participating in extracurricular activities like case competitions, internally hosted through Telfer and externally through CABS, is one of the best things that you can do as a business student!
I joined JDCC in my third year and can say that with the right mentorship, your ability to work under pressure and deliver effective presentations will improve exponentially.
Aside from your own personal growth, there’s often the opportunity to win cash or other prizes, and if you still aren’t sold (you should be), employers love to see this involvement on a resume. It speaks to your ability to time-manage, collaborate, and overcome challenges. For more information, check out Three Reasons Why You Should Participate in a Telfer Case Competition.
Here's an example of how this will help you in job interviews:
Recruiter: Tell me about a time when you had to manage conflict.
You: JDCC.
Recruiter: Tell me about a time when you had to exhibit leadership.
You: JDCC
Recruiter: Wow! Okay, but aside from JDCC, tell me about a time…
You: (talk about how you seized every other opportunity I’ve described here that helped you learn/grow)
Attend Networking Events
The Telfer Career Centre organizes great opportunities to talk to recruiters from a multitude of companies. Sign in to Career Launch and look at the calendar of events, schedule time to attend, and research the companies you’re interested in before attending events that they will be at.
Telfer Executive Mentoring Program
In this program, you can receive mentorship from an industry professional, benefit from career advice, ask questions, have your resume reviewed, tour their office, maybe even sit in on some meetings!
Innovative Seminars
Keep your eye out for these special Administration (ADM) courses like ADM 4396, ADM 3396 or ADM 3313. These are unique opportunities that help you make the most of your ADM electives. I also highly recommend the Preparation for Business Case class (ADM 3994/4994).
Apply to be a Teaching Assistant
Apply, apply, apply! The University will email you in advance of the application window with the available teaching assistant and grader positions. Record this in your planner! If you’ve studied hard and earned exceptional grades, apply for all the positions you’re interested in. If you like to work with students directly, consider ADM 1300 (Introduction to Business) or ADM 2381 (Business Communication Skills).
Studying Outside of your Room
Sometimes taking a break from studying in your room, and changing up your location can help you get more schoolwork done. The uOttawa library has designated silent floors. Keep your phone on silent and out of sight, really get into the flow and be productive.
Intramurals
Physical activity is so beneficial! A great opportunity to socialize, make friends, and share some laughs is to sign up for intramural sports teams. This brings some structure into your week and ensures that you set time aside for yourself which can help you to refresh your focus. There are tons of intramural spots available on campus.
Work-Study Navigator
If you qualify for financial support and would like to work part-time during the semester, explore the Work-Study Program for jobs located on campus. Hours are usually very reasonable, allowing you to earn some money while managing your school workload.
Things I wish I could have done better
Apply to Specialized Telfer Practical Programs
If you enjoy the challenge of solving problems and presenting solutions through case competitions, a career in consulting may be for you. If I could go back, I would not have let this program pass by. The Profession of Management Consulting Program (PMCP) is a two-year development program for Telfer School of Management students who are interested in working on their consulting skills. You can participate in workshops and simulations facilitated by professionals in the industry.
If you are interested in finance, the Capital Markets Program (CMP) is for you. Check out the other programs offered as well.
Remain in the Co-op Program
I opted out in my second-year for personal reasons, planning to secure an internship on my own. I was offered one, but things fell through. It happens!
Co-op roles are more secure in that way (employers receive competitive incentives via education tax credits, so they benefit greatly from hiring students), and you’ll be guaranteed to graduate with some formal, work experience in your field. You may be skeptical about the fees or the workload involved, but it’s well worth it.
Some important tips:
-
Network with individuals from companies early on. If you get some facetime with recruiters after meeting them at a networking event, this will increase your chances of succeeding in your interview. Show interest and ask questions when you met the recruiter.
-
If you can, consider experimenting with both the public and private sector to figure out the work pace and environment that you most enjoy.
Meet People from Different Faculties and Programs
If case competitions appeal to you, monitor the engineering and science faculties. Explore the possibility of membership to their clubs, and attend their social events. Attend even if they’re online game nights, tournaments, and more! You can partner with other students within these specializations and bring your business understanding to create a highly functional team.
Loved the arts in high school? There’s a number of dance clubs practicing in UCU at any given time. Join an improv or theatre club!, or start your own club here!
Explore Ottawa
Grab a friend and take walks, prioritize some time for adventure and discovery in the city of Ottawa. If you don’t opt for the dining hall meal plan, consider supporting some local restaurants or cafés.
Soak up the full experience. Studies are important, but I encourage you to prioritize your time in a way that you are able to take personal excursions periodically. Make the most of the fall and spring, since winter treks can be difficult. Be sure to ice skate on the canal -- it’s a rite of passage.
I have never spent an entire summer living in Ottawa and I deeply regret it. I planned to spend summer 2020 exploring, but that didn’t quite go according to plan! Learn from my mistakes!
Apply for Scholarships
A large majority of scholarships offered through the uOttawa Online Scholarships and Bursaries portal have deadlines in early to mid-fall. Apply to as many as you’re eligible for, and keep a good record of the requirements for each. Keep copies of the applications you submit, and improve them.
Many scholarships require you to write an essay, but often it can be on a subject that matters to you! Pick something special and share the contents of your heart on paper. You can reuse this essay for multiple different opportunities, so submit them continually! Time spent on this early on will pay off if you stay diligent and continue to apply!
If you’re willing to commit hours to volunteer, I highly recommend this. No, actually, I BEG you to set time aside. Use the Community Engagement / Volunteering portal to find the best opportunities for you to get involved and build your co-curricular record. This will make you a phenomenally compelling candidate for scholarships, aside from the numerous standing benefits associated.
Become a Community Advisor or Student Mentor
If you’re a strong bilingual candidate and loved the convenience and atmosphere of residence life, considering becoming a Community Advisor or Student Mentor. A perk of employment is living in residence rent-free!
Summary of Key Takeaways
If you’ve made it this far in the article, you’ve got what it takes to achieve great things.
Remember:
- Relationships are huge! The current world environment in 2020 presents its challenges when it comes to building a connection, but your efforts are well worthwhile.
- Challenge yourself! Stress can be harmful, but eustress is where growth comes from.
- Enforce balance between your classes and your personal passions. Honour your commitments and do right by your group obligations, but make time for yourself.
- Embrace diversity! Open your mind to new thoughts and activities. You’ll learn so much and make new friends.
- Category: Student Voices
One thing to know about me is that I am a big fan of case competitions. I have participated in over seven of them during my four years at Telfer, and I still think that's not enough.
I am especially biased towards the Jeux du Commerce (JDC) as that was the first competition in which I participated, and it is my favourite by far. I loved my experience so much that I decided to become one of the two coordinators for the 2021 edition, along with my good friend, Scott Dowell. Together, we have the goal of making sure that 2021 is Telfer's year!
For those of you who have not participated in a case competition, here's the elevator* pitch. You arrive at a hotel with 50 to 100 other students from Telfer, all wearing the same exclusive clothing to proudly represent your school. There's an opening ceremony, a celebration, and then you rest before the start of the competition the next day. There are three main disciplines in which you can compete:
- Social: An opportunity for you to showcase your creativity and teamwork through various challenges;
- Sports: Where you can compete in a sport chosen by the organizing committee;
- Academics: Your team resolves a real-life case study presented by a sponsor.
Throughout the weekend, when you're not competing, you cheer on the other teams, network with sponsors, and make friends with students from the other participating schools. Finally, the weekend ends with a gala where the sponsors and organizers present the winners for each category.
Watch the recap video to see it in action!
Join a Case Competition
Now that you have a good idea about what a case competition is like, why should you compete in one at Telfer? While there are countless reasons, I've summarized them into three:
1. To network:
Participating in a case competition is an opportunity to network like no other, and as business students, you should already be aware that networking is one of the most important things you can do at university. I truly believe that I would not have had the same success finding a job if it was not for the connections I made early on at Telfer, and many of those connections came from case competitions.
First, a delegation is like a family, and through your practices, social events, delegation meetings and the competition itself, you form a bond with the other students. These students can easily become your best friends and even a reference for a job opportunity.
Second, a lot of companies sponsor case competitions to network with students and recruit them for jobs. While you're there, whether you are part of the social, sports, or academic team, you have the chance to network with these recruiters and share your resume. If you're cracking an academic case, the sponsors will see you in action, and they may choose to invite you to a VIP cocktail event to get to know you better. There have been countless instances of students finding jobs at case competitions; you could be next!
2. To develop skills
When you participate in an academic case competition, you are often assigned a coach, and you conduct frequent practices to prepare with your team. These are great opportunities to improve your case-cracking skills, which are extremely important when trying to get a job in competitive fields such as consulting. Many firms such as Deloitte and Accenture have a case study as part of their interview process, so having weeks of practice with feedback from an experienced coach will provide you with an edge over your competition.
Other skills you will develop that are even more important, in my opinion, are presentation skills, time management, and teamwork. These three skills are crucial to have when applying for a job. This is yet another way that participating in a case competition can help you find your dream job.
3. To have fun
While the two reasons above are nice and crucial to be successful business students, I wouldn't have gone through 7 competitions if they weren't fun. Some of my best memories from my university career have been at these various case competitions. Whether it be watching the Telfer ultimate frisbee team win the bronze final at JDC 2019, leaving the presentation room with my teammates Josh and Nafim after having presented our solution at JDC 2020, or seeing my friend Bobby win the MVP award at HM 2019, these are all moments I'll cherish for a very long time.
However, my experiences at case competitions have not all been jolly. Unfortunately at JDC 2019, I dislocated my kneecap and tore my MCL within 30 minutes of the start of the first soccer game we played. That meant that my tournament was over, and that I had to spend the rest of the day at the hospital. I think that the fact that I still love case competitions that much after going through this proves how fun they are!
Overall, I have given you three good reasons why you should sign up for a case competition at Telfer. In my opinion, just the amazing “swag” items that you get should be enough to convince you, but if not, this article should do it.
I'm currently the VP Information Technology and Marketing on the organizing committee for JDC 2022 and, let me tell you, we're planning something big for everyone. After a very challenging year, we're going to light the fire within all the delegates, and you won't want to miss it!
Follow the Telfer Competitions Committee and Jeux du Commerce on social media for more information and updates.
*Disclaimer: All competitions are different, but I am sharing my experience of a traditional, in-person format to keep it simple.
- Category: Rising Stars
From November 13th to 15th, our fourth-year BCom students participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their fourth-year Strategic Management class (ADM 4311). Students had to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers in order to grow their business over the weekend.
This fall, the competition was held strictly in an online setting, which certainly came with some challenges. "My greatest challenge during the competition was having to do everything virtually. Instead of chatting face-to-face, you’re monitoring your inbox and trying to type back to people as quickly as possible. But, by the end of the weekend, you get into the groove of things, you feel more confident in your process, and it gets easier," shared Madison Woo, a member of the winning team.
A Final Challenge
The team was also challenged when the game administrator changed the market dynamics, forcing them to change, in just two days, a strategy that had taken 3 months to develop. "The challenge was to make all the correct changes proactively before it was too late. To accomplish this, we analyzed the strategic implications early on, determined how our models and strategies needed to pivot, and swiftly executed our action plan," said Howard Feng, another member of the winning team.
Congratulations to the overall winning team and Best Service Provider: Emily de Witte, Howard Feng, Nic Renaud, Rebecca Stiletto and Madison Woo.
Congratulations to the following winning teams:
Best Component Producer: Team 41 |
|
Best Finished Goods Producer: Team 3 |
|
Best Integrated Producer: Team 25 |
|
- Category: Student Voices
Like many students, the graduating class of the Intensive MBA program at the Telfer School of Management are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities as they make the re-entrance into the job market during a world pandemic. Being an alumnus of the Telfer EMBA program and an MBA Mentor, Brad Smith, Principal of 96 West Consulting, understands the transition that students are facing and therefore wanted to help the new MBA graduates and fellow alumni by creating and facilitating a post-MBA workshop.
As a career coach and mentor, Brad is a leader in guiding professionals through career transitions, self-reflection exercises, and the development of action plans. On October 6th, 2020, he brought his expertise back to Telfer through a virtual post-MBA workshop that was focused on two goals: recognizing and respecting transitions, and reflecting on career ambitions and the development of action plans to attain those goals.
During the workshop, Brad connected with participants by sharing his experience transitioning from the EMBA program. He emphasized the importance of maintaining an awareness and respect for the neutral zone between the end of the MBA program and the new beginnings to come. Participants are looking forward to following up with Brad in the coming weeks as they take the time to reflect on the workshop exercises and develop their personal action plans.
“The workshop with Brad was a great experience that helped to justify and normalize the emotions and feelings that I had been facing since finishing my MBA in August. Transitions are difficult at the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic, and Brad provided tools to help ease the transition from student to professional. I look forward to applying this knowledge for both my personal and professional growth.”, said a graduate who attended the workshop.
2020 has brought its challenges, but with the help of the Telfer Nation community, workshop participants are able to focus on their goals with increased agility and resilience, as they pioneer the new and ever-changing reality.
Brad Smith graduated from the Telfer EMBA program in 2004 and has been actively involved with Telfer as an alumnus of the school and as an MBA mentor. Following a successful career at Canada Post, Brad founded 96 West Consulting Inc. with the mission to share experiences to help businesses scale faster and leaders grow. His focus on professional development and career coaching have provided an invaluable experience to his mentees and to the recent Intensive MBA graduates.
- Category: Student Voices
As a university student, you can take advantage of many job opportunities around you. Students have a lot of plates to spin at once: obtaining an education, discovering their interests, making friends, and often, working part-time jobs. Working during school has the obvious benefit of providing students with income, but it also offers them the chance to learn valuable skills and build their CVs.
Are you interested in working during your studies? Why not consider the many amazing jobs available right on campus! They’re highly varied, so you’re bound to find something that suits your interests and may even complement your university program. These jobs are a good source of income and offer flexibility when it comes to students’ course and exam schedules.
They are also great for international students, who may have fewer options available for work off-campus.
My experience
I have held several on-campus positions during my studies. I have worked at the University of Ottawa’s Academic Writing Help Centre, helping students to improve their writing skills (a free service I really encourage all students to take advantage of). This job taught me a great deal about grammar and good writing structure, as well as how to find great resources and cite research correctly. I had the chance to tutor students from all kinds of backgrounds.
I have also worked as a teacher’s assistant, marker, and exam proctor for the Telfer School of Management. I learned a great deal from these positions. For example, as I helped lead discussion groups and explain material for an accounting course, I really improved my own understanding of the concepts and the course in general. I’m sure that these skills will help me in the future, as accounting is my chosen field.
I have also been an international coach for the Telfer Peer Mentoring Program, helping first-year students transition from high school to university. I have loved being a part of this program! The team is great, and the students we work with come from all around the world. It was also really nice to be able to help students and share my own university experiences.
Where to find these jobs
- Work-Study Program: I found the Writing Advisor job through the Work-Study program, which has a portal in uoZone where all kinds of positions are listed, from library assistant to lab technician.
- TA/Marker/Proctor Portal: These jobs are available in the online portal. The link is sent out by email to everyone shortly before the start of each semester (when applications open).
- Telfer Career Centre Postings: The application for the Telfer Peer Mentoring Program is available on the Career Center website, along with many other applications.
When it comes to on-campus activities, people often think of volunteer activities or clubs and tend to overlook the many paid positions offered by the university. If you’d like to earn some money all while getting started in your career, I invite you to take advantage of the job opportunities all around you!
Banner image from Julia M Cameron on Pexels
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Looking for a fresh perspective on a new or special business project or simply interested in working with highly motivated and qualified MBA students? The Telfer School is seeking organizations to engage our MBA talent in hands-on business challenges.
Telfer's MBA students are equipped with an average of 6-7 years of full-time work experience. This ensures a quality base of theory and technical skills that our students can utilize for success in an internship. All of our MBA students are supervised by a faculty member, and they have access to cutting-edge data to resolve even the most complex of problems that your organization may encounter.
There is no doubt that the experience will be valuable for both your organization and our students. The MBA Internship Program provides businesses with the chance to find qualified individuals and evaluate potential fit within your workplace without going through the traditional lengthy hiring process.
The MBA Internship Program Experience
In previous years, our business partners who have hired MBA students on their team have been pleased with what they were able to gain.
“The MBA internship program helped successfully fulfill a niche project role in our Finance department. Ultimately, we hired our intern into a full-time role, which speaks volumes on the quality of the program and the students” - Paul Richards, Director of Business Development and Commercial at The Ottawa Hospital.
"Happy Goat Coffee Company is a big fan of Telfer's "MBA Consulting Project"! The project helps us to find answers to questions and solutions to problems that we usually don't have the time or staff - or both - to deal with. The high qualification of the participants and the quality of the results of the projects carried out so far is self-evident. Happy Goat Coffee Company can do nothing but highly recommend this project!" - Dr. Hans-Juergen Langenbahn, Head Roaster at Happy Goat Coffee Company.
"I would like to offer my entire support for the internship program offered by the Telfer School. It is a tremendous opportunity for students to obtain knowledge of a more practical nature that will assist in their job search. The organization itself also benefits, not only from a mentorship perspective, but also in acquiring additional expert advice and counsel." - Elizabeth Kingston, President of the Canadian International Council, National Capital Branch.
Here’s how you can benefit from our program:
What constitutes an acceptable internship?
A challenging project that provides meaningful results for you. For example, current internships include market development, process improvement, and strategy process review.
How many hours can interns work?
There are two delivery options: part-time or full-time internships. The part-time internship represents 15 to 20 hours per week for a period of 6 months, starting in January. The full-time internship consists of 40 hours per week of work from September to December. The exact number of hours depends on whether the internship is sponsored by Mitacs* or OCE** or if the internship is directly funded by the organization.
What will it cost my organization?
The average hourly salary paid to the MBA intern ranges from $20 to $25 per hour. The total salary paid depends on whether the internship is supported by Mitacs or OCE or if it is paid directly by your organization. It is possible to offer an unpaid internship opportunity, but offering a salary increases your chances of a student ultimately selecting your organization for their internship.
What do I have to provide to the intern?
- A motivating and challenging project.
- Organizational and technical orientation as required.
- Time to discuss issues with the student, and to provide feedback on progress reports.
Find the Right Telfer MBA Intern For Your Organization
Contact the Telfer Academic Success and Student Experience Team:
Telfer MBA Internship Program
Phone: (613) 562-5884
Email:
Visit the MBA Internship Program page on our website.
* Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that provides matching funding to companies that hire full-time student interns.
** The Ontario Centres of Excellence Talent Edge program provides matching funding for companies who hire graduate students.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Curious, motivated, and creative, Joy Xu is a brilliant student in Telfer’s B.Com. program specializing in accounting. Passionate about mental health in the workplace, Joy is inspired by leaders and organizations that promote and prioritize the culture of employee well-being.
Understanding the crucial importance of community engagement, she decided to get involved with the School by engaging in the highly competitive Capital Markets Program. This led her to an investment banking internship with RBC Capital Markets during the Summer of 2020 as well as being the Portfolio Manager Leader for the program this year. Further, she has competed in several case competitions over the last couple of years including first place wins at the Jeux de Commerce Central Competition (for the Human Resources Management team) as well as the national Diversity and Inclusion competition hosted by the Telfer School.
Joy is also a member of the Telfer Accounting Club, of which she was the President during 2019-2020. Within this role, she led the team in organizing their annual September networking event with accounting companies, and created an initiative that focused on mental health within the accounting field.
According to Joy, the many extracurricular activities offered by the School have opened up countless opportunities and allowed her to become more involved while applying her knowledge acquired in the classroom. She states, “Overall, I had the chance to explore new interests, attend conferences from inspiring leaders, and develop my skills both professionally and personally. " While Joy will be graduating soon, she plans to stay active within the Telfer community.
- Category: Student Voices
Whether it's an experience with the student clubs, the quality of teaching, the personal and professional development, studying at the Telfer School of Management is a unique experience.
Students talk about it with pride and it is obvious that being a member of the Telfer Nation means first and foremost being part of an exceptional community within the University of Ottawa family.
Here are the 3 reasons that I think make Telfer such a special faculty:
1. Studying in English, French, or both languages
That's right! The University of Ottawa is considered the largest bilingual university in the world, which means that you can study in both French and English, or in one of these languages. Since I am an international student from a Francophone country, I felt that attending the Telfer School was the best way for me to improve my English, while studying in French. Indeed, in addition to being able to practice in the city of Ottawa, most courses are also offered in both languages, which is a considerable advantage in terms of bilingualism.
2. Personal and Professional Development
Beyond a university education, I believe that a university must be able to contribute to the personal and professional development of its students, and this was a criterion I considered when I was in high school exploring my options for university.
In addition to the co-op program, the Telfer School of Management also gives students the opportunity to participate in programs such as the CMP (Capital Markets Program) for finance students, the Peer Mentoring Program, or the Profession of Management Consulting Program (PMCP) for students interested in consulting, to name a few.
Moreover, thanks to the Telfer Career Centre, which organizes a multitude of events with employers and accommodates Telfer students in all aspects of professional development (CV, cover letter, interviewing, etc.), we feel well prepared to enter the workforce and make the most of our academic knowledge.
Last but not least, associations and student clubs are the elements that stand out to me regarding the identity of the Telfer School of Management. With more than ten student clubs, the students involved at Telfer organize several social activities, networking events, and case competitions each year, as well as participate in competitions and contribute to the influence of our faculty on a national level. Participating in student clubs is also a good way for students to meet other students with or without common interests and to build a network for the future.
3. Work-Study Program
Although not exclusive to the Telfer School of Management, the University of Ottawa's Work-Study Program (WSP) is, in my opinion, one of the best opportunities available to students. As students, it is often difficult to manage our studies and our personal life, but it becomes even more difficult when it comes to finding a job. As a result, it allows students to find paid administrative or non-administrative jobs on campus, that are only minutes away from their classes.
- Category: Student Voices
When you are in high school, it is difficult for everyone, and especially for international students, to find the university program that best suits you. Faced with the multitude of possibilities available to us, both in terms of the program and the choice of city and university, it is a stressful and difficult decision. I am from Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, and I decided to come to Canada in 2017 for my university studies.
At that time - and I think a lot of students feel the same way - I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future, either for my future career or for my university studies. I was happy to have good grades, and did not fully realize that only a few years were separating me from university. By my senior year in high school, I started to feel the pressure to choose a university and a program of study, and it was not easy.
Finding my program
Initially, choosing which university I wanted to attend was fairly easy. My brother was already a student at the University of Ottawa, so it was the obvious choice for me as well. However, the biggest challenge was finding a program of study that was best for me. During my research, I realized that one of the things I liked to do in my spare time was to read and learn about companies and their founders, not for the activities and services they offered, but mostly for their history and what led to the success of those companies.
The only option that I felt came close to this interest was to study management. So I enrolled in the Telfer School of Management with a Specialization in Management with the idea of one day being my own boss. After one year at the school, I learned that there was a Complementary Option in Entrepreneurship offered at Telfer. It was a perfect option for me, especially since the course choices were related to my interests and allowed me to finish my bachelor's degree still within four years. So I completed my registration, and took this additional step on in my academic path towards the career I want to build.
Today, in my third-year, after starting my elective courses, I can say that my entrepreneurial ambition is confirmed day after day. The practical aspect of these courses was what I was missing in most of my theoretical courses. I had the opportunity, for example, to analyze a film about the life of an entrepreneur, to participate in a conference on entrepreneurship, and even to meet an entrepreneur with whom I discussed his career path in order to write a report.
From a passion to a career
All of these activities I am doing now, I either used to do already or always wanted to do. I believe what I am learning now will allow me to develop important skills such as teamwork, creativity, or initiative that will be very useful to me when I go into business.
For now, although I haven't discovered my business idea yet, I am determined to, and I know that one day I will reach my goals. We'll talk about it one day!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Executive Mentorship Program at the Telfer School, a program connecting our alumni and senior undergraduate students.
Third and fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce students have the opportunity to hear advice from industry executives and entrepreneurs in the program meetings, and gain a mentor during their studies. Students establish a relationship with a professional who provides informal guidance, networking opportunities, and shared ideas. It provides students a chance to learn on a one-on-one basis from a professional, who has also attended the Telfer School before launching their career.
For the mentors, the Executive Mentorship Program is a wonderful opportunity to meet students interested in their field of work, have a great conversation with the next generation of business professionals, and also learn about the exciting events and opportunities happening year-round at Telfer.
After applications came in this summer, 38 students are participating in the program during the 10th anniversary year. On October 1st, the 2020-2021 group gathered together online on Zoom, allowing each of them to see as many faces on the screen as possible during social distancing measures. One of the alumni mentors, Mark Farrell, shared what he is looking forward to this year after five years of participating in the program. He feels it is a “breath of fresh air” hearing from the newest generation of business students.
To learn more about the program and application deadlines for next year, reach out to Isabelle Décarie, the Student Experience Manager at the Telfer undergraduate office.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
The Dean’s Philos Award recognized individuals who have demonstrated outstanding philanthropic achievement and social commitment. This award was established in 2004 on the Telfer School of Management’s 35th Anniversary.
We’re both grateful to have grown up in, been educated in and live in a bilingual and multicultural country that has a deep Indigenous heritage. Because of our good fortune, we’ve long believed we have an obligation to give back to our community. When Dan was a student at the Telfer School in the early 1980s, the concept of corporate social responsibility made a lifelong impression on him. Later on, the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, which in Hebrew means repairing the world, became a beacon to guide our life together.
The idea behind tikkun olam is to do something small every day to mend the damage you see around you. While we’re fortunate to be able to contribute financially to causes we value, we believe our society sometimes pays too much attention to big donations. A million-dollar gift may get the headlines, but Canadians should also be excited by the idea of a million working people parting with some of their hard-earned money to fund causes and charities important to them.
Here’s what we mean. The Royal Ottawa Centre for Mental Health gives out Inspiration Awards each year. One winner a few years ago was a woman who had been treated at the Royal and decided to give back. A new Canadian who worked as a cleaner, she managed to volunteer her time and contribute $500 a year to the organization. Her shining example shows us that the truest measure of giving is not size but giving in a manner that is most meaningful and appropriate to the giver at that stage in their life.
This way of looking at giving is especially relevant to Telfer School students and recent graduates. Yes, you’re just starting out on your business careers and, yes, the coronavirus pandemic is playing havoc with the economy; yet you still can give even though you don't have much, if any, extra money. At the same time, the pandemic has laid bare many breaks in our worlds—small and large, figurative and literal—that cry out for repair.
Start simply, and start now, by finding time in your day for acts of kindness. And if you have options about how to handle a difficult situation, choose the kindest one. Adopt this attitude as you enter and rise in the business world. Show your best personal qualities—fairness, generosity and empathy—in your workplaces. Use them to make your organization more inclusive, your company’s relationships with customers and partners more rewarding, and your business’s operations more sustainable and responsible socially. Tikkun olam.
This is a summary of the interview conducted on September 16th, 2020 with Dan Greenberg and Barbara Crook.
- Category: Rising Stars
Since 2010, Project F.L.Y. (Future Leaders in Youth) has been run by Enactus uOttawa as a leadership program with the dedicated mission to empower youth. These university students strive to teach youth some of life’s most important skills through engaging workshops that will benefit them with the opportunity to grow personally and professionally.
Last week, Project F.L.Y. was mentioned in an article posted by The Star in Toronto, which highlighted the team’s ability to help students navigate through mental wellness: a topic that is becoming increasingly important especially with the COVID-19 restrictions put in place.
With the help of Jack.org, ambassadors of Project F.L.Y. have created a mental health curriculum across local schools, community groups, and rural communities in order to educate youth of all ages about mental wellness, while also increasing their ability to seek for help and support when needed. Content topics within the elementary curriculum includes positive self-talk, care activities, and mindfulness instruction.
Enactus uOttawa has grown tremendously over the past year, collaborating with 8 new partners, and attracting 500 attendees to their workshops.
Learn more about the various initiatives prepared under Project F.L.Y. shared in the Star.
*Archive picture from 2019
- Category: Student Voices
The most dreaded term of the management school community. Everyone talks about it, all your professors bring it up in class, every event includes a portion of it. But really, what is networking?
What is Networking?
I disliked the idea of networking for the first two years of management school. I thought it was intimidating, ingenuine and simply not worth the social anxiety that came with it.
But what is it? Technically you know the answer. You are told that it is the act of meeting people like friends, professionals, and other adults because that is the best way to get job opportunities when you graduate, or something along those lines. The truth is, networking is so much more than that.
You think networking is more like this:
Realistically, however, it’s more like this:
Opportunities Are Everywhere
Networking is random, constant, and a part of our everyday life. Networking is simply making a connection with someone. Anyone. It is saying “Hi” to the person next to you in class. It is your group mates for your course projects. It is going to see your professor at their office hours. It is that simple. So, what’s the fuss?
I see it as a learning opportunity, whether through networking events, casual encounters or online conversation. I network with people that I want to learn something from: how they got their current job, what their career path was like, how they feel about the student association they are a part of, or what tools they use for getting so much done while being a full-time student. As you can see, there’s a lot to learn from people, and most people are always willing to help, share their experiences, and provide you with the opportunity to learn from them.
Just Be Yourself
The best part is, it doesn’t have to be intimidating or ingenuine. The key is having a genuine interest to connect with a particular person, and to be honest about why you want to connect with them. When you’re genuine, then your conversation with that person is honest, interesting and effortless. You will end your conversation with that person feeling like you just learned something new, made a connection, and better yet, you didn’t even realize you were networking the whole time.
Connections For Your Future
So, how do you network? I network by reaching out to people on LinkedIn who currently have my dream job, or work at a company I hope to work at one day, or are currently pursuing studies I am considering for myself in the future etc. I connect with that particular individual, but ensure that I am sending a note with my request, saying who I am, and why I want to connect with them. They almost always accept my connection, and are happy to meet with me over coffee or a simple call.
Therefore, networking isn’t as intimidating as it seems. Be yourself, go into conversations with people you don’t know by trying to learn something new, and the result is that you have expanded your network. It’s magic!
You never know what those connections will lead to. One day when you need a job, or want to participate in an activity or event, you can reach out to someone you already know from your network, and more often than not, they will be happy to help you reach your goals.
Everyone networks whether they know it or not. The difference, however, is that when people take every chance they can get to learn and connect with new people, they can then manifest opportunities that come their way.
- Category: Student Voices
Job interviews are often nerve-wracking, especially as a CO-OP student who is hoping to stand out. The interview question we often dread is: “Tell me about yourself?” During my last round of CO-OP interviews, I decided to ask employers what made students memorable, and the underlying theme was personality.
One employer stated, “grades are necessary to establish competence, but we are looking for a connection. That sometimes means sacrificing CGPA for personality and extracurricular involvement.” Easier said than done, right? I have often found myself trying to be the perfect candidate for the job, and forgetting that it is the other way around. Here’s a list of tips to help you loosen up, to be yourself:
1. Listen to the Question and Answer Without a Rehearsed Script
Let’s start off with how we answer questions. According to several employers, students often miss answering the actual question because they are too focused on reciting a script they memorized. Instead, listen attentively to exactly what the interviewer is asking (jot it down if you can). Take a moment to formulate a concrete answer with a relevant example. It is suggested to have a list of various professional stories in your pocket. Doing so will provide you with the flexibility to answer questions candidly.
2. Add Relevant Personal Anecdotes When You Can
Gathering your thoughts to prepare a response may trigger a related memory. For instance, you may mention that during your trip abroad to France, you forced yourself to only speak French with locals, even though it made you uncomfortable. Not only will it highlight your bilingualism, but it may also spark a conversation revealing potential common interests. However, don’t forget to redirect the conversation if you and your employer ramble on about France. Remember, use your time wisely to build a memorable connection with the employer.
3. Conduct Research About the Company
To demonstrate your passion for the job, research the company. Subtly demonstrate how your values match the company’s values, and how you can add to their vision or goals. Of course, if it doesn’t come up naturally, don’t force it! However, if the employer mentions company objectives that you’ve read about, jump in with: “Oh, when I was researching your departmental plans, I read a little bit about that project. Would you be able to tell me more?”. Small additions to the conversation show the employer that you are interested. It ultimately demonstrates your desire to be a part of the team!
Remember, interviewers are just people who are trying to find a candidate whose personality and ability will add to their team. Toss out the idea of trying to be what they are looking for, and instead be genuine. Either way, your true personality will surface; better that happens during the interview and not on the first day of the job.
Happy job hunting!
- Category: Student Voices
Unsure of what you want out of your business degree, but know you have an interest in the field? Those are some shoes I think many people wear well through their undergraduate studies. That is exactly where I was in my first year. In my own experience, an early internship helped me better understand the world of business I was getting into and narrow down my own career path.
So, how did I get an internship out of my first year in university? In all honesty, I believe it was a perfect mix of initiative and luck. Here are the three main factors I believe allowed me to get an early internship:
1. Educating Myself
Before the start of my first semester, I knew that I wanted to make the most out of my experience at the Telfer School of Management. This could be fulfilled in a few different ways, whether through utilising school resources for entrepreneur-related ventures or in the search for new opportunities such as getting a well-paying job.
I had previously taken business courses in high school, but I further educated myself by reading books on business and human psychology. This knowledge gave me confidence for when I would start meeting people in university and in the business world.
2. Getting Involved
In my first semester, in my search for opportunities, I began to look at the Telfer student clubs. I met the Telfer Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) President at the time, Ned Tighe, and VP Marketing, Aveen Habib, at a Telfer networking event, who introduced me to the club. I was later lucky enough to be chosen as their first-year representative as part of the club’s executive team.
Joining TECDE allowed me to gain a better understanding of the variety of events that are open to students at Telfer, as well as get closer to students with more experience than me. I believe that it also played an important role in establishing my credibility when later applying for jobs.
3. Networking
Throughout the school year, I networked. Actually, I got to know people. I enjoyed meeting new people at several events throughout the school year. These included school-hosted job fairs, Telfer Career Centre workshops, and club events such as downtown office tours.
It was at one of these office tours at an Ottawa-based technology company called Klipfolio that I met Robert Shapiro, their head of Human Resources. After the tour was over, I asked if we could meet for lunch sometime, and he agreed. I was thrilled that he let me take up a bit of his time to learn more about him and the company. He soon told me about an opening that had not yet been posted on their website. After preparing a data analytics-related project, I was granted an interview and soon achieved what I longed for: an internship position.
So, there's my take: if you make sure to educate yourself ahead of time, get involved with the university and take advantage of networking opportunities, you too could be on your way into an internship position. With these steps, you’re giving yourself an excellent shot and will get a head start on determining your desired career path.
- Category: Student Voices
Procrastination can be a fairly recurring problem in many aspects of our lives. Whether it is in our professional or academic environment, many of us are confronted with it. You may have already read articles or watched videos on how to resist procrastination, but unfortunately you are still at the same stage.
Procrastination is essentially the habit of putting important tasks off caused by a mental block. It holds you back from achieving emotional freedom, greater mental strength, better self-management and professional and/or academic success.
Here are 3 key tips I learned about procrastination during my university years:
1. Apologies are catalysts:
As Serita Jakes used to say, "apologies are tools of incompetence used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness." Take a minute to digest this quote.
Apologies are statements that trigger nonchalance and complacency in effort in many of us. Ultimately, they have an effect on our willingness to work and achieve our goals.
As I like to repeat to myself, opening ourselves up to the possibility of putting off a task removes the sense of priority and leads to laziness and procrastination. Therefore, we need to develop self-control and discipline our brains to exclude excuses. From the outset, excuses are not an option.
2. Procrastination is a consequence:
When we think about the causes of our failures, our inability to manage our time well, our professional and academic status quo, we often link them to procrastination. In other words, procrastination is the reason why we fail to achieve our goals. Thus, by getting rid of this defect, we are on the right track to success.
We base our battle against procrastination on personal discipline without really looking for the causes. However, going deeper into this aspect from my experiences, we see that procrastination in itself is the consequence of our emotional state, of a combination of circumstances sometimes unpredictable that predisposes us to close ourselves to any kind of productivity. The first thing to do, therefore, is to identify the causes of our procrastination.
3. Mental health and procrastination:
Our mental, emotional and physical state has an impact on our daily activities. A desire to accomplish nothing may have a root other than the physical laziness we seek to overcome. Some situations may affect us in different ways, depending on the individual.
For example, procrastination could be the consequence of an existential malaise or a psychological malaise. In all cases, a diagnosis is not always easy to make. It can, therefore, be important to learn about mental health and seek help. Several resources are available on campus for this purpose:
In conclusion, I believe you can overcome procrastination if, from the outset, the causes are identified, catalysts or triggers are avoided, and available resources are used. It takes time and space to grow and develop healthy habits. So be patient with yourself and the process.
Banner image: credit @magnetme
- Category: Student Announcements
There is a lot to learn as a new Telfer student when it comes to program features and courses. If you are interested in learning more about setting up your course schedules, choosing your program option(s), studying in French and English, and international exchange, check out this discussion from fellow University of Ottawa students from an Instagram Live session.
Instagram Live Discussion
This spring, uOttawa Future hosted live Q&A sessions on Instagram Live with current students from each of the University of Ottawa’s undergraduate faculties.
Fourth-year Marketing student, Fiona Doomasia, chatted with uOttawa Future ambassador and third-year Social Sciences student, Narimane Ait Hamou, about student experience both inside and outside of the classroom. This included anything from how to set up your course schedule and making changes to your program, to student clubs and jobs on campus.
Here are some of the key topics they discussed:
Courses
1. Course Selection
Some questions were sent in asking about what courses to register for in first year, and how best to choose courses. Nari and Fiona shared their advice for finding the best schedule of courses to set up: essentially, whatever works best for you!
Fiona suggested writing down the courses and time slots available on the uoCampus class search tool in order to see what choices you have, and to then select the courses that best fit your schedule. Classes take place anytime from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and are usually 1.5 hours or 3 hours in duration. She added that if you are fine with a full-day of around six hours of classes and you are commuting to downtown Ottawa, you can schedule a number of classes in one day. This can help in arranging your schedule to have one day off or to create one shorter day with plenty of available time for homework, group projects, student club work, or other commitments.
Nari also recommended meeting with an academic advisor who can help you set up your course schedule, ensure you are following the course sequence you need to graduate, choose electives, and more. Our academic advisors are available at any point during your undergraduate degree, so if you need help beyond first year, you are still welcome to get in touch with them.
View your program course sequence for your entire undergraduate degree here, by clicking on your program option, then click “Course Sequence” under “Useful Information”.
2. Class Sizes
Fiona and Nari also discussed typical class sizes to expect in first-year courses and beyond. In first year, many of your classes can range from 150 to 400 students depending on the course. A course like Introduction to Microeconomics (ECO 1104) is required in several programs, and therefore, will be filled with students from a variety of different faculties, leading to a larger class size of up to around 400 students. You may also choose to take an elective course in the Faculty of Social Sciences for example, which would be closer to 250 students if it is at a first- or second-year level course (beginning with 1000 or 2000 in the course code).
A course like Introduction to Business Management (ADM 1300) would be closer to 150-200 students in a classroom as all first-year Telfer students are required to complete this course. As you proceed through the years, you will notice that class sizes will decrease to as small as 60-80 students, common in fourth-year. This is because those classes are more specific to your program specialization, such as Digital Marketing Technologies (ADM 4326).
Program Changes and Languages
1. Switching Program Options/Specializations
At the Telfer School, you choose which program option you would like from the options offered, but all Bachelor of Commerce students take the same courses in first and second year. This gives you time in your first couple of years to determine which area of business you are most interested in, and you can switch into a different Telfer program if need be.
Perhaps if you started out in Marketing, but realized your interest in Accounting, you can switch into Accounting before you start third-year, where courses become more specific. You can switch in third- or fourth-year, but you will likely require further schooling as not all classes will transfer over. You will need to complete all required courses identified in the new course sequence in order to obtain your desired degree. For questions about this, you can contact your academic advisor at Telfer’s Student Services Centre.
2. Studying in your language of choice
You can choose to study in your language(s) of choice: entirely in French, entirely in English, or a mix of French and English. You can enrol in the French Immersion program, which requires a certain number of courses to be taken in French.
International Exchange Program
Any Telfer student is eligible to go on an international exchange during their degree. If you are either in International Management with a mandatory exchange, or you are in another Telfer program, you can set a meeting with one of our academic advisors to discuss your options.
If you are planning on going on an exchange, they can help you determine which semester is best for you to go on exchange based on which classes you need to take while at the University of Ottawa, and which classes you can take abroad. If you are in co-op, they can also help you figure out how to ensure you meet all requirements for co-op and your courses.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
It is with great sadness that the family of Professor William (Bill) Rentz announces his recent passing.
Esteemed professor and member of the Telfer family since July 1st, 1975, Bill has influenced 3 different generations of young minds mainly through Financial & Portfolio Management classes and acted as Coordinator for the Accounting and Finance section at the School. Over the years, he has welcomed and helped numerous finance faculty members as they joined Telfer, and he was considered a mentor to his students.
"Bill contributed so much to the University and especially to the Accounting and Finance section. He sat on the University’s pension committee for many years and we enjoyed the benefits of his expertise. He would always ask the tough questions at committee level or School Council. He had a wonderful sense of humour that will be sadly missed. When I arrived at Telfer, Bill was always there with a smile to give me advice whether I wanted it or not. His door was always open if you just wanted to shoot the breeze or discuss a more pressing topic. Office 7106 will seem very empty in the months to come. The Telfer community has lost a beloved colleague whose compassionate and endearing manner will be greatly missed."
- Professor Philip McIlkenny
"Bill was a respectful and supportive colleague, always ready to provide his time, input, and ideas. His research insights and teaching expertise provided many of us with novel ways to approach our own work. While Bill would not always agree with you, he would always listen, and end the conversation on a positive note. We will dearly miss his counsel and advice."
- Professor Samir Saadi
"Sharing the 7th-floor hallway with Bill encouraged many late-afternoon chats. His door was always open to seek his opinion, trade news on research and teaching, debate politics, and to learn about his vibrant love of family. Bill's students raved about his classes; the long lines outside his door were a testament to his rapport with them. Working with Bill on the School Council and the APUO offered us the opportunity to observe his enviable skill for saying little and much at the same time. Bill was a kind and dear colleague, who understood and fostered community and collegiality. We were blessed to have known him."
- Professor Cheryl S. McWatters
Bill will be missed by all of us. Given the current public health measures, his family has announced that there will be no public funeral. A private ceremony with close relatives will be held in his memory.
Any additional details about the condolences will be communicated in time.
- Category: Student Announcements
This year is a new experience for everyone due to the “new normal” we have been adapting to over the last six months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. These changes have brought about many new learnings, challenges, and even opportunities.
After having to postpone their usual in-person event in March, The Legacy Conference team is committed to delivering another memorable conference experience this year, even if it means going virtual. As the largest student-run conference in Canada, this year is extra special for the team as they celebrate 10 years of The Legacy Conference in Ottawa. In 2010, a University of Ottawa student saw an opportunity to inspire the next generation of student leaders through entrepreneurship, and thus, the Legacy Conference was born.
The Legacy Conference is designed for the learners and doers of this world. Speakers have a laid-back attitude and provide a personal experience, often wearing casual attire like t-shirts & jeans. “Legacy is all about sharing those genuine, real-life moments of entrepreneurship. We are empowering the future generation of leaders at our workshops, mentorship sessions, career fairs and more,” as their website states.
Legacy Conference 2020
As always, the conference is open to all University of Ottawa students with an interest in leadership and entrepreneurship intended to “provide the next line of leaders with the necessary resources to help them cultivate new ideas, kickstart business endeavours or build onto current ones.” This year's Director, Sally Adam, and the rest of the Legacy team is excited to present their first-ever virtual edition of the event, as they have made it clear it will be the same phenomenal experience, but “now all in your sweatpants.”
Sally her motivations for joining, and leading, the Legacy Conference movement this year: “I found out about Legacy randomly and since then, I've been hooked on our mission. We're focused on sharing the powerful moments of passion, failure, and perseverance that often define entrepreneurship. University is sadly when students let fear drive life-altering decisions about the paths worth travelling. Legacy is changing that for a lot of young people, including myself."
This year’s line-up of speakers include:
- Jason Fried, Founder and CEO of Basecamp
- Rob Villeneuve, CEO of Rebel
- Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
- Anne De Aragon, Vice President and Country Manager of GoDaddy Canada
- Shawn Kanungo, Keynote Speaker and Disruption Strategist
- Emily Anne Epstein, Editor-in-Chief of Narcity Media
- Mike Smith, Founder of Skate4Change and The Bay
- Travis Rosbach, Co-founder of HydroFlask
- Seth Godin, best-selling author and entrepreneur
- Izzy Camilleri, Designer at IZ Adaptive
Interested in joining the fun and learning from this line of leaders to cultivate new ideas, kickstart business endeavours or elevate existing ones? Grab your tickets to attend this year’s virtual Legacy Conference on Friday, October 2nd, 2020.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Pouya Safi (MBA 2013), Associate Director - uOttawa Professional Development Institute, 2020 Young Achiever's Award Recipient.
The Young Achiever's award was created to honour the individuals (under 40) who have been able to achieve greatness in their lives within an exceptional period of time.
I’m being recognized as a young achiever, and I’m grateful for the honour. Yet I must admit that all I’ve accomplished has come about as a result of the opportunities presented to me. The Telfer School has provided many such openings. I’m astounded by the confidence it has placed in me.
Shortly after I graduated from the Telfer MBA, a school official asked me to help enhance the experiential learning component of the Telfer BCom finance curriculum, so that graduates are better prepared to take on any role in the financial world. Then the school offered me the chance to become a lecturer and part-time professor. I leveraged that learning and experience to become the associate director at uOttawa’s Professional Development Institute.
The undergraduate courses I teach focus on ethics, sustainability and social responsibility. They are vital to finance and to innovation. Innovation is as much a product of equality of opportunity as it is a function of technological acumen and scientific excellence. I believe Canada can have excellence and equality of opportunity, building on our country’s multicultural foundation.
In fact, our country can become a leader in innovation by ensuring new Canadians have opportunities to integrate successfully; by ensuring all Canadians have opportunities to re-skill and up-skill through continuing education; and by ensuring young Canadians have opportunities to stay in Canada to pursue their professional and business goals.
The coronavirus pandemic is an opening of a different kind. We didn't ask for it and yet it’s forcing change upon us rapidly and profoundly, especially in how we work. Many outlets for improvement will soon present themselves. Canada must seize them to become fairer, more equal and more sustainable. I encourage Telfer School students to do their part.
As you do so, follow five lessons I’ve learned. First, chase happiness and not money. Happiness will bring out your best qualities, and the money will come. Second, don’t compare yourself to others; you’ll be more successful if you follow your own path. Third, when the world opens up again, broaden your perspective by travelling. Fourth, keep learning after your undergraduate education is done. And fifth, find a charitable cause you believe in that could profit from your knowledge. Your opportunity is out there. Grab it.
This is a summary of the interview conducted on August 28th, 2020 with Pouya Safi, Associate Director - uOttawa Professional Development Institute
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Lloyd Koch (MHA 1973), Former CEO, Pembroke Regional Hospital, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, OMI, former director of the University's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni. It was first awarded in 1989 to recognize leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world, the community and their alma mater.
Sharing our country’s resources more equitably among our own people and with those in
poorer countries is the path to a better Canada. Sharing at home is an attitude. It involves
being inclusive and tolerant. It's also an action—supporting peaceful responses to our
disagreements and bringing the contributions of all kinds of people together to solve
problems.
Sharing abroad presents limitless opportunities. Following my retirement from administering
hospitals in Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Wingham and Pembroke, my wife and I began leading
teams of Canadian volunteers to improve the infrastructure of hospitals in Tanzania. Over
the past 15 years, in cooperation with Canada Africa Community Health Alliance (an affiliate
of the University of Ottawa), we’ve supervised 16 missions made up of 120 Canadian
volunteers. They have put in 500 weeks of work to complete 25 hospital improvement
projects worth more than $300,000 in donated money.
I’ve found helping others brings personal and professional satisfaction. You feel good as a
Canadian to be able to do this kind of work. It makes for a better Canada, too. People
abroad see us as a peace-seeking country that brings a non-partisan attitude to solving
problems. Our nation’s unbiased outlook—focused on sharing our knowledge with the most
affected and vulnerable—is a rare commodity these days.
The need for this approach is greater now than perhaps ever before. The coronavirus
pandemic has revealed how close-knit the world has become and therefore how vulnerable
we all are and how reliant on each other we must be. As Canadians, we have built a
healthcare system designed to serve all people’s needs and enable them to live healthier lives.
We must continue to support and improve that system.
The Telfer MHA was a leader in elevating the profession of health management when I
graduated from the program in 1973. It remains so to this day. Some of the tools and
methods I’ve used in my 50-year healthcare career have changed over time, but the bedrock
principles have endured—data use and strategic planning, leadership and teamwork, caring
and sharing.
The Telfer School also connected me to classmates who I’ve called on for advice and
support. I urge today’s Telfer MHA students to keep their classmates close. As you become
healthcare leaders, you’ll recognize you can't do it all yourself—neither personally nor
organizationally. As a leader, you must put yourself at the centre of a sharing environment
within your organization, between your organization and others, and between the healthcare
system and the people it serves.
This is a summary of the interview conducted by Telfer School of Management on August 21st, 2020 with Lloyd Koch, Former CEO, Pembroke Regional Hospital, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Caroline Xavier (BAdm 1990), Associate Deputy Minister Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, OMI, former director of the University's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni. It was first awarded in 1989 to recognize leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world, the community and their alma mater.
Canada is increasingly diverse. People come to our country from a wide range of places and with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and knowledge—wider and richer than ever before. That’s great to see and something we need to continue. Yet diversity is just half the equation.
We also must be a more inclusive country. A truly equitable Canada is a place in which our businesses, organizations and public institutions have an array of faces, and the people behind them are in positions at every level and play fundamental roles in decisions and actions.
A more inclusive public service is imperative. A public service that reflects the people it serves makes more informed policies, does a better job of delivering services and, because it’s smart and efficient, earns and keeps the trust of Canadians. Diversity and inclusion make for good business, period. Any workplace that’s diverse and inclusive is likely to be successful and resilient.
A more inclusive public service is also personal. I’m the child of Haitian immigrants and the first Black person—male or female—to reach the deputy-minister rank in the federal public service. I started as a student in an HR role over 30 years ago and just recently assumed the duties of Associate Deputy Minister at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It’s an achievement I’m extremely proud of. Yet this milestone also raises the question: What took us so long?
We’re all asking similar questions these days. The coronavirus pandemic—which has affected so many, especially vulnerable populations disproportionately—and the urgent call for social justice are forcing a reckoning in Canada and in its public service. My colleagues and I are committed to make sure federal representation, policies, programs, services and organizations accurately reflect the changing makeup of our country and respond to its most pressing needs. It is my duty and privilege to ensure the door stays wide open for others who look like me to join.
The Telfer BCom taught me to look for opportunities in good times and especially in crisis. While on parental leave in 1995, I used my entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to co-found The Bagel Run, Inc.—the first Montreal-style, wood-burning oven bagel shop in Orleans, Ontario, which is still going strong 25 years later. Now, more than ever, it is important that all Telfer students apply their knowledge and skills in their communities. Assess the new reality. Spot opportunities. Then make a plan and take action to build a better Canada.
This is a summary of the interview conducted on August 14th, 2020 with Caroline Xavier, Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Dan Moorcroft (EMBA 1997), Co-Founder, President/ CEO QMR Consulting & Professional Staffing, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, OMI, former director of the University's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni. It was first awarded in 1989 to recognize leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world, the community and their alma mater.
A better Canada is a more empathetic Canada. At my business, QMR Consulting and
Professional Staffing, we bring empathy to life to create an upbeat workplace for our team
and to nurture successful relationships with our clients. First, we hire for empathy. When
considering new people, we value candidates who show willingness to listen to and learn
from the views and experiences of others.
Then we practice it daily. Empathy in everyday action starts with slowing down and paying
attention to colleagues and customers to understand their problems, situations and
circumstances. I’ve found when you listen to comprehend rather than merely to react, you
show respect, caring and kindness—all of which are hallmarks of empathy.
We also encourage employees to savour the positive moments of their days. When they
achieve something meaningful for clients, colleagues or themselves, we urge them to pause
awhile and soak in the feeling. Don't feel the need to rush on to the next task. On the flip
side, show gratitude to others when they’ve accomplished something big or small.
Expressing emotions effectively is another empathetic skill we stress. In our workplace, we
take the tone down: No problem is so severe we can't correct it. We ask each other to be
accountable and learn from mistakes, yet it’s amazing how conversations and relationships in
any organization improve when you make it possible for employees to channel their
emotions constructively.
The coronavirus pandemic has reinforced my appreciation of empathy. It’s revealed our
shared obligation to listen to and learn from the most vulnerable among us if we are to build
a better normal in Canada and not merely return to the old one.
My relationship with the Telfer School has also given me a fuller understanding of this vital
quality. The school has not only enabled me to gain essential knowledge through the Telfer
MBA, but also enhanced my life through my tenures as CEO-in-Residence and Dean’s
Advisory Board chair, and especially as executive mentor to students. I encourage them to
reap the personal and professional returns that come from slowing down and listening
closely, from being grateful and making kindness a habit, from emphasizing empathy to
build a better Canada.
This is a summary of the interview conducted by Telfer School of Management on August 7th, 2020 with Dan Moorcroft, Co-Founder, President/ CEO QMR Consulting & Professional Staffing.
- Category: Webinars
This year’s CEO of the Year breakfast was hosted as a webinar, with Dan Goldberg, CEO of Telesat, as the guest speaker. The panel consisted of Catherine Elliott, Paul Marshall, and Michael Curran.
Explaining Telesat’s current state since the pandemic, Dan Goldbers says that Telesat, being a communication service, has remained steady.
The company has taken a hit in terms of providing telecoms to airplanes and cruise ships, but since employees have been working from home, there has been a huge increase in Broadband demands. He discusses the ways the internet has been a massive disruptor in the satellite industry, but how that can also be seen as a growth opportunity.
Telesat is embracing a new multibillion-dollar technological innovation of launching a constellation of satellites which communicate other through lasers, providing more affordable broadband connectivity all over the globe.
Watch the webinar now:
- Category: Webinars
The Telfer School of Management held a webinar discussing the Future of IT Strategy Telfer Webinar. Moderating the webinar is Assistant Professor Lysanne Lessard, along with guest speakers Elizabeth Rhodenizer, Chief Information Officer at the Public Service Commission of Canada, and Paul Vallée, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tehama.
Elizabeth discusses how the public and private sectors have responded to the pandemic within the Government of Canada. Her presentation focuses on accessibility, security, and privacy in the new age of technology. Paul discusses the resources needed in order to send employees to work from home.
He also explains the advantages and disadvantages of enterprises issuing out personal laptops in comparison to allowing employees to gain access to work information through their own devices. Both speakers answered questions about data analytics, how they overcame COVID issues, and the importance of de-soiling data.
Watch the webinar now:
- Category: Webinars
Telfer Talks hosted a webinar on opportunities and changes in consumer behaviors with professor Steven Daze as the moderator. Speakers on this webinar include Telfer Alumni Anie Rouleau, Founder of the Unscented Company; Dipalli Bhatt, Director of Marketing at Incognito Software; Professor Michael Mulvey at the Telfer school of Management; Moktar Yusuf, Cofounder and CEO of Relmogeo; and Karla Briones, Founder of Karla Briones Consulting and Immigrant Entrepreneur Academy.
These speakers all have different and unique outlooks into the current changing consumer market. They discuss the pivots in each of their respective fields, as well as trends in consumerism as a whole. Questions are answered about business opportunities during a pandemic, privacy concerns in a virtual world, adaptability, and hiring new employees in this environment.
Watch the webinar now:
- Category: Webinars
On June 3rd, the Telfer School of Management hosted a webinar titled MHA CEO in Residence with Matthew Anderson, President and CEO of Ontario Health. The webinar discussed the reconstruction of the Ontario Government’s healthcare system in terms of management and delivery.
This transformation will occur based on the Peoples Health Care Act, and the new delivery system will be centered around Ontario Health Teams. The transformation will also include several provincial agencies who merged into Ontario Health, which will conduct their plans and operations similarly. Matthew Anderson, leader of this transformation, discusses this transition and the next key deliverables to be in the early evolution of the organization.
Watch the webinar now!
- Category: Webinars
On May 29th, the Telfer School of Management held a webinar discussing Compensation Strategy and Performance Management: Dramatic Changes and Implications in Response to COVID-19. The Speakers, Ian Cullwick, Partner at Mercer Canada and Telfer EMBA Faculty member, and Manon Laliberté, HR manager at the Ottawa Hospital discussed strategic context, board compensation, executive and workforce compensation, and workforce support.
They also gave insight to an applied perspective approach using communication, collaboration, as well as agility and flexibility as guiding principles. They tackled issues from a practitioner’s point of view, emphasizing the phrases social responsibility vs survival know your workforce, and beware of the ripple effect. The speakers also analyzed performance management trends up to vs post-February 2020. Finally, they gave advice on making performance management work, and finished the webinar by emphasizing that one size does not fit all.
Watch the webinar now:
- Category: Latest News
It is time for another fall semester at the Telfer School, but this one will be like no other as we are going 100% virtual. We want to make this new semester as seamless and stress-free as possible for you, so we have put together a list of needed tools and key resources for distance learning.
Online School Essentials List
You will need all of the following in order to begin your online fall semester.
- Computer and Operating System: Working personal computer with Windows 7 or a more recent version of software, or an Apple MacBook computer with MacOS 10.12 or a more recent version.
- Memory Space: You will need at least 2GB of RAM (random access memory) available on your computer.
- Internet Connection: You will need access to Wi-Fi with a signal strength of at least 2 Mbit/s, although 5 Mbit/s or more is recommended. You can test your connection strength by running an Internet Connectivity Test here.
- Microphone and Camera: You will need a working microphone and camera on your computer in order to speak and be seen in teleconferencing and in online classes.
- Microsoft Office Suite: The Office 365 software program is available to all students at the university as part of student fees. This includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams. Download information and access can be found here. You can find a full list of available software offered to students here.
- Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) is a digital hub that brings conversations, content, and apps together in one place. Within MS Teams, students can quickly converse with professors and other students, share files, create a OneNote class notebook, view their assignments and grade amongst other possibilities. The service integrates with Office 365 office suite and features extensions that can integrate with non-Microsoft products
- Adobe Connect: Adobe Connect allows invitees to easily attend meetings from their desktop without requiring a client download, and offers complete mobile-to-mobile collaboration capabilities. This may be used for some of your courses. There is even a mobile version that you can download to your phone or tablet. Learn more and access it through the university here.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: This software program allows you to open, view, comment, and print PDF documents, and it is offered by Adobe for free here.
- Antivirus Software: Sophos Endpoint Protection is antivirus software that is recommended and offered for free by the university, which you can access here.
- Access to uoZone: You can easily access the university’s student portal and more online tools through uOZone. You are able to view your personal information, financials, academic information, key dates and updates and more through this portal.
- Access to Brightspace: Brightspace is your access to our Virtual Campus that you can access through uOZone. This portal provides access to each of your courses where professors can share updates, class notes, syllabi, and other important files.
If you have any questions or need technical assistance setting up these features, you can contact uOttawa IT support here or Telfer IT support here.
Additional Free Tools
In addition, here are a few useful tools that can help you increase your productivity, manage schoolwork, facilitate group projects, and organize class notes that we recommend.
- Mural: Mural is an online visualization tool that can be used for brainstorming and collaborating within your group, prioritizing tasks, or visualizing a project. You can start with a blank canvas and drag and drop the icons and available visualization tools, or you can start working from one of their many templates.
- Canva: Canva is an easy-to use design platform that can be used to create presentations, MS Teams backgrounds, mock advertisements, logos, and so much more. It’s easy drag-and-drop functionality, free photos and icons, and countless templates can save you time and inspire creativity.
- Otter: Otter is an application that can be used individually or in teams to transcribe and save meeting notes, transcribe your class discussions into notes, and set up calendar reminders. It is also integratable with other platforms like Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft.
With all of these tools and resources, you will be on track for a productive and efficient remote learning experience.
- Category: Student Voices
Tired of visiting the same old study spots on campus? Looking for some cool, new scenery to put in some long study hours? Seeking a place to enjoy either a smooth espresso, fresh bagel, vegetarian buffet or even a homemade pie while you are at it? Your search ends now.
Listed below are the definitive nine best places to study in Ottawa, perfectly crafted to inspire even the least motivated student. Let us begin.
The Green Door
198 Main StreetThe Green Door is a great place to eat quality vegetarian food while you buckle down and study. There is only one location in Ottawa, and it is right beside Sandy Hill, so it is easily accessible for most uOttawa students. Although it is primarily a pay-by-weight style buffet consisting of mostly gluten-free, vegan, and organic foods, it is also a very relaxed and spacious environment to study in. It does get quite loud and busy at peak times, so in order to avoid distraction, bring some headphones, and listen to some of your favourite study music to get locked in.
Photo from: https://www.happycow.net/reviews/green-door-ottawa-1326/images?sortby=date-desc
Les Moulins Lafayette
1000 Wellington St. WestLes Moulins Lafayette is a relatively new bakery to the city, which came to Hintonburg in just 2018. Albeit it is one of the best bakeries/cafés I’ve been to in Ottawa. Not only do they play great music and offer an aesthetic environment to work in, but they have some of the highest quality coffee and pastries I have had. As a bakery first, they sell a much better variety of croissants, muffins, and cookies than a typical café and they also happen to be directly in front of a craft brewery and LCBO for when the studying is over.
Photo from: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/les-moulins-la-fayette-ottawa
Kettlemans
912 Bank St, 1365 Woodroffe Ave, 6-197 Trainyards DrThis bagel shop is extremely well-known as it has been in business in the same location, the Glebe, for the last 25 years. It is on this list not because it is a quiet and chill spot to study in but since it is open 24/7 and offers free coffee refills. It is for these two reasons that it is one of the best options for a hardcore, long-lasting study session. It has windows all around with natural sunlight and a choice of viewing the bagel creation process or the hustle and bustle of Bank Street. They also have friendly staff. The only downside is they do play their music at an exceptionally high level, so just be sure to bring some quality headphones in order to get locked in.
Photo from: http://jvlphoto.com/ottawa-commercial-photography-kettlemans/jvlphoto-photographer-kettlemans-34-edit/
Morning Owl
229 Armstrong St, 538 Rochester St, 219 Laurier Ave W. and othersMorning Owl is a locally-based coffee chain here in Ottawa. They have 7 locations across Ottawa, and they have delicious and unique drinks and bites, such as the white rabbit latte. I can always count on Morning Owl for a great study environment, with its chic and comfortable interior design. Another thing that makes Morning Owl interesting to study in is that they each have a different vibe that matches the area it is in, so make sure to visit the different locations across the city.
Photo from: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/morning-owl-coffee-house-ottawa-2
Life of Pie
1134 Bank St.Instead of settling with the super-loud, non-stop influx of people at the Desmarais Starbucks or any of the other cafés on campus, treat yourself with some coffee and a homemade pie. Life of Pie is an adorable, family-run place that offers housemade pies (that are to die for) in many flavours as well as quiches, soups, and salads. I recommend studying here because although it is small, it is very cozy, the staff are friendly, and the fantastic smell of freshly made pies makes you want to stay there all day.
Photo from: http://lifeofpie.ca/about-us/
The Art House Café
555 Somerset St. WThe Art House Café is a cool, art-filled coffeehouse that offers espresso drinks, light fare and pastries, plus outdoor seating. It will give you a sense of inspiration and culture while you are at your most stressed. Exam season really taking its toll? Relax and gaze at some local art. If you are feeling particularly burnt out (this is a common occurrence) Art House Café offers $5.00 pints all day every day. Their menu also has an enticing variety of hot coffee cocktails such as their spiked Chai, Amaretto Latte, and Bourbon Hot Chocolate.
Photo from: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-art-house-cafe-ottawa
Ottawa Public Library
377 Rideau St, 120 Metcalfe St, 1049 Bank St, and others
Need more absolute silence in order to study? The Ottawa Public Library is a no-funny-business place go. They offer free Wi-Fi and numerous locations across the city. If really focused thinking and comprehension is required, as opposed to copying down slides, this is a great choice because there will be absolutely nothing to distract you.Equator Coffee
1 Elgin St. Need a spot to work other than the traditional cramped café? Equator Coffee at The National Arts Centre is the place for you. The café has very friendly staff, a cozy, but bright atmosphere, and great drinks and treats. They close at 4:00 p.m., but the NAC has an enormous amount of space open to the public from 6:00 a.m. to midnight with free Wi-Fi! Located in one of the prettiest and most aesthetically pleasing locations in downtown Ottawa, you really feel like you are studying with a purpose. The café and the NAC have a large variety of seats so if you get uncomfortable, there are tons of options to help you stay on your study grind.Suzy Q’s Doughnuts
969 Wellington St. WThis place is one of my all-time favourites. Although it is well-known, the recommendation to study amongst the tantalizing smell of freshly made doughnuts has to be made. I find that Suzy Q's Doughnuts is warm, both in temperature and temperament from the staff, their food and drink selection is fantastic, and their self-serve water makes it a little less awkward if you plan to stay there for a long time. It is definitely a busy location, but it is comfortable and makes a great place to study if you can tolerate indistinct chatter or have some headphones.
Photo from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/72339137740303531/
The locations listed above are some of my most cherished study spots, and I hope you get the chance to experience one of them like I have. Now that you have a list of the nine best places to study in Ottawa, go check them out, soak them in, and finish your degree in style!
- Category: Student Voices
If you’re a Commerce student or a student at the University of Ottawa, at some point, you are likely to have heard about JDCC (Jeux du Commerce Central).
Some of your friends have probably mentioned how much fun they had at the sports games, competitions, or dance ceremony on their JDCC trip.
But, what is JDCC?
Jeux Du Commerce Central (JDCC) is a regional business case competition where students from business schools across Canada compete to win. JDCC is organized by the Canadian Association of Business Schools (CABS), a parent organization that works with the business student associations at each Canadian business school.
At these competitions, member schools of CABS select students at their prospective schools to coordinate a delegation. At JDCC, the Telfer School of Management competes alongside 11 other Ontarian schools including Lazaridis School of Business and Economis from Wilfrid Laurier University, Lang School of Business and Economis from the University of Guelph, Sprott School of Business from Carleton University, and more. Every year, one of these member schools hosts the competition, allowing competing students to visit campuses across Canada. Students can compete in either the academics, sports, or social categories.
How the Competiton Works
In the academic competitions, every school sends a team of three students to compete against others in specific business categories such as marketing, accounting, strategy, human resources, entrepreneurship, and more. To compete, the teams of three have three hours to conduct a case resolution, which they then present to a panel of judges. The presentation component is 20 minutes, and the question period is another 15 minutes.
When all teams have presented, the judges (usually acquired through sponsorship) decide which schools will place first, second, and third for each category. During the awards ceremony, CABS announces the winners for each category, and also gives out individual and full-delegation awards.
In the sports competitions, teams of eight compete in an assortment of sports such as basketball and spikeball. In these competitions, points are awarded to delegates for performance and for delegations whose non-sport delegates watch the game and cheer on their fellow teammates.
In the social competitions, teams of four participate in random challenges at different points in the day. These challenges include improvisation, dances, debates, surprise case resolutions, and more. In these challenges, points are awarded for enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and quality of makeshift costumes.
This competition takes place annually in January over four days. The last two locations were the University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario), and Brock University (St. Catharines, Ontario). At the last competition, Telfer brought a team of 46 students, and won three podium awards: Human Resources, Debate, and Wildcard.
VIP cards are individual recognition awards that are awarded to the best presenters. The recipients of these cards are often selected by the judges, and those who possess a VIP card participate in an exclusive networking event.
Outside of competitions, schools also participate in other recreational activities such as social events and dances.
At the Telfer School of Management, the JDCC delegation is organized by the Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT). TCCT recruits the students, facilitates practices and coaching, and orders merchandise for the team. TCCT also hosts the annual Telfer Internal Case Competition, which is a good opportunity to search for new Telfer JDCC academic members into our regional competitions.
If you are interested in developing your presentation skills, making new friends, and competing to win, JDCC is an opportunity you do not want to miss!
Read more about how Telfer performed at the last JDCC here.
Ask me questions on my experience here.
- Category: Student Voices
The University of Ottawa is known for being the largest bilingual university in the world. Telfer’s French Immersion program will provide you with countless opportunities. My journey at Telfer in the French Immersion stream provided me with an experience like no other.
The first reason to study in the French Immersion program at Telfer is due to the various scholarships that are offered. Secondly, there are a variety of unique courses offered in the French Immersion stream. Lastly, studying in Telfer’s French Immersion program unlocks doors to future employment opportunities worldwide.
Scholarships and contests
Imagine getting paid to study! Not only do you get to expand your French knowledge through the French Immersion program, but you also can receive scholarships of $1,000 yearly. This scholarship is provided to all who fulfill the minimum requirements. Furthermore, the University of Ottawa hosts various contests to encourage high school students to participate, who have the chance to win a scholarship to study inFrench Immersion. In Grade 10, I had the opportunity to enter the French Immersion Video Clip competition “Comment le français a changé ma vie” hosted by the University of Ottawa. I was fortunate enough to rank second place in Canada and was awarded an $8,000 scholarship. This scholarship influenced my decision to enter the French Immersion Bachelor of Commerce/Juris Doctor program. I am very proud to be bilingual. Below is a flashback of my Grade 10 award-winning video clip!
Unique Courses
A second advantage of being in the French Immersion stream is the opportunity to take an additional course which compliments a mandatory ADM (business) course. Students who are registered in a mandatory ADM course may opt to take a corresponding French course to assist them in building strong French language skills. This additional French Immersion course provides 3 credits which count as an out-of-faculty elective. This is a great way for Telfer students to complete some elective courses while improving their French language skills.
Future career opportunities
The third benefit of studying in the French Immersion stream at Telfer is the various future career opportunities available to students. The National Capital Region provides an abundance of employment possibilities with the Government of Canada. Potential employers often seek students with French language skills. Students who are fluent in French are more marketable and have endless career options. Fluency in the French language also offers the possibility to work worldwide and build business connections around the globe.
Summary
Investing in the French Immersion Program at Telfer is a valuable asset which inspires endless possibilities for students. Pursuing studies in the French language presents students with various alternatives in today’s business world. Engaging in French language learning brings numerous advantages such as various bursary options, unique courses selection, and lastly, students will make themselves more attractive to potential employers. Now that you've learned the benefits of studying in the French Immersion stream, take the next step to better your career and join the French Immersion program at Telfer. Canada is a bilingual country, so why not pave your path to success by strengthening your French language education?
- Category: Student Voices
Whether you are planning for Intopia or looking for information on how to work better with a team online, this blog should be more than helpful. Originally, I was going to write a blog about how to survive Intopia Online. My team did a great job, and we finished in 1st place as a wholesalers team. In March 2020, Sam Sutherland wrote 7 Tips and Tricks to Winning the Intopia Business Simulation, so considering how recent and similar it would be to mine, I instead wrote about the online Intopia experience and how you can use that to your advantage.
Before we move on from the topic of how to do well within Intopia, I would like to add in four more tips that should be considered but are not covered within Sam’s blog;
-
When you have extra cash laying around, invest it within Home Office securities.
-
Know your inventory and how much you can sell. Do note that some numbers vary and seem to come from a distribution, so follow what you learned in your statistics class and take a sample size of more than 5 (our team ended with 30 samples every few periods).
-
Do not get a line of credit, it can break teams easily.
-
Green production really helps when you need to stand out amongst the other teams.
1. How to Prepare Your Team
Similar to a well-oiled machine, your team should also be able to work smoothly. Although, breaking that initial barrier and becoming comfortable with each other can be difficult, try to discreetly create a few icebreakers to make the meetings more organic, comfortable, and fun. Meetings happened at least once a week thanks to the group discussions during every class.
Talking to each other and asking questions such as how our week is going, or asking if something interesting has happened since seeing them last breaks down the professional barrier and allows everyone to feel relaxed. You have more than six weeks to get to know your team, and you’ll be spending countless hours under high-stress, and with little sleep, but also having a great time.
As you get to know everyone, you’ll start to understand their strengths, interests, and weaknesses. With this knowledge, you should be able to break people into groups; we had one person for Management (inventory included), one person for Marketing, and three people for Finance and Accounting. To be honest, our team was built around this distribution of work. We then loosely set up seconds-in-command and thirds-in-command for Marketing and Management. "Loosely" as in they should know how things work and are able to answer questions when the expert is busy or away. This splits up the amount of work when one section has a higher demand and even more importantly allows everyone to know what the other sections are able to do and are doing. It is forced communication, but in a smooth, organized way and less stressful way.
2. How to Work as a Team Online
Within the trials, we practiced as many key elements from Intopia that we could. The trials are where your team learns how to work together like the gears within a machine, for online Intopia simulation. Soon your team members will find where another cog might be needed and do their best to fill in there. As more questions are answered, your team becomes more comfortable, the cogs turn smoothly, and you’ll find yourself similar to a well-oiled machine with little bits of sand that the oil will eventually get rid of.
As for the other things that we worked on, we constantly changed and updated the Excel sheets to work more efficiently so that each team member could read what was needed, highlight expected demand, easily find needed information and more.
We made sure that each of us were familiar with more than one “job”, or needed role in the simulation. We tried out different theories, some that worked better than others. When we worked together, it was always on mini-teams so that we can find what is need, and we can freely communicate as if we were in-person. In other words, we video called each other as much as possible, to the extent of more than 28 hours between all 9 periods of the Online Intopia Simulation.
Anytime you are doing something for such a long time, it is possible that the team is bound to make some mistakes. If you can, fix them as soon as possible, and next, tell your team. In video calls, you can tell your team while you find and fix the mistake, and if you can’t fix it, share this with your team. They can sometimes adjust for the mistake or find ways to soften the negative effects on the team as a whole.
Lastly, mistakes are made, and miscommunication can occur. For instance, believing that you built two more sales offices for the last period at the end of the game, ordering for that amount, and finding out that this is not the case, and now your team has an excess of $300,000 of each product, the team can find out where the extra product will likely be sold above the expected amount within minutes of the deadline, of course securing your team first place.
In addition, you are likely to end a call tired and knowing that in 6-8 hours you’re going to have to wake up and continue with the work and video call, but morale is key. Try your best to get along with your team, because if your team is discouraged or feeling down, they are also likely stressed. We always tried to break up the work with downtime, laughs, and jokes. This can also allow the mind to unravel and ease tensions.
When the going gets tough, call your professor. Our professor worked wonders by giving us confidence with our own plan and easing tensions. Lastly, have all your meals planned in advance so you can eat quickly, if needed.
3. How to Build Relationships and Secure Better Deals with Other Teams
One of the biggest qualities that our team was very proud of ourselves for was for being ethical and fair to the other teams. This goes a long way in such a short simulation. Phone calls and video calls work wonders as well; you are able to secure a deal with another team much faster, and, at least for us, make more favourable deals than the ones we text or email to the other teams. Calls can also add a sense of urgency to the deal, as they are under more pressure to respond. Silence is good sometimes to help add pressure to the other team, so you can use that to your advantage as well. If you can keep up, use it. In addition, teams with a bigger network are more likely to perform better.
I hope that this blog helps your team work well together for the Online Intopia simulation. Even if you don’t have the Intopia simulation just yet, hopefully it was helpful in provide ideas for maintaining your teams’ relationship. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me on LinkedIn.
Here are some additional resources for working online:
- Category: Student Voices
Is the Telfer CO-OP program for you? If so, what company should you work for? What type of job should you get? What should you do to make the most out of your work experience?
Although there is no right or wrong answer to any of these questions, what you choose to answer could have a big impact on your future. As a result, making decisions related to your work experience in business studies can be very overwhelming and stressful.
As a marketing student entering my third CO-OP term, I have had to answer all of these questions three times. Each time, being unsure what to do, I sought out help from friends, the CO-OP office, my parents, and others who have taken or are currently in the CO-OP program. With the help of these experiences and advice from others, I have been able to put together a list of six do’s and don’ts that have helped me, and can also help you make the right decisions when it comes to the Telfer CO-OP program.
1. Do apply to the CO-OP program
Getting meaningful work experience while completing your business studies is not always easy, especially when you consider that most students have very few things that they can put on their resume. Considering the uOttawa CO-OP program’s 97% placement rate in 2018, taking part in the program provides you with a very good chance of finding a placement in your field. A placement would not only help you pay the bills, but also help to set you apart in the competitive world of business. Are you still not convinced the CO-OP program at Telfer is for you? Check out this blog outlining even more reasons why Telfer students should apply to the CO-OP program.
2. Don’t be afraid to try something new
When it comes to trying new things and figuring out what you want to do in the future, there is no better time to do so then while you’re in CO-OP. With most CO-OP schedules in Telfer consisting of four work terms that last 4 months each, you have the luxury to experiment without having to make the same commitments that you would with typical jobs outside of CO-OP. The worst that can happen is that you realize a certain placement is not for you. In this case, you can move on quickly as the work term is short, and you still have 3 more terms left to find the right fit for you. On the other hand, while trying new things, you could discover an amazing job that previously you may not have considered. To add to this, from my experience, I have never met anyone who has not benefitted from any of their work terms. Therefore, if you want to try something new in CO-OP, just do it!
3. Do take advantage of the Telfer Career Centre and CO-OP services
Both the Career Centre at Telfer and the CO-OP office provide several services and workshops that help to give you an edge when applying to placements. They offer help for resume building, interview skills training, tips for how to dress to impress, career advice, and much more. Even if you think your resume or skills are pretty good, it never hurts to get a second opinion. I personally have used their services to refine my resume and for help on picking a placement. Taking advantage of these services could mean the difference between getting your first placement choice instead of your second.
4. Don’t apply to everything
Applying to everything could either mean you likely end up with way too many interviews or you get placed in a position you aren’t too interested in. As a result, you could miss out on a second-round placement that you potentially may have preferred. I get it, not knowing whether you will get a placement is stressful and striking a balance between applying to too many places versus too little can be very difficult, especially the first time around. However, before applying to everything, take a deep breath and consider the following: the CO-OP office has a 97% placement rating (the odds are in your favour); so if you don’t get placed in the first round there is always a second-round, and the CO-OP office is there to help you through the process.
5. Do consider multiple opinions
When you are making decisions and trying to answer the questions listed at the beginning of this blog, it is important to consider multiple points-of-view, and take everything with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, there are people that swear working in the government is the best while others swear by working in start-ups or large companies. There are multiple opinions out there, but there is no solution that fits all. When making decisions, keep other opinions and experiences in mind, compare them to your own career goals and don’t be afraid to test an idea out.
6. Don’t forget to make the most out of your work experience
Whether you end up with a great CO-OP experience or you’re unlucky and pick something that wasn’t exactly what you were looking for, you should always try to make the best out of your situation. Take advantage of every opportunity presented, and if you don’t feel the opportunities are there, create your own. The CO-OP office helps you find a placement, but it is up to you to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and make your mark.
All in all, when it comes to decisions related to your work experience in business, it can get stressful. However, if you take your time and take advantage of the resources, opportunities, and advice available to you, your Telfer CO-OP experience will go well!
- Category: Student Voices
In our last year of high school, at just 17 or 18 years old, we have big decisions to make that could definitely change our lives. It's hard to weigh all of our options and really trust that we will make the best decisions for our future. For myself, there were many reasons why I could have chosen to study elsewhere. Ultimately, there were even more reasons that drew me to study business law in Canada at the University of Ottawa. To simplify your own research on universities, here are the 7 reasons why I chose business law at uOttawa.
1. Has anyone heard of Telfer?
The Telfer School of Management is one of the best business schools in Canada, and provides a great atmosphere for the students' transition from high school to university. Telfer has a variety of clubs specific for its students that allow you to really get invested in the specific types of business you are interested in. I got involved with the Telfer Law Society, which hosts activities and conferences with lawyers to get a sense of the business world and open students to networking opportunities. Also, Telfer 101 Week is a great way to make new friendships that will last you throughout university, and the group work assigned in class allows you to socialize as well as really broaden your horizons. This was perfect for a student like me coming from out of town!
2. Finding a Unique Program
There are very few schools that offer this program, not only in Canada, but in the entire world. Once you graduate, you will receive a Bachelor of Commerce at the Telfer School of Management AND a Juris Doctor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. After completing your first two years of commerce at Telfer while maintaining your grades, you will then law school in third year. If you realize that you prefer the business portion after your first two years, then you can simply opt-out of the J.D. portion and continue your studies in a business option whether it is in finance, accounting, marketing or another option.
3. 6 years vs. 7 years
Most students complete a four-year Bachelor degree before starting their studies in law, which means that they will need to complete seven years of post-secondary education. However, this program allows you to save a year by completing both degrees in the span of 6 years. This may not seem like much at the time, but right now I just finished my 4th year, and I am so thankful that I only have two years left! The time and stress that you can save by not having to take that one extra year of school is definitely worth it.
4. Being bilingual is an asset
The BCom/JD program at uOttawa is a French program available entirely in French or in French immersion. About 20% of the Canadian population speaks French and about 30% of uOttawa students speak French. That being said, having the ability to practice both business and law in French and in English enables you to apply to a diverse pool of job opportunities after graduating. Just because it is a French program, it doesn't actually mean you need to take 100% of your classes in French. You only need to take 60% of your classes in French in this program. I actually took a few classes in English in both law and business to be able to understand the different notions and terminology in both languages.
5. The heart of Ottawa
If you've never been to the University of Ottawa campus, I definitely recommend coming to the next available Open House! You will instantly fall in love with the uOttawa campus location. Being at the centre of the city allows students to have easy access to Centretown for different government job opportunities, to the ByWard Market which is great for food lovers like me, and to Sandy Hill which is a residential neighbourhood that offers plenty of living arrangements for students. Everything is within walking distance which is great if you have no knowledge about Ottawa before moving there for school, just like me!
6. No LSAT needed
Say goodbye to LSAT memes because a huge advantage of studying business law in Canada at the University of Ottawa is not having to write an LSAT. This had a big impact on my decision to choose uOttawa because I knew that if I chose to study my Bachelor elsewhere, I would have to take my LSAT in order to get into law school. For those that don't know what the LSAT is, it's the standardized law school admission test where your logical skills are graded, and the score you receive will be evaluated in your admission application to law schools. Not having to do this obviously saves a lot of time and stress!
7. Law in the Capital of Canada?
Ottawa - the home of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal government of Canada - is an astonishing place to study law. Big names have passed through the halls of the Fauteux building, and it is not uncommon to see guest speaker events or panels with an interesting array of lawyers, judges and political figures. The uOttawa Faculty of Law offers programs in Common Law and Civil Law. After completing my BCom/JD, I could add an extra year to my degree in order to practice Civil Law. This is a great advantage of studying business law at uOttawa because many countries operate under civil law, and so I would have access to a broader job market when completing my studies.
These are my 7 reasons for choosing to study at the University of Ottawa. Hopefully, they can help you to establish if the BCom/JD program is right for you. If you have any questions about this program, feel free to reach out to me.
Otherwise, there is plenty of useful information about the program itself and the course sequence that is available from the Telfer website, as well as the Common Law website.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
On June 24th, Telfer's Annual Excellence Recognition Assembly was held. Hosted by Dean François Julien, this annual summer meeting is an opportunity to highlight the efforts and exceptional work of the professors and administrative staff with awards assigned through votes by their peers.
Telfer Awards
Awarded to administrative staff and faculty members who have distinguished themselves through excellence in service and dedication to their work, the 2020 Telfer Awards winners are (from left to right in the top image):
Administrative staff:
- Alexandre Bélanger
- Geneviève Séguin
- Tina Albert
Faculty members:
- Daina Mazutis
- Jonathan Patrick
- Mirou Jaana
- Muriel Mignerat
Patricia Ann O’Rourke Award for Excellence in Service
Created in 2014, it honours Patricia Ann O’Rourke, an individual who, over the course of her remarkable career, provided exceptional service to one and all, for the greater benefit of the Telfer School and its stakeholders. She personified “service excellence” and was an inspiration to all of her colleagues, faculty and support staff alike. Patricia retired the same year after 32 years of service.
This annual award will recognize those employees (either faculty or administrative staff) who demonstrate a strong desire and ability to help others, and in so doing, advance the interests of the School and contribute to the development of a culture of service excellence.
This year the Patricia Ann O’Rourke Award winners are:
- Abdul Kane (picture not available)
- Dean François Julien, as a recognition of his legacy as outgoing Dean
Congratulations to all of our 2020 winners!
- Category: Latest News
It is with profound regret and sorrow that we have learned recently of the passing of our former professor Tom Brzustowski following a brief illness.
Following a brilliant career as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo and as a public servant, as deputy minister in the Government of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, first in the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and later in the Premier’s Council. He was appointed President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in October 1995, where he would spend the next 10 years.
Tom completed his professional journey at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, where he was the inaugural RBC Professor in Commercialization of Innovation. Author and lecturer, he advocated tirelessly for innovation in Canada and received Honorary Doctorates from several universities across Canada.
His life’s work to build a better Canada was nationally recognized, as he received the Order of Canada in 2002 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada the year prior. In 2006, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.
On behalf of the Telfer School of Management, we wish to offer our most sincere condolences to his entire family.
We invite you to send your message of sympathy to the family. Please visit his obituary page here.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
After two mandates and ten years as the Dean of the Telfer School of Management, François Julien is stepping down on June 30th, 2020. In his time as Dean, he oversaw the creation of the PHD in Management Program, the expansion of our research capabilities, the development and expansion of the Financial Research and Learning Laboratory, the growth of the Centre for Executive Leadership, including the move to larger and more modern facilities in the Ottawa downtown core, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the School, and he hired a new generation of diverse faculty and staff to lead the School into the future. He also leaves the School with a lasting legacy for a vision of a Better Canada. A vision for the School to work towards making Canada a greener, happier, healthier, and wealthier place for all.
Current Vice-Dean Research Wojtek Michalowski will take over the role of Interim Dean on July 1st, 2020. Wojtek is a Full Professor of Health Informatics and he has spent over 20 years at the School. He will serve in the interim dean capacity until June 30th, 2021, or until such time as a new Dean of the Telfer School is installed. During Wojtek’s tenure as Vice-Dean Research, he has been a strong advocate for research excellence, led the creation of the School’s four Areas of Strategic Impact, the expansion of the SMRG funding program (Telfer Funding) for research support, and oversaw increasing success rates for tri-council competition grants.
A search committee chaired by President Jacques Frémont has been formed and the anticipated date for having the next Dean of the Telfer School of Management in place is on or before July 1st, 2021.
- Category: Latest News
“Every year, over 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, with only 9% of it ever being recycled,” says Carter Barrett in the Enactus uOttawa team’s video submission for Regionals. After taking home three of the four titles at Enactus Central Canada Regionals competition, they moved on to compete at the National Competition.
With projects to eliminate global plastic waste and create sustainable businesses that use the abundance of plastic available in the world, Enactus uOttawa placed as the National Runner Up at the 2020 Enactus National Competition. They competed against 47 teams across Canada, showcasing the impact they have created with their sustainable and innovative entrepreneurship projects this year.
During the first-ever virtual edition of the national competition, the uOttawa team also received the following awards:
- Best Project Awards for Poly and Project F.L.Y. (mental health and wellness project)
- National Winner of the Youth Empowerment Challenge (Poly and Evolve Eyewear)
- Second Place in the National Entrepreneurship Competition
- National Runner up for the Entrepreneurship Challenge (Poly)
The team also received $2,000 each in grant funding for 3 of the 4 new project ideas they submitted.
How Poly Tackles Global Waste
Poly is a social enterprise that aims to tackle the massive environmental implications of plastic waste through the manufacturing of small scale machines that can melt down plastic and mould it into new products. The plastic is first cleaned, and then shredded, melted, and moulded in the Poly machines. The variety of products are limitless with the ability to create custom furniture, school supplies, kitchenware, and even small household products such as tiles.
They have been able to reduce plastic waste by working with organizations like Lush and Old Navy to repurpose the plastic items like hangers they would usually just throw away. These recycled products are then purchased by individuals, business owners, firms, and municipalities. Some businesses have even added their partnership with Poly as an extension to an existing business model.
Enactus currently plans to launch eight systems annually around the world. They already have a Poly workshop in Ottawa, and have expanded to locations like Saint John, New Brunswick; Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario; Iqaluit, Nunavut; and Malone, New York. The Poly team works closely with the system operators to ensure they make their Poly business successful.
Evolve Eyewear Encourages Eco-Friendly Practices
Evolve Eyewear is an innovative social venture that creates environmentally-friendly eyewear using 100% locally recycled plastic, using the Poly machines to turn the plastic into glasses. The project encourages making more sustainable purchases and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. With this business, the Enactus team has created job opportunities for Canadians, including employing 12 individuals with a disability to help them process their plastic and 4 at risk youth to operate their machines and produce the frames.
Project F.L.Y. Provides Entrepreneurial Skills to Youth
Project F.L.Y. is a program that works to empower and guide youth with hands-on workshops where they can learn practical skills. The team hosts an annual Perfect Pitch competition at the end of the year, a bilingual competition for high school students that introduces core business functions with a focus on entrepreneurship, creative thinking, and initiative. The students who compete are then offered the opportunity to attend The Legacy Conference hosted by Enactus uOttawa.
Another Great Year
The team has generated over $80,000 in revenue this year, and diverted over 150,000 water bottles worth of plastic waste.
“I’m incredibly proud of all the work our team has done throughout the year to make Ottawa, and Canada, a better place through sustainable impact,” shared Parker Selman, the president of Enactus uOttawa.
“Despite the challenging times, and the need for a virtual competition, we were still able to showcase our innovative projects and gain national recognition as a top team in the Enactus network,” Parker continued.
Congratulations to the Enactus uOttawa team for another highly successful year, and for your amazing work on your leading sustainable and innovative businesses!
- Category: Rising Stars
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the globe during the past few months, the stock market plummeted to new lows creating havoc for investors and financial planners. During this unprecedented time, a team of students at Telfer School competed against 37 teams from 20 different universities and colleges on an international stage in an investment competition.
Sponsored by The Vanguard Group, an investment management company based in the state of Pennsylvania, and hosted by Temple University’s Fox School of Business, the annual Vanguard Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) Challenge requires teams of four students to manage a portfolio of $1 million for three months. They analysed ETF from both a fundamental and technical point of view, evaluated risks, performed an economic analysis using micro and macro trends, and finally set up a strategy about a new ETF at Vanguard. The top 15 finalists were chosen based upon the overall performance of their portfolio. Given the exceptional circumstances this year, each team had to present its investment strategy online before a combined panel of Vanguard and Temple representatives, who selected the top two teams, one for each division (undergraduate and graduate).
Four students represented the University of Ottawa at the competition, including three Telfer students: Anh Nguyen Nguyen (Finance), Abdul Shunbuli (Finance), Daniel Tian (BCom/JD), and Jad Izgua (Financial Mathematics and Economics). The team won in the undergraduate division.
“There were many uncertain days, as we were afraid that the market would go wild. So we had to pay attention to the market and news everyday,” shared Anh. “A lot of emotions were involved. We sometimes freak out when the market drops, rush selling and we end up buying high, selling low, but there were days of enjoyment as our portfolio gained more than we expected.”
As the market was highly volatile, the uOttawa team sometimes prioritized patience, but it sometimes meant having to take big losses. “We forgot to liquidate one time before the weekend and lost 8% on Monday,” remembered Anh. “Timing the market was extremely difficult. Although we had the correct expectation for the market movement, it sometimes took time for the market to correct itself.”
Overall, Anh and his team enjoyed the three-month competition, and personally grew throughout this competition. “Not only have [we] learned a lot about ETF management and trading strategy, but we have also learned that emotional involvement might destroy a portfolio, and that the news has a huge impact on a stock movement. Good earnings coming out might not make the stock go up if people front-run already based on anticipation,” added Anh.
Congratulations to the 2020 Vanguard ETF Challenge winners and for representing Telfer Nation on an international level!
- Category: Rising Stars
During their final year of undergraduate studies, the Telfer Bachelor of Commerce students must complete their respective capstone courses. A capstone project is an academic experience where students conduct a live case study on a subject that targets a specific issue. The students in Finance, Accounting, and Marketing participate in these final presentations at the end of their studies. The students must present their conclusions in front of a panel of judges and peers, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's Capstone projects were not presented in front of a live audience, but they had the opportunity to still showcase their final presentations online to a panel of judges.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take the Equity Valuation course in which they will undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real-life company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance.
In the last few weeks, the Finance 4th year students completed their capstone courses. As a team, students conducted a live case study on specific issue related to a real company.
This winter 2020 Capstone Live Case involved valuing NFI Industries, North America's largest bus (transit & coaches) manufacturer. NFI Industries is head quartered in Winnipeg (Manitoba), and has manufacturing facilities throughout North America and Europe.
Both groups delivered outstanding videos which were forwarded to a panelist of three judges. Abul Kane, Telfer's Instructional Designer, was able provide the groups presenting with "best practices" regarding creating videos and submitting the videos to the judges.
The School would like to show its appreciation for all of the work done by Professor Mike Reynolds as the Finance Capstones final presentations would not have been possible without his hard work and flexible accomodation to the current coronavirus situation. Thanks to him, our Finance 4th year students are able to conclude their journey at Telfer with a sense of accomplishment.
Congratulations to the first-place winners of the case competition: Philip Kaczmarczyk and Joy Xu.
"Although it was challenging to work remotely, my group was able to take advantage of the various collaboration platforms available and the Management Library's research tools. The current circumstances made the analysis of the company more complex and dynamic, which challenged my group to reconsider many factors as the situation continuously evolved. Participating in the competition allowed us to apply our learnings from class, while developing many skills along the way" - Joy Xu
Congratulations to the second-place winners: Yacine Amalou, Liam Blevins, Bashir Hussen and Jared Sullivan.
Intopia Strategy Simulation
From March 13 to 15, 4th year students from the Bachelor of Commerce participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their 4th year Strategic Management class (ADM 4311). The aim of the simulation is for students to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers in order to grow their business over the weekend.
Congratulations to the following teams for their respective titles:
Team 62, Best Component Producer: Chris Gent, Eshmam Khan, Benjamin Ottenhof, Phoebe Sipa and Sam Sutherland.
Team 7, Best Service Provider: Hamza Benzakour, Badr Ghilani, Mehdi Lahchimi, Annalisa Lemieux Barsetti, Ali Rais and Juliette Libersan
Team 37, Best Finished Goods Producer: Feyisope Adedotun, Tanya Frlan, Eric Methot and Joshua Powers.
Finally, congratulations to the members of the overall winning team and Best Integrated Producer: Liam Blevins, Marina Bossio, Garrett Galvin, Heather Officer and Christoforos Pietrobon.
- Category: Latest News
Every year, the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition brings together student, academic, and industry leaders to celebrate the achievements of Canada’s future leaders and entrepreneurs. Typically, each school presents their live pitches to a panel of judges who decide which Enactus teams and student entrepreneurs will be named Regional Champions and move on to the final rounds of the competition held at the Enactus Canada National Exposition.
This year, due to COVID-19’s campus shutdowns and national lockdowns, the competition had to cancel its in-person event and hold it online instead. Enactus teams across Central and Atlantic Canada had to quickly pivot and find ways to showcase how they are solving social, economic, and environmental challenges through entrepreneurial action.
Through the creative use of video, storytelling, and narration, our Enactus uOttawa team submitted their “virtual showings” that won three of the four categories, securing their place at Nationals, which will also be held online in a couple of weeks.
The team was crowned champion during a Facebook Live event in their respective leagues in the following challenges:
- Scotiabank Climate Change Challenge
- Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge
- TD Entrepreneurship Challenge
Here is one of their submissions for the Entrepreneurship Challenge, about the sustainable plastic recycling company, Poly:
Congratulations to Parker Selman (President of Enactus uOttawa) as well as Julia Raseta and Carter Barrett, the presenters in the video (voices behind the scenes) and the rest of the team on this amazing accomplishment.
From all of Telfer Nation, we wish our Enactus uOttawa team best of luck putting together their virtual submissions for Nationals!
- Category: Student Voices
Like many high school students in Quebec, I believed that my post-secondary education should start at cégep. In order to be well supported in this decision, I met with my school's guidance counsellor. I then discovered another interesting, possible and advantageous option: going directly to the University of Ottawa.
Choosing the right program
I learned from the uOttawa programs brochure that I could apply to more than 30 different programs in the faculties of arts, engineering, management, science and social sciences. For most of these programs, an average of 84% or higher is required. To calculate the average, the university uses the top five marks in selected courses at the Secondary V level, including the prerequisite courses for the respective program in question.
After researching and discussing this with my family, I decided to take a program from the Telfer School of Management: the Bachelor of Commerce/Juris Doctor (J.D./BCom). This program allows me to obtain two degrees within six years of university studies, in the two areas that interest me the most, management and law.
Making the Transition Successful
If you decide to make the leap from high school in Quebec to the University of Ottawa, here are three tips that will help you:
1. Manage your time well
It is important, from the outset, to develop good study and time management techniques. Several resources are available to you early in your first-year to help you develop these skills. Make the most of it!
2. Take advantage of the mentoring program
I strongly encourage you to participate in the various activities organized by your faculty and, above all, to get involved. For example, at the Telfer School of Management, all students in first-year are paired with a mentor. This is a great service where a mentor will always be available to guide you and to organize activities and workshops specifically for you and other first-year students!
3. Make connections
From the first week, even though it may seem intimidating, try to speak with your professors. I strongly recommend that you take advantage of their office hours and take an interest in their classes to develop a real connection with them. The professor will be happy to see your involvement and, who knows, maybe they can write you a letter of recommendation!
As for your classmates, you'll spend four years with them and develop friendships with some of them. Take an interest in them from the first week, and they will do the same for you. You'll be able to broaden your network of friends.
An advantageous choice
There are many advantages to being a student at the University of Ottawa:
1. Graduate faster
By removing cégep from your schooling if you are coming from Quebec, you can accelerate entry into the workplace by two years. This is appealing and impressive in the eyes of many employers.
2. Study in the field you are passionate about
If you are motivated, committed and want to develop your knowledge, the university will certainly satisfy your thirst for learning! In addition, at the end of your university studies, you'll obtain an internationally recognized diploma that will allow you to have a successful and prosperous career in the field you're passionate about.
3. Take advantage of an automatic scholarship
As soon as you are admitted with an average of 84% or higher, you will receive an automatic admission scholarship based on your average from high school. This scholarship varies from $1,000 to $4,000 depending on your average. Following this, the university also awards merit scholarships based on your performance in university.
4. Study in the language of your choice
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual university. Therefore, you are able to take courses and submit assignments in the official language of your choice (English or French) throughout the bachelor's degree program. You can combine English and French classes in your schedule, or simply choose to study entirely in one language.
5. Experience efficient service
The application process was very clear and easy to access through the uOttawa website. On several occasions, I contacted the liaison office, which has a representative dedicated to answering questions from Secondary V students in Quebec, a service that was very helpful to me.
An Important Decision
The direct transition from high school to the University of Ottawa was an enriching experience that allowed me to grow both personally and professionally, and to meet new people with similar interests to mine. I am now in my third-year of university, and I can say that I am a proud Gee-Gee who loves her program!
That being said, choosing a university is a big and serious decision, so I encourage you to get informed and discuss it with your guidance counselor and your family. It has helped me tremendously in making an informed choice that meets my needs. The University of Ottawa is a dynamic, bilingual university full of resources and services that will certainly enrich your post-secondary experience!
- Category: Community Engagement
The escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic is putting unprecedented financial burdens on many uOttawa students, and lower income students are especially vulnerable. A special emergency fund has been established by the University to provide critical support now. We are asking alumni - if you can - to support uOttawa’s student emergency fund, or one of two Telfer-specific funds also set up to support our efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
University of Ottawa COVID-19 Student Emergency Aid Fund
Created to help students who are experiencing emotional and financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are dealing with unprecedented disruptions to their academic lives as they transition to remote learning, see local and summer jobs eliminated, and most had to leave their campus residence to minimise public health risks. Your emergency financial contributions help students University-wide to overcome distressing financial situations and help mitigate mental health issues. Students urgently need your support to remain focused on academic success now and in preparation for the Fall semester.
Telfer School of Management Wellness Fund
Our students physical well-being, emotional intelligence, and mental health are top priorities for the Telfer School. Students today are having to manage stressful situations in their lives that affect their physical and mental well-being. From raising awareness to providing counselling service and training, your support of this fund will help Telfer students cope successfully during their time of need to help them during the university career and beyond.
Dean's Strategic Priorities Fund
Immediate, accessible funds that our Dean can rapidly draw upon and meet crises like COVID-19 head-on. At Telfer, this means equipping our researchers to develop analytic models that will support the healthcare system to better plan and manage their capacity. It also means supporting research that will help us navigate the unchartered waters of our new work-life reality; working from home, coping with new job tasks or lack of childcare, and the impact it can have on employees’ mental health as well as the ways in which organizations can support their employees during these difficult times.
Interested in supporting a fund that you dont see here? click here.
To make your donation by phone, we invite you to communicate with Joella Gencher, Development Officer, Leadership Giving at
Thank you for your generosity!
- Category: Student Voices
After high school in the Greater Toronto Area, I chose to attend the Telfer School of Management here in Ottawa. Now, I am a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student specializing in Business Technology Management and Marketing. As a student in the Greater Toronto Area, in Markham, there were plenty of schools to pick from in central Ontario.
At the Telfer School, one of the things I value most is the sense of community, and, I didn't realize just how strong it would be. The community here recognizes high-achieving students and supports them by continuing to engage them, whereas friends from other schools feel like a number in a system.
I am so glad with the choice I made, but how did I end up at uOttawa studying business?
Simply, three reasons contributed to why I chose to leave the comfort of my home and venture off to our nation’s capital:
1. Experiencing a New City
Initially, when applying to programs and schools, my heart was set on a science program, and ideally somewhere far from home, like schools in the U.K. or in British Columbia. After more research, I realized that science programs outside of Ontario were too expensive to be feasible, so I pivoted my focus to more cost-effective options for schooling in Ontario.
So then the question became, where exactly in Ontario should I go, knowing that I didn’t want to stay at home?
2. Recommendations from Friends, Teachers, and Coaches
One of my friends who was my role model, was accepted to Ivy league schools like Stanford and Wharton, but he ended up choosing to attend the Telfer School. He told me about Telfer’s BCom program, and that the school was located in a medium-sized city with plenty of employment opportunities, and he very much vouched for the affordable cost.
At this point, Telfer was on my radar.
After asking a few friends, family members, and teachers for their opinion in this pivotal moment in my life, the key takeaway I received from those whom I asked, was that business was more suited for my personality. Business also felt like a safer option for me, since in science, academic performance is everything. Only the top 3% would actually surpass the bottleneck and make it into medical school.
Although I was confident in my academic performance with a strong average, I learned that business takes into consideration more of the values I had to offer. In business, it's never just marks, it's your network as a business individual, it's your extra-curricular involvement that demonstrates leadership skills, and it's your motivation to achieve more.
At the time being, I had already taken two accounting courses and a course on financial securities. In addition, I was an executive on several community organizations and president for an in-house organization at my school.
From all of these experiences, I had refined skills in marketing, relationship management, photography, videography, graphic design, and entrepreneurship. Taking all of these into consideration, going into science would mean I would receive no return on these investments, but if I went into business, at least half of these commitments would be deemed fruitful. At this point, I was sure I wanted to go into business, and uOttawa’s Telfer School of Management was one of the top choices.
3. Affordability and Benefits
To find a school that was in a different city, yet affordable was not easy. I sat through a few podcasts and read a few articles, and realized it's not the school that makes your career, but what you, as an individual, choose to do to make your career.
The University of Ottawa was affordable and the program was competitive. I was sold at this point, until my friend also brought up the bilingualism presence in Ottawa. He explained how I could be learning business in the next four years, but I could also be learning a new language just based on the environment alone.
When it finally came to the choice, uOttawa was my pick because it was in a different city, it was affordable, I could learn French, and because someone I respected vouched for it.
When I started looking into Ottawa more, I looked at the student life and that was a key selling point. I knew the Enactus team was very good, and that I had access to case competitions because of the school’s participation in events by both RÉFAEC and CABS.
At the end of the day, I believe I made the best choice, and interestingly enough, it was not one that I had initially seen coming. Business ended up being the best program for me, Ottawa is an incredible city with such a personality, and the relationships I’ve built within Telfer have made my university experience more grand. After many reflections with my hometown friends, I am glad to call uOttawa my team.
Throughout my studies, I have improved on my resume through workshops with the Telfer Career Centre, I have sparked an interest in consulting from the Profession of Management Consulting Program, and more importantly, the Telfer clubs have allowed me to make some of my closest friends I have today. I am fortunate enough to be studying at, working with, and working for a community where everyone is communal striving.
If you are reading this right now, and you are like me, indecisive, multi-faceted, and have no clue what to do in the next 5 years, I would say business is a good place to start. If you want to have all of the experience I have had, the first step is to click accept on your OUAC uOttawa acceptance to Telfer for the BCom program.
- Category: Student Announcements
With physical distancing in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, students are faced with the new challenge of writing online exams. Although this change may be frightening for some, with enough preparation, students can learn to make the most of this new reality.
With this in mind, here are four tips to prepare for online exams:
1. Strategize What to Study
When it comes to studying for finals, making a to-do list of major topics from the course and key textbook chapters you need to review can help set you on the right path. Pay attention to what professors say the format and topics of the exam will be. They may hint at a higher focus on some chapters versus others, so make sure those are high on your priority list when allocating study time.
You can break down this list further into tasks like “read chapter 8”, “do chapter 11 practice problems”, or “review chapter 5 class notes”, which you can then check off once you’ve completed that task. It can help you to feel productive when you can visually see on a list what you’ve been able to check off, and what comes next.
2. Create a Workstation at Home
When writing your exams, it may be helpful to set up a work environment that puts you in the right mindset, and that provides a workstation that is free of distractions. Small tactics like having a clear desk and a clean room can help reduce exam stress.
Also, you need to ensure that you have all of the required necessities for online exams with a strong Internet connection and log-in credentials. Make sure that you check your Internet connection before your exam. Think about restarting it so your network doesn't drop right in the middle of the exam. In addition, you may want to make sure your workstation has paper and writing utensils for any quick brainstorm ideas you may need to write down.
3. Prepare for the Exam Format
Exams can consist of multiple choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. The difference between writing an exam in person versus online is the added benefit that you can write and edit faster digitally. This means that you may have more time to formulate your answers if you type faster than you write on paper.
Moreover, for those of you who may have open book exams, another good tactic is to become very familiar with your textbooks and notes. You could be even more efficient by using an online-textbook or your digital notes, as you would be able to use the CTRL-F function to quickly search for a specific topic. You could also copy all of your lecture slides into one single file so that it makes it easier to navigate.
4. Use Online Videos to Understand Difficult Concepts
If you find that there are specific concepts that are difficult to understand, online video explanations can be a great way to find an additional explanation for a confusing topic. The Internet is full of educational videos that can explain theories from a different perspective.
An example of a useful online source includes KhanAcademy, which provides further understanding for complex topics such as statistics and mathematics. Instead of usually attending discussion groups on campus, these online videos can help explore a specific topic further or find more clarity.
Check out a few more tips from second-year BCom student, Camély Gendron, on the Telfer Career Centre blog. Good luck on exams, Telfer Nation!
- Category: Student Voices
I will walk you through the exact study tips that I used to earn thousands of dollars in scholarships at Telfer.
If you make the Dean’s List at Telfer, our school will pay you $1,000 per semester that you complete. There are only two things you need to be to get on our Dean’s List.
-
You need to be organized
-
You need to be efficient
To serve you best, I have broken this blog down into two sections.
Section A: I will give you the best organization tips so you can be efficient.
Section B: I will give you the best efficiency tips to help you get scholarships.
SECTION A: ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY TIPS
Study Tip #1: Organization is Paramount
Let’s get the ultimate advice out there first; this is the most important of any study tips I could offer. Getting yourself organized is over half of the battle. Sure, you can get by without preparation, but no one ever excelled at anything worthwhile by simply showing up. Remember that for everything you wish to excel at in life.
Study Tip #2: Know Your Course Deliverables (A.K.A. What You Need to Complete to Pass the Course)
If you only accomplish one thing in your first week of the semester, it’s most important that you download and read your course outlines. Take a look at how your professors will be grading you. When are your deliverables due? How much is each deliverable worth? Time is limited. Spend your time according to the weight of the deliverable.
Study Tip #3: Write Down Your Deliverable Due Dates Somewhere You Regularly Look
Now that you know what you have to do and when you have to do it, write it down somewhere that you check on a regular basis. I prefer to see my entire semester at a glance. I created a basic Excel spreadsheet with all of my important due dates and project weights. Here is an example of what that might look like:
Study Tip #4: Set Your Own Deadlines to Minimize Your Future Stress Load
Just because the course outline says it’s due November 5th, doesn’t mean you should be finishing it at 11:00 p.m. on November 5th. It’s the beginning of the semester right now. You’ve planned your semester like a boss, and you know exactly what you need to deliver and when to deliver it. For example, if you see that you have two midterms and an assignment due on the same weekend, you should finish your assignment weeks ahead of time. Doing so will allow you to focus that week preparing for your midterm exams.
Study Tip #5: Set Goals and Plan Your Time Accordingly
Every Sunday, you should write down all of your goals for what you would like to accomplish for the week ahead. What due dates are coming up? Set an expectation of what you will complete on each day of the week. Your expectations will change, so you should update tomorrow’s objectives every night to ensure you can achieve your weekly goals.
Study Tip #6: Create a Facebook Group and Invite Your Classmates
The worst feeling in university is feeling alone – like you’re the only one that has been battling with question 5-C for the last 3 hours…this is avoidable. I wrote an article on How to Start a Conversation in 4 Steps on my personal blog. Here’s a perfect way to break the ice and get to know your classmates. “Hey! What’s your name? I’m starting a Facebook group for our class where we can all help each other with challenging problems. Would you like me to add you? You can add your friends too.” Boom… just like that, you have your first friend in the class!
SECTION B: EFFICIENCY STUDY TIPS
Study Tip #7: Pay Attention to How Your Professor Allocates Time in Class
If your professor spends a significant amount of time on one chapter or sub-section of a chapter, it’s usually not a coincidence. It’s because it’s more important. You should focus more time on those components when preparing for your exams.
Study Tip #8: Find Old Midterm/Final Exams A.S.A.P.
The best thing you can do is (ethically) get your hands on some old exams to see what past students were tested on. In my experience, a significant number of exams I’ve written have been similar to past exams. These old exams may help you distinguish early in the semester the content that is nice to know versus the content that you need to know.
Study Tip #9: Create Practice Exams Based on Your Estimations
Create a practice exam with all of the questions that you estimate will be on the real exam. What types of questions did they ask on the past exams you found? What format does the course outline say the exam will follow? What has your professor spent a lot of time discussing in class? These are the types of questions you can use to form your own mock exam. Don’t be afraid to ask your professor what’s on the exam as they may provide tips. Build this exam throughout the semester. This way you can focus on understanding the answers during the exam-study period.
Study Tip #10: Create an Ever-Growing Cheat Sheet
Even if the exam doesn’t permit a cheat sheet, this will immensely help you shape your practice exams as per study tip #9. Record what you find to be essential information on this sheet. What are the key formulas? What are the steps needed to solve challenging problems? What are the key definitions you need to memorize? These are perfect items to put on your cheat sheet.
Study Tip #11: Choose PowerPoint Slides Over Detailed Textbook Reading
I have wasted countless hours reading the textbook. Depending on the course, it is not always an efficient use of your time. The PowerPoints provided by your professor cover the majority of the content you need to know for your exams. For most classes, you should still buy a copy of the textbook though. Use the textbook and Google search to fill in any blanks that the PowerPoint doesn’t cover.
Study Tip #12: You Get Twice the Value from Class if You Work Through the Slides Beforehand
Professors usually post slide content before each lecture. Work through this content before class to stimulate great questions and gain more value from attending each lecture. You’ll gain a better grasp on what’s going on and you will receive a deeper, more memorable learning experience.
Study Tip #13: Write Down Your Micro-Goals
When you’re studying it often requires you to search for answers online. As we all know, it’s very easy to get sidetracked on the Internet and forget what you came for in the first place. Every time you turn to the Internet for an answer, write down the question you’re trying to solve. Keep the question written out on a piece of paper in front of you. Ask yourself every 10 minutes or so if what you’re doing is related to what you’re trying to find. If not, then get back to work. If it is, cross your question off your list when you find the answer.
Study Tip #14: Your Focus Has Capacity
This is my most favourite tip from all of my study tips that you need to understand. Your brain is only capable of letting you focus for a fixed amount of time before you lose efficiency. Let’s call that time 40 minutes. Let’s say you just started studying and your brain is fresh. If you spend your first 15 minutes looking at videos online, then you only have 25 minutes of quality focus left before losing efficiency.
Study Tip #15: Study in Intervals and Don’t Sit for Too Long
These study tips go hand-in-hand, so I included them together. You’ll be amazed at how much longer you can be productive if you take more frequent, shorter breaks. Work for 30-40 minutes (depends on your preference), and then take a 5-10-minute break. Building on Tip #14, it’s important that you get up and move around during your break. Do some squats, wall pushups, or anything to get your blood flowing. Staring at your phone is not a good way to take a break because it still requires focus, and you aren’t giving your brain a chance to refresh.
Study Tip #16: Track Your Time
Just because you’re sitting at a work desk on your work computer does not mean you’re doing quality work. There are lots of great time tracker apps available, but all you need is the stopwatch on your phone and a piece of paper. Start the timer when you start working. When you’re done, record the time you focused. Start the timer for your break and record that number too when you’re done. Do this all day and add up the amount of time you spent being productive versus slacking. I guarantee this will hold you more accountable!
Study Tip #17: Ditch Your Cell Phone and Any Other Distractions While Studying
Have you heard of the “flow state”? The flow state is also known as “being in the zone”. To achieve this state of mind, you need to rid yourself of any potential distractions and completely immerse yourself in what you’re focused on. After staying immersed for a short period of time, you will forget your surroundings and only see what your focus allows you to. The flow state can be difficult to achieve and impossible with continuous disruptions. Ensure you put your cell phone out of sight and preferably on silent mode if possible. Every time your phone goes off, it will disrupt your flow state and you will need to restart the process.
Study Tip #18: Maintain of Positive State of Mind
Are you fully present with your task at hand? If your mind is preoccupied with negative emotions, it will hinder your ability to focus and hit your goals. Check out my other article on 3 Proven Steps to Instantly Get Out of a Bad Mood to maintain a positive mindset at the worst of times.
Study Tip #19: Engage as Many Senses as Possible
I saved one of my best study tips for last to reward your commitment to making it this far. The more senses you engage in your learning experience, the more likely you will remember it later. Ideally, you should find a way to read, write, hear, say, feel, taste, teach, and apply what you’re learning. Of course, that’s not viable in most instances, so absorb the knowledge in as many forms as it makes sense to.
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of my extensive list of study tips that I used during my time at Telfer. I believe in you that you have the discipline and the will to use these tips! I’m convinced that when you do, you will receive thousands in scholarships and skyrocket your GPA!
If you’re interested in learning about emotional intelligence, communicating more effectively, or improving your mindset, hop over to my personal blog at jdsterne.com.
Best of luck in your studies and see you there!
- Category: Student Voices
Need a break from studying on campus? Want a new, fresh environment to study in? Searching for either a good latté, snack, lunch or even a healthy smoothie while you’re at it? Look no further.
Here are the 9 best places to study in Ottawa, perfect to get your workflow on. Let’s get started.
Happy Goat Coffee Co.
229 Rideau St, 317 Wilbrod St, 326 Elgin St, 1091 Bank St, 35 Laurel St, 145 Main St.Photos from: https://www.facebook.com/HappyGoatCoffee/photos/rideaucumberland-our-new-cafe-is-now-open-on-229-rideau-street-were-very-excited/2199349310088007/
You can always count on Happy Goat Coffee Co. for a cozy spot when you need to get a good study grind on. Not only are there several locations across Ottawa, but two of them are right near campus, for those who are looking for a nice café nearby that is easy to get to. It can get pretty loud and busy at times, so make sure to bring your headphones, and listen to some of your favourite study music to concentrate; my favorites are rain sounds, café jazz and tropical house.
The Ministry of Coffee
274 Elgin St, 18 Beechwood Ave, 200 Tremblay Rd, 1013 Wellington St. W
Photos from: https://www.instagram.com/theministryofcoffee/?hl=en
The Ministry of Coffee is one of the best cafés I’ve been to in Ottawa. Not only is it great for an aesthetic picture or Instagram post, but they have some of the highest quality coffee and drinks I’ve had. They also have a Nutella latté… which we both know you deserve.
Eve Café
50 Rideau St. (Rideau Centre)
Photo from: http://brookemolly.weebly.com/blog/coffee-with-a-view
This café is extremely lowkey and is the perfect quiet and chill spot for either a solo study session or with friends. It has windows all around with natural sunlight and an absolutely incredible view of Downtown Ottawa. This tiny café is hidden on the fourth floor of Simons in the Rideau Centre, and they have really friendly staff. The only downside is they don’t have electrical plugs, so just be sure to charge your laptop and phone before going.
Bridgehead
50 Rideau St, 224 Dalhousie St, 265 Laurier Ave W, 96 Sparks St, 109 Bank St, and more
Photos from: https://www.bridgehead.ca/pages/366-bank-st-at-gilmour-st and https://www.instagram.com/bridgeheadcoffee/?hl=en
Bridgehead is a fair trade, locally-based coffee chain here in Ottawa. They have about 20 locations across Ottawa, and they have delicious drinks and bites. I can always count on Bridgehead for a great study vibe and an exquisite chai latte and energy bite to get my study groove on.
The National Arts Centre
1 Elgin St.Want a place to study other than at a café or campus? The National Arts Centre has got you covered. They have a public space open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight with free Wi-Fi, located in the heart of downtown. You can feel free to make yourself at home and use your device in the open areas, for when you need a long study grind. They also have a café inside if you’d like some caffeine or a bite to eat.
Lollo Salads
60 George St.
Photos from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvzuKU3lMzB/, https://www.instagram.com/lollosalads/?hl=en
Lollo Salads recently opened and has quickly become one of my go-to spots to study. Located in the Byward Market, this comfy café has fantastic salads and a great ambiance. This spot is also great to take a break from campus and grab a healthy lunch with a friend.
Jackson Café
10 Daly Ave.
Photo from: https://westofmaindesign.com/pages/bar-jackson-jackson-cafe-2
This fancy café is located in the Ottawa Art Gallery, right across from the Desmarais building. Jackson Café hits all the notes for quality, service and atmosphere and will not disappoint, trust me. Want to treat yourself to a fancy café with good vibes right near campus for a midday study session? This one’s for you.
Ottawa Public Library
377 Rideau St, 120 Metcalfe St, 1049 Bank St, and more
If you’re looking for a very quiet place to study to really focus, the Ottawa Public Library is the place to go. They have free wifi and various locations across the city, this is a solid choice.
Pure Kitchen
340 Elgin St, 345A Preston St, 357 Richmond Rd, 499 Terry Fox Dr
Photos from: https://www.instagram.com/purekitchenottawa/
We both know you could use a break from getting an iced cappuccino and studying at the noisy CRX Tim Hortons to get yourself a healthy smoothie instead. Pure Kitchen is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant with healthy and comfort food. They have incredible smoothies, juices and health elixir shots. I recommend going to the Elgin location and going to the bar section of the restaurant for a quiet spot to study. I go here when I have some readings to get done and need a health boost. Oh, and they play really good music.
These are some of my favourite study spots, and I hope one of them becomes yours too. Now that you know the nine best places to study in Ottawa, check out these spots and get your study groove on!
- Category: Student Voices
As defined by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada), “cooperative education (CO-OP) are work terms which provide paid experience in a workplace setting related to the student’s field of study”. With a placement rate of 97%, the CO-OP office at the University of Ottawa offers a wide range of work experience with thousands of employers inside and outside of Canada to thousands of students.
I have had the opportunity to experience three work terms as a CO-OP student at the Telfer School of Management. I can confidently say that the experience has been beyond what I had ever hoped for.
CO-OP is the greatest way not only to smoothen your way from school to work, gain the knowledge and experience you need, determine what career option works best for you, enhance your network and get a competitive edge when entering the workforce, but it is also a great opportunity to make money you can invest later, or put towards your student loans.
Here are the reasons why I feel that being a CO-OP student can ease your transition into the workforce after graduating.
1.Obtain Knowledge and Experience in your Field of Study
CO-OP at Telfer is a great way to gain up to 16 months of experience in your field of study.
As a Telfer student, these work terms will enable you to:
- Practice what you learn in classes
- Increase your skill set
- Set learning, performance and leadership development objectives at the start of your term, which your employer and the CO-OP office will mentor and guide you to achieve throughout your placement;
- Get a glimpse at the different career options available to you in the market,
- Experience several types of organizations (governmental, private sector, NGO, etc.); and
- Determine which career path inspires and fits you the most.
2. Enhance Your Network and Build Meaningful Relationships
Some of the employers that Telfer students get to work with include, but are not limited to, the Government of Canada, Nokia, Fintrac, The Growcer, and PwC.
By doing CO-OP at Telfer, you will get the opportunity to:
- Engage with inspiring people in your field of study; and
- Connect with mentors and advisors from different backgrounds, and learn from their experiences.
These valuable connections will help you later during your job search through referrals. If you get a referral from an employee to a position you have applied for, your chances of getting an interview are 50%, and your chances of getting hired are 20%. Without a referral, your chances are narrowed to only 3% for getting an interview, and 1.2% for getting hired.
3. Gain a Competitive Edge and Differentiate Yourself from Others
If you want to give your future employer a great reason as to why they should hire you, then CO-OP is the answer. Even for entry-level positions nowadays, employers require that job seekers have at least a few months of experience within their industry.
CO-OP at Telfer also gives you the opportunity to:
- Get more than a year worth of full-time experience in your field of study by the end of your bachelor program;
- Discover different part-time opportunities you can choose to enlarge your horizons; and further exposure to the workforce.
4. Acquire Valuable Paid Work Experience
Either if it is to pay off your student loans, pay for your study terms, or even save money that you can later invest in your own business, the CO-OP option at Telfer will give you the chance to do all of this. You will be gaining the exposure you need, and developing yourself both on a personal and professional level. CO-OP employers are required to pay students at least the minimum wage during their work terms, however, salaries for Telfer students could go as high as $30 an hour, which adds up to over $15,000 for your four-month work term, and $60,000 in total for your four work terms.
All in all, I can tell you from personal experience, during each one of my CO-OP work terms, that each of my supervisors went out of their way to help me achieve my learning, performance, and leadership objectives. I have had the chance to get out of my comfort zone, help organize a TEDx event, learn coding, make connections that helped me get other co-op opportunities, practice my public-speaking skills, work for the Government of Canada, which as an international student never seemed possible, but most importantly, do what I love most: Human Resources Management.
If you haven’t already applied to CO-OP, then this is your chance to do it. If you already are a CO-OP student, then make the best out of your work terms, and share the best advice an employer has given you.
- Category: Student Voices
Choosing which university to attend can be a daunting experience. For some, it may be as simple as looking at university rankings and choosing what is best academically. For others, proximity to home and cost may be a deciding factor. After choosing to attend the Telfer School of Management, I found that there was so much more about Telfer that could have gone into my decision making, beyond Telfer being recognized as a top business school worldwide.
During my four-year degree at the Telfer School of Management, there were 7 reasons that stood out for me as to what made the Telfer experience so unique and rewarding.
Here’s what I’ve come to value as the top 7 reasons to go to Telfer:
1. High Value of the Degree
As a high school student at the time, while researching the various possible universities to attend, one of the first things I personally looked at is what will it cost me financially, and what is the value of a degree from each university in question.
The Telfer School of Management is in the top 1% of business schools worldwide based on completing three levels of accreditation. This worldwide reputation of excellence was a very important factor in consideration if I would go to Telfer. In addition to this, Telfer also offers reasonable tuition for the value you receive from a degree at a top university. This combination for me meant that Telfer had the best value for the monetary cost, the “best bang for your buck” if you will.
2. Location, Location, Location
Telfer is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Ottawa. You get the feel of being in a big city, but without all of the commotion and noise (and price) that you find at other big city universities. What’s nice about being located downtown is that everything is in close proximity to you. Whether it’s museums, historical sites like Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal, grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, nightlife and just about everything you can think of, it’s all within a 10 to 15 minute walk if you go to Telfer.
3. Co-op Program
Ottawa has a reputation for being a government city, and I will not dispute that reputation. However, Ottawa also has an ever-growing private sector that provides a lot of different job opportunities. What is nice about doing the co-op program at Telfer is that it’s really easy to apply to different jobs and you can pick and choose from the public sector or the private sector to get a feel for what you would like in a future career. The job I had throughout university was through the co-op program, which is a job I never would have gotten without co-op and making the decision to go to Telfer.
4. French Immersion
Although I personally did not choose to be part of the French Immersion program, I do, however, know a lot of people who did, and I was able to speak with them about their experiences. French immersion at Telfer provides students with the opportunity to complete a portion of their courses in French. If you are an anglophone and you would like to strengthen your French, or if you are a francophone and you would like to strengthen your English, then you have the unique opportunity of attending one of few universities to have a French immersion program at Telfer. You also receive a $1,000 scholarship just for being in the French immersion program!
5. Collaboration
At Telfer you get the opportunity to work with a lot of different people from all sorts of backgrounds and learn from them. If you go to Telfer, approximately 20% of the students are international, and in my own experience, I had the opportunity to work with students from Germany, India, China, South Korea, Kenya, and more. Having such a diverse community allows you to make new friends and connections in so many different places. I can honestly say that all of my group projects at Telfer have been a positive experience.
6. Unique Projects
During my experience at Telfer I had the opportunity to participate in many unique class projects that I never expected. The fourth-year Strategic Management course at Telfer runs something called the Intopia Business Simulation, where students immerse themselves in an action-filled weekend running their own company by negotiating, making decisions, and trying to maximize their bottom line and, ultimately, win the competition. Intopia is recognized as a top business strategy simulation, and Telfer is one of the only schools that offers it.
As well, students are able to gain real world experience by working with companies as part of class projects. For myself, I had the opportunity to work with Badminton Canada and the Canadian Museum of Nature to help develop marketing campaigns and promotional strategies. This experience was not only self-rewarding, but it was also excellent to include on a resume and it’s all part of your program at Telfer.
7. Career Centre
The Telfer Career Centre offers various workshops for students such as how to build a resume, do well in an interview, and many more types of workshops. As well, you can speak with career advisors who can help set you on the path to your goal. Having a resource that is committed to both your personal and career development is very helpful as you enter the workplace.
The Career Centre also holds a variety of networking events at Telfer. The networking events attract an array of companies that you can speak with and in turn make connections that can turn into potential job opportunities. Also, the networking events and the aforementioned workshops go hand-in-hand if you go to Telfer by allowing you to apply the knowledge you learned in these workshops at these networking events.
- Category: Student Voices
Paying for university… what comes to mind? Maybe it’s your parents who generously support you, or maybe it’s OSAP payments, or even a bank loan. Generally, the associations are not particularly positive. For me, they happen to be.
When it comes to university education, parents and students are often concerned about the cost. University is more expensive than college and students graduating high school often wonder if the benefits are worth it. As a fourth-year graduating student from the Telfer School of Management, today I am here to tell you that you can afford it all on your own, even without OSAP, and what benefits come of it.
Working Part-Time
So, here is what I did. When I had just turned seventeen and was in Grade 11, I started working at McDonald’s in my hometown. I would work afternoons after school, Saturday mornings and sometimes overnight, working about 15 hours a week. Honestly, it was really fun to be around many of my high school friends who also worked there, and I got free food. It also taught me how to deal with any kind of customer; those that yelled at me for not having drink trays and ketchup packets, and also those that were really sweet and patiently waited for their fresh pot of coffee. I actually wrote an entire blog post about working at McDonald’s and how it prepared me for the real world here. I definitely would recommend it to any student in high school. I even worked there when I moved to Ottawa for school and also in the summer after my first year, working full-time when I lived at home. Working at McDonald’s both part-time through high school and university, then full-time during the summer allowed me to save up enough money to pay for the first two years of my university education.
Getting Scholarships
To this day, I haven’t applied for OSAP. Starting from first-year, I started applying for scholarships as well as working. I got good grades because I wanted more scholarships and because I care about school (and have a crippling fear of failure), and I got involved since I heard it’s a good thing to do. I was one of the founding members of the Women in Management Network, a Career Centre ambassador, and then the Business Dinner Project Manager on TECDE (The Entrepreneurs’ Club). Both good grades and involvement in the school are great for receiving scholarships. I would get a couple per school year, which would cover most of the semester, and were immensely helpful. It’s easy to apply on uOzone and although they take a while to be reviewed, it’s very worth it. There are also many scholarships in the community that take a bit more research to find and complete since some require essays, but committing a week of time for scholarships and for them to pay off with thousands of dollars is a very good investment. I am a business student, so you can trust me!
Investing
Okay, so you know how I said I didn’t get OSAP and all of that. In my fourth year, I *accidentally* got them to pay my tuition because I forgot to check the “don’t need a loan” box on my grant application and they automatically paid for it. Since I had the money in my bank account for that semester already, I invested it into a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) with my bank and once I receive that money at the end of the year and pay off OSAP, at least I will have made interest too. I am not saying you should do this, but that’s what I did to remedy my situation since there was no way to cancel the OSAP payment of my tuition immediately. Remember to check that box if you don’t want the loan! Do apply for the grant though.
Why I Pay for University Myself
If your parents are willing to pay for your tuition, that’s great. But I actually found it extremely rewarding to pay for my own education because it made me appreciate it more. When I considered skipping class (and obviously never have…), I always thought about how much that class was costing me. It motivated me to keep going even when school got really tough because I know I am investing in my future (hopefully). It’s also nice to be independent and know I don’t have any real debt. So my only real advice to you is to work. I know it’s basic and obvious, but honestly, it’s really the only thing you can do, especially if you are on your own. And if you are worried about working part-time while studying, let me tell you, it’s totally possible. I wouldn’t even know what to do with my time if I was studying full-time and not working. Obviously, everyone has different learning styles and you might need the extra time, that’s understandable. I found it better for my time management to be busy, work, and study so I had clear windows when I would have to get things done, and less opportunity for procrastination (still do it though). Plus living on your own and being independent is kind of cool. You can eat cake for dinner and no one can tell you otherwise!
How Do I Pay for University?
In conclusion, I paid for my entire university education through working part- and full-time, receiving scholarships, and investing. It made me a better person and continues to do so. I learned how to balance a lot of things on my plate, get good grades, and still find time for relaxing, having fun, and having a social life. If I can do it, you can absolutely do it too.
Instagram: @sonyagankina
- Category: Student Voices
Occurring each semester, the Intopia Business Simulation allows for Strategic Management (ADM4311) students to compete in a simulated marketplace with two specified products. Teams must make hundreds of decisions which require expertise in accounting, finance, marketing, and management. The goal of this blog is to provide you with some helpful tips and tricks to help you in both your preparation for the simulation and your strategy during the game.
PREPARATION
1. Read the Manual & Watch ALL of the Preparation Videos
This may seem self-explanatory, but the best teams have a very deep understanding of how the simulation works, as well as how their decisions will impact their outputs each period. The manual details how different numbers on your balance sheet and income statement are calculated, which becomes extremely important when you begin calculating your cash flows each period.
2. Treat the Practice Round Like the Real Game
There are two different ways to approach what the simulation calls the “Market Trials” (A fancy way to say practice round). The first is to try as many different strategies as possible to see what your team may excel at, and to learn about all parts of the game. The second is to decide what your team’s real strategy is, and to use the Market Trials as practice for the actual simulation. Both approaches are valid, but no matter which one you choose, it is important to take the trials seriously. You should meet with your team before every decision, as you would during the simulation, and try to finish near the top of the leaderboard. Having a good reputation heading into the game can help your team secure loans and long-term contracts as teams are more confident in your ability to be profitable.
THE REAL GAME
3. Make Relationships Early
One of the most important tips to winning the Intopia Business Simulation has to do with how you interact with other teams. Whichever strategy you decide on, you are going to need to work with all different types of companies (teams). Having contracts signed for multiple periods not only eases your team’s stress, but also puts you in a much better position for the later periods as you start needing to either buy or sell more inventory due to increases in production capacity and demand.
4. Think About Leveraging Your Position to Start the Game
This strategy doesn’t necessarily apply to all company types, but if you are a producer looking to expand your operations as fast as possible, taking out a loan from another team to start the game can be a great idea. My team was an X producer that had the capital to build 4 plants in period 1. We decided to leverage ourselves, allowing us to build a fifth plant which gave us more inventory than all other X producers for a large portion of the game. In the Intopia Business Simulation, aggressive teams are rewarded as all teams are profitable, for the most part. Therefore, the teams that expand the quickest get a leg up on the competition strictly due to their higher inventory volume.
5. Start Paying Dividends as Early as Possible
The majority of your grade for the Intopia component of ADM4311 comes from your “Value Added” compared to other teams within your chosen strategy. Paying dividends directly increases your “Value Added”, and it can lead to money being reinvested into your company. You should become profitable by period 4, which is when you should begin repatriating your earnings from your areas of operation in order to pay dividends. This is another key tip to winning Intopia, and you should be paying higher dividends each period until you reach the maximum amount ($99,999,999). However, be sure you never decrease your dividends paid from period to period as it can lead to a lack of confidence from your shareholders.
6. Know your Numbers
This goes back to your preparation, but it is super important that you understand exactly how your cash flows work. Once you have a solid grasp on how much cash you have each period, you can start planning ahead to build plants or sales offices. Your team should have detailed spreadsheets that calculate your break-even point, projected cash flows and projected earnings, among other things. Receiving outputs each period that match your projections not only eases your stress, but also puts you in a great position for the upcoming rounds.
7. Be Aware of Tax Implications
Different Areas have different tax rates, and moving money around can help limit the amount of earnings you lose to taxes. Also, it can be beneficial to determine how you sell inventory based on tax rates (higher priced products get sold in areas with lower tax rates), in order to send more income to retained earnings each period.
I hope this blog helps you in completing, and hopefully winning, the Intopia Business Simulation. If you have any other questions feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
- Category: Student Voices
Deciding whether or not to attend a business school can be a challenging decision for high school graduates or business enthusiasts who aspire to start a business of their own. Given the many popular stories of college dropouts who later emerged to become business tycoons, decision-making becomes even more difficult.
So, you may be asking yourself, should I attend business school before starting my own business?
I can confidently say that business school did indeed help me start my own business.
In 2019, after years of freelancing and consultation, I founded a digital marketing agency named myMarketing.io. It is an Ottawa-based company focused on providing startups, small and medium-sized businesses with high-quality digital marketing at an affordable price.
The business was started during my studies. Today, six months later, myMarketing is a team of three individuals providing services to multiple clients. Although other factors played a role in the success of the company, such as professional experience, a strong network, and sufficient resources, attending business school was undoubtedly very useful.
Here are the top 10 ways business school helped me start my business:
1. Vast Connection and Networking
The greatest benefit of attending a business school is its vast and connected networks. In the context of running a business, networking is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to determining your business’ success. In some cases, the difference between a successful and failed business can be determined by a single valuable connection.
Attending business school allows you to build a network and make connections with like-minded people who have similar business interests. These connections can be a gateway to lucrative business opportunities for your future business. Having these connections is a valuable asset that belongs to you for the rest of your career. It might be difficult to imagine, but the connections you make in university may turn into your future client, partner, co-worker, mentor or investor.
Here’s a simple example from when I started my own business. When I began looking for employees for my newly launched company, the first people that came to mind were my university connections. Since I already knew them and had worked with them in the past, I was able to hire people that were the best fit for my business.
No matter which industry you are in, having quality employees is essential for your business growth. Investing your time in network building helps you identify qualified candidates. It is a very effective method to learn about their skills required to do the job as well.
2. Valuable Co-op Experience
Another benefit of enrollment in a business school is the opportunity to experience a co-op program. In this co-op program, a company hires students temporarily through schools. It is a mutually beneficial agreement between the student, employer and educational institute.
Students participating in co-op placements from business schools gain valuable, hands-on experience. While it is important to study and attend classes, the co-op program immensely helps you to expand your professional skills. It allows you to ‘put your foot in the door’ and begin your career in your field of study.
My co-op experience helped me learn about my interests, develop skills in my field and, most importantly, make valuable business connections.
Discovering my interest: My experience in co-op allowed me to expand my passion in my field and discover which areas were of interest to me and which weren’t. It also gave me the opportunity to test my own strengths and weaknesses and excel in certain areas of my field.
Developing my skills: Business school courses concentrate on the theoretical aspect of business, but lack practical business teaching. Fortunately, co-op provided practical experience that allowed me to develop my skills and start my business.
Expanding my network: My co-op experience played a crucial role in guiding my professional career. The connections I made during my co-op placements are still very relevant to my career today. Some connections have become my co-workers, others are my clients, and others are business promoters.
Whether you realize it or not, a co-op program that provides you with professional experience in your field is very important for your career.
3. General Business Know-How
Many startups fail due to the founder’s lack of basic professional knowledge. This is where a business school can make a big difference. They give students the opportunity to understand the basic functioning of a startup and give an overview of each major business field.
As an entrepreneur, you may be in charge of many aspects of your company. Due to this, it is essential to understand the basics of each business field such as managing finances, monitoring operations, marketing your products and many other general administrative tasks. Business graduates are much more likely to successfully manage these operations than those who have no theoretical background.
It is unquestionable that the general business knowledge I gained during my studies has been of extreme value when starting my company. Though I was always most interested in marketing, studying business allowed me to become knowledgeable in essential day-to-day activities for my business.
4. Communication and Presentation Skills
For business owners, communication can be a major key to success. From conducting meetings to public speaking, strong communication and presentation skills are very important. The better you become at communicating, the greater the chances that your message will influence the target audience.
During your studies in business, you will be exposed to several communication practices such as public speaking, formal presentations, networking, and so on. For people that are not experienced or comfortable communicating or presenting, attending business school gives them the much-needed practice to improve these skills.
During my studies, I presented dozens of times and communicated professionally with hundreds of people. This has helped me improve my communication skills and my body language, but most importantly, it has helped me boost my confidence. As a business owner, I am required to present to small groups and speak to other business professionals on a daily basis. I can confidently say that I would not be nearly as comfortable and knowledgeable in public speaking as I am now if it weren’t for my business classes.
5. Inspiration and Guidance
Attending a business school played a major role in inspiring and guiding me to launch my business. During your time in business school, you get to know many professors and classmates who can become a big source of inspiration for your professional development.
Guidance from mentors and encouragement from peers can act as a strong catalyst in an entrepreneur’s life. They are people that can teach you valuable lessons and provide you with insight on the rights and wrongs of running your own business.
During my studies, many students and professors have inspired me to bring me where I am today. From professors who had become successful business owners to students with side businesses, I can confidently say that these people have had an impact on my business.
6. Extracurricular Activities
A business school lets you explore more than just educational knowledge. It allows you to discover other areas of interest by participating in extracurricular activities beyond the classroom. These activities help you create more connections, develop new skills and give you more professional experience.
By joining university clubs, you work alongside other students to fulfill a common goal. You learn to manage responsibility, work in groups and develop many other important skills that prove to be useful when running your own business.
At my university, I was a part of the Telfer Marketing Association. In this club, I worked on different projects and made truly great connections. Apart from participating in activities at Telfer, I took part in different competitions that allowed me to gain business experience and improve my overall professional performance.
7. Access to Resources
Most business schools offer additional support both during and after your graduation. The foundation of a successful business is its valuable resources, and a business school gives access to many of these to its students. From finding suitable mentors to opportunities for funding, a university gives you access to resources that might otherwise be difficult to attain.
In order to launch and grow a business, funding is important. Fortunately, business schools give you access to various grants and funding opportunities. Many business schools have a special fund for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as strong networks which provide opportunities for you to pitch your business ideas to investors. For example, to foster and support entrepreneurship, the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub has a four-month pre-accelerator program named Startup Garage. The mission of this program is to provide young entrepreneurs with the right mentorship, environment and funding to launch a new venture.
Business school also gives you access to experienced entrepreneurs and mentors. In entrepreneurship, experience is considered to be one of the most important assets. Finding the right mentor to help you guide your business is one of the best ways of gaining experience. They can provide you with the knowledge you need to improve business decisions and increase your chances of business success.
During my studies, the University of Ottawa gave me access to valuable resources like a strong network, mentors, databases and so on. These resources will be an asset to my business for years to come. I have already been able to profit from the resources offered at university, and I plan to continue capitalizing on them to grow my business.
8. Teamwork and Leadership Skills
Becoming an adept leader is not easy; it takes experience, knowledge and a series of important traits. However, the one thing that will help anyone improve their leadership skills is practice. In business school, students have the opportunity to practice these skills when participating in team projects and presentations. Having the opportunity to work in many different groups during your studies allows you to develop and sharpen your overall leadership skills.
Apart from academics, involvement in extracurricular activities can help you to develop leadership skills and improve teamwork abilities. Managing the day-to-day activities of your university clubs and working with teammates to achieve a common goal is an excellent way of developing your leadership capabilities.
During my time in business school, I participated in many activities that required teamwork. The valuable teamwork and leadership lessons I learned through academics, the co-op program, and extracurricular activities have become valuable skills for my career. These are skills that I use daily when managing my business and that are invaluable to my business’ success.
9. Work on your Business
For students who have recently started or would like to start a business during their studies, business school may offer them the opportunity to work on their business as assignments. Many classes may have project mandates that are relevant to your business and for which you will be able to implement in your business. This can be a great opportunity as it allows the student to receive relevant feedback from their professors and apply theoretical learnings to their business.
During my studies, some of my classes were able to contribute to what I was trying to build. For example, some of the services my company offers were thought of during my "New Venture Creation" class. I also had school projects that allowed me to work on launching my business. For example, the myMarketing.io website was designed during a project in my "Digital Marketing Technolgies" class.
10. Enhanced Credibility
It is undeniable that a business school degree helps strengthen the credibility of your business. As you already know, a degree helps candidates find a job, but what you may not realize is that a degree will also help a business owner attract prospects, clients, investors and partners to their business.
For business success, credibility is paramount; it is linked to client acquisition, investor trust, supplier confidence, business reputation and much more. A student that succeeds to build a strong reputation during their time in business school is likely to have much more success in their business ventures.
Throughout my time at university, I worked hard to try to stand out in each of my classes. My hard work allowed me to complete my program with one of the highest grades at Telfer. By doing this, I was able to prove myself as a credible connection to those in my network. The credibility I earned during my time in business school will be an asset to me for the rest of my career. Above all, the degree that I will receive at graduation will certify my credibility as a professional and the credibility of my business.
My Final Thoughts
After all, business school played a great role in starting my own digital marketing company. Today, with so many competitors in the industry, I consider my experience in business school a very valuable asset to my business.
I am thankful for having invested valuable time and effort in my university studies. They have truly paid off and will undoubtedly benefit my career and myMarketing.io for years to come.
- Category: Student Voices
Choosing a university may seem like an easy task – those who have gone through the process know that it can be extremely difficult. Choosing a school based on academics is important, but you should consider non-academic factors in your decision as well. This ensures you choose a school that best suits your personality and lifestyle.
Since choosing a university is such an important decision, you must take time to do your research and compare the options. Luckily, I have made a checklist to give you advice on how to choose a university. While researching, remember to consider not just your short-term (first-year) needs, but also consider the long-term (second, third and fourth-year) goals.
1. Research the Program
The most important thing when choosing a university is the program. After narrowing down your program, it is important to compare between different universities. For example, the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa offers a different course sequence in their Bachelor of Commerce program than the University of Guelph. Along with this, you must consider the internship opportunities that schools may offer you, and whether a co-op option is available, if that is something you are interested in. Ensuring that you are educated on the differences between your program of choice across all of the universities you are considering is crucial in your decision-making process.
2. Use the University Rankings to Guide You
After you research the program, it is important to educate yourself on the reputation of the universities you have shortlisted. To do this, you first need to choose the factors that are the most important to you. Whether it is based on its national reputation, student life or extracurriculars, the Build Your Own Ranking tool by Maclean’s is the best way to compare university rankings.
3. Research About the Lifestyle
Another important factor to consider when choosing a university is the lifestyle. This includes extracurriculars such as sports, clubs and activities offered on campus. For some students, these extracurriculars shape their university experience. If this is you, it is extremely important to research this topic before deciding. Most universities have a page dedicated to the extracurriculars offered on their campus. The lifestyle also includes the “vibe” of the off-campus life. Accessing information regarding the off-campus life can be difficult. The best way to get accurate information on this topic is to consult a friend or someone who you may be connected with who attends or has attended the university.
4. Research the Campus and the Facilities/Resources Offered
The campus “feel” is something that is extremely important as you are going to be spending the next, at least, four years there. The first thing you should do is decide if you want to attend a university with a small campus feel, or a larger university. Once you have decided, you should conduct research on each campus. Your research should include the buildings (especially the one specific to your faculty) along with facilities such as gyms, libraries, residences, food services, and more. Along with this, it is important to familiarize yourself with the resources offered on campus. This includes counselling services, academic help services, health services, and many others.
All of this may seem overwhelming, but familiarizing yourself with the campus will aid you in making the right decision for you. The best way to gain research first-hand is to experience the campus and go on a tour held by the university. If you are unable to do this, then make sure you research thoroughly. Many universities even offer virtual campus tours as well!
5. Research the City Where the University is Located
Once you choose a university, you will be living in that city for at least four years, so it’s important to inform yourself about what the city offers! Yes, this includes things to do with friends, such as places to eat. Although, it also includes necessities such as grocery stores, public transit, and other important services. Consider what your needs are, and evaluate if the city meets your needs. Two websites that may help with your research are TripAdvisor and Yelp.
6. Research Scholarships and Bursaries Offered by Your Top Choices
Securing financial assistance for post secondary can be time consuming, so start your research early. Read six tips to winning scholarships – it's worth your time. There are several available paths where funding may be available, those include grants, bursaries and student loans to name a few. Generally speaking, grants and bursaries do not need to be paid back as long as you satisfy the requirements for those awards. Student loans do need to be paid back. Financial aid tools for Canadian students can be found at the Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid; this source includes provincially-funded aid programs. Scholarships Canada is a searchable database of thousands of scholarships, prizes and bursaries for students entering their first year of post-secondary studies in Canada.
Choosing a university is extremely overwhelming and can be difficult. By researching everything on my checklist above, you will be informed enough when it comes time to decide. Taking all of these factors into account, I have no doubt that you will find the university that best suits you.
Now that you have read this post, I expect you will begin your research with a little more guidance than before. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest you begin by consulting the Maclean’s Education Hub where you can find an array of information regarding academics, money, student living, and rankings.
- Category: Student Voices
Hobbies are an excellent way to spend your spare time and unwind from a day of classes and studying. Spending time doing a hobby you enjoy can improve mental health and lower stress levels.
The following hobbies will encourage you to get out of your regular routine and focus on something outside of school for a few hours. These activities can be done alone, with a friend or with a group. All of these hobbies are opportunities to learn new skills, to simply relieve stress, or to help you to discover a new passion!
1. Learn to make pottery at Hintonburg Pottery
Take a one time workshop or sign up for a series of classes. Hintonburg Pottery has a wide selection of classes for beginners where you can create a beautiful piece of pottery to bring home! One time workshops start at $75.
2. Take an art class at the City of Ottawa
Interested in drama, music, dance, painting, drawing and pretty much any other form of art? The City of Ottawa has a course for you. Learn a new skill and get to know people in your community! Courses range from $24 and up to fit any budget.
3. Take a woodworking class at Ottawa City Woodshop
The Ottawa City Woodshop offers a wide variety of courses for all skill levels. Learn to build anything from a toboggan to a coffee table. Courses start at $150, but provide invaluable lessons and a beautiful product to bring home. Also, if you enjoy woodworking you can build your own creations at the shop by getting a monthly membership.
4. Paint ceramics at The Mud Oven
Choose from a huge selection of premade figurines, mugs, vases and pots and get creative. Paint to your heart's desire and pick up your glazed and fired item a week later. Ceramics start at $17 a piece.
5. Learn to rock climb at Coyote Rock Gym
Coyote Rock Gym was Ottawa’s first rock climbing gym. It has five dedicated bouldering areas, which make it a great place to learn the basics. A basic intro lesson for first time climbers is free, and for just $40 you can get a two-hour lesson that covers basic climbing techniques, climbing terminology and more.
6. Learn to Box at Beaver Boxing
Beaver Boxing Club is one of the most affordable sports memberships you will find in Ottawa. It is a not-for-profit organization with incredible student membership fees. Drop in for a technical boxing class for just $12, or join for a month for $42.22 with their student discount.
7. Take a yoga class at Elevate Yoga
Drop in for an Elevate Yoga class for $20 plus a 20% student discount. Elevate offers classes for all skill levels which makes it a great place to learn. Also, Elevate offers a volunteer program where you can work for 3.5 hours per week in exchange for unlimited yoga classes. This is a great opportunity for students on a low budget.
8. Taking a cooking class at La Bottega Nicastro
Do you love Italian food? La Bottega Nicastro has a large variety of cooking and wine classes to choose from. Learn about food from different regions of Italy and enjoy a three course meal after. Their experiences start at $60.
9. Offer your time with Volunteer Ottawa
Giving back to your community can be extremely rewarding. Volunteering is an excellent way to get out of your routine, meet new people and help out those in need. Find a cause that speaks to you!
10. Teach yourself a new skill online
Taking classes might not be in everyone’s budget. Thanks to the Internet, there are thousands of online resources regarding any hobby you might be interested in. Here are a few you can check out for inspiration:
As you can see, there are endless opportunities when it comes to finding a hobby. Hobbies offer you a time to be creative and de-stress during the stressful school semester. I hope this article helped inspire you and if it did, be sure to share it with your friends! For more content regarding things to do in Ottawa visit https://www.rebeccastiletto.com/.
- Category: Student Voices
As a fourth-year BCom Marketing student, I never could have imagined that the end of my semester would be suddenly shifted from in-person lectures to online learning. While the adjustment was at first stressful, it is certainly necessary so that we can all practice social distancing.
After two full weeks of this “distance learning” thing, I think I’ve finally got a handle on balancing productivity and self-care by trying to stick to a productive schedule. Here’s how my days of studying at home are going:
9:00 a.m.
I try not to sleep past 9:00 a.m. in the mornings in order to avoid that groggy feeling. I start off with a few stretches to some of my favourite tunes. Then, I usually make tea and oatmeal for breakfast.9:45 a.m.
This is my 15-minute window to scroll through social media, text friends and family, and just relax before starting a day of studying. I’ll also go through my playlists to decide the type of music I want to listen to throughout the day. The right type of music will help you focus and stay motivated. I highly recommend Spotify’s Brain Food playlist that’s specifically designed for studies.10:00 a.m.
Once I open up my laptop, the first thing I do is check-in with my teammates on various group projects. It’s important to stay updated on everyone’s progress to help the team feel supported, and stay on track to meet deadlines. One of my groups recently started using Google Hangouts, which is a great tool for group video calls and screen sharing.11:00 a.m.
Depending on my priorities, I’ll usually take the late-morning to work on assignments like my Business Ethics essay or watch online lectures. Yesterday, I learned about paid advertising in the online lecture for my Digital Marketing class!
1:00 p.m.:
After a couple hours of studying, it’s lunch time - be sure to eat something nutritious and rich with vitamins to strengthen your health. Sometimes I check out EatingWell’s website for hundreds of quick and easy healthy recipes. I try to make lunch even more fun by scheduling video lunch dates with friends and co-workers so that you can eat and chat together, virtually, to avoid feeling lonely or isolated.
2:00 p.m.:
I’ll take the next 3 hours to be as productive as possible, knowing that after 5:00 p.m., I start to get distracted easily. Being productive doesn’t mean non-stop work though. I try to take 10-minute breaks after every hour of work to breathe, move around, or step outside. I love using the short guided meditations from the non-profit, Smiling Mind app, which has hundreds of meditation programs for free.5:30 p.m.:
Depending on upcoming deadlines, I might need to do more work into the evening, but I am always sure to go on a walk in my neighbourhood before sunset. Whether you go on your own with music, while chatting on the phone with friends, or with family, the fresh air is sure to brighten your spirit and clear your mind.For the rest of the evening, I try to connect with my friends and family over video calls, plan my schedule for the next day, and watch some TV, of course. Netflix Party is an awesome extension so that you can watch Netflix “with” your friends, from anywhere in the world.
Regardless of what your distance learning routine is, the important thing is that you have a routine that will help you feel normal and stay organized during the remaining of this unprecedented semester. Your schedule should include time to connect with your loved ones and with yourself so that you can maximize your study sessions and ace the rest of the semester. Even if you stray from your schedule, it’s alright - simply try to refocus when you catch yourself getting distracted, and don’t add too much pressure on yourself. The University of Ottawa and the Telfer School are here to support you through this crazy time.
You can schedule phone appointments with our Career Centre on Career Launch, contact the Co-op office at
- Category: Community Engagement
In an effort to keep the Ottawa community as healthy as possible and the coronavirus (COVID-19) from rapidly spreading, the University of Ottawa has implemented measures to maintain “social distancing”.
This is a tough time for all of us, and we can already see economic impacts on businesses, particularly smaller ones that you often see around your street corners. Small, local businesses may suffer during this time, but many of them have also found resourceful ways to support the Ottawa community, while maintaining their business financially. Several Ottawa businesses are “modifying their business practices, from rationing sought-after items to refusing to handle cash or limiting the number of customers allowed in stores.”
1. Creating Access to Food
Ottawa restaurant, Dreamland Cafe, located on Preston Street in Little Italy, has chosen to close their restaurant to the public. However, they stay open with special hours to make delicious meals ready for delivery or pickup at the back. Dreamland Cafe expanded their online menu (including homemade pasta sauce) and lowered their prices to help out during this financially difficult time. You can order from them using UberEATS, since Uber has decided to waive delivery fees to also assist the community during this time.
Like Dreamland, Luxe Bistro, located in the Byward Market, has taken a similar approach. They will be closed to the public, but are open for take-out by providing their food via UberEATS, DoorDash, and offering "drive-through" and personal home delivery service. They are even offering a few grocery staples to customers in order to keep grocery stores from getting too busy.
Although many food stores and restaurants made the difficult decision to close, La Bottega Nicastro did what they could before closing up shop. They donated over $1,000 worth of food to Operation Ramzieh, a crisis Relief team that has assembled to assist seniors and other vulnerable Canadians during the COVID-19 crisis.
Many other restaurants making an effort to serve the community with the availability of their food include:
- Lexington Smokehouse and Bar
- Sushi Umi
- Happy Goat Coffee Company
- Pure Kitchen
- OCCO Kitchen
- JOEY Rideau and JOEY Landsdowne
- Freshii Westboro
- Two Six Ate
2. Promoting Physical Activity
As we are all advised to stay inside, many gyms and fitness studios have closed in the city to help reduce the spread of germs. One Ottawa dance studio has come up with an idea to help citizens stay active, while participating in online live video dance classes. Dance Fusion Studio has emailed their dancers providing virtual classes via Zoom to help you “dance away in your living room” while you are staying inside.
In addition, popular Ottawa yoga studio run by co-entrepreneurs Amber and Jen, Pure Yoga, is hosting yoga sessions on their online platform, where they have over 150 classes available. During this time, they are offering the first two weeks free, and a discounted price using specific promotional code.
Other Ottawa fitness and wellness businesses that are adapting to these new circumstances include:
3. Supporting Hobbies
Wallack’s Art Supplies is a store on the corner of Bank Street full of art supplies for those of you who are painters, sketch artists, and do-it-yourself enthusiasts. They too have closed their store due to advice from public health officials, but their online store remains open with both pick-up and delivery options available.
Local bookstore on Bank Street, Black Squirrel Books, is putting together and delivering packages of mystery books for their customers. According to the Ottawa Citizen, “Customers can select any genre they’re interested in — mysteries, fiction, history, self-help, children’s books, etc. — or simply order a surprise box. With either option, customers have no idea of what specific titles they’ll receive.”
Many other local businesses have modified their business models to serve the many needs and interests of the Ottawa community, such as:
- West End Kids
- Ottawa Food Bank
- Masters n' Dogs pet shop
- Henry’s Camera
- Eliquo Training and Development Incorporated
4. Keeping Us Healthy and Protected from the Virus
Several local businesses are stepping up to the plate when it comes to staying healthy by using their existing resources. For example, Perth distillery, Top Shelf Distillers, has been producing hand sanitizer to combat the depleting amounts in stores. They launched a “crowdfunding campaign to fund the production, procurement and scale of batches of hand sanitizer as the already overwhelming demand grows,” which was extremely successful as they exceeded their fundraising goal in just one day, sharing their story on CTV News.
Another distiller contributing to sanitation efforts is Dairy Distillery in Almonte, located about an hour outside of Ottawa. The company is creating two products: a surface sanitizer, and a large format hand sanitizer with a pump. They wanted to share these products with members of the community, including health clinics, hospitals, veterinarian hospitals, and charities.
In addition, members of the University of Ottawa are finding a way to directly help healthcare workers stay protected from the virus. At Makerspace on campus, Midia Shikh Hassan, a manager at the university’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Design (CEED), is using 3D printers and laser cutters to manufacture vital personal protective equipment. CEED can create 10 to 20 face shields every two hours, and plans to make even more equipment needed with feedback from physicians from The Ottawa Hospital.
You can support our local businesses by purchasing gift cards, shopping online, or ordering take-out or delivery items.
What local businesses have you noticed making a change during this time? Let us know some of your favourites and what they are doing to support the Ottawa community.
- Category: Latest News
As of Wednesday, March 18, 2020 all in-person classes and labs in the current (Winter 2020) term will be moved to distance and online learning formats for the rest of the semester. We understand that this may increase stress and anxiety, so we’ve put together a quick list of tips to help you manage your studies from home.
- Maintain self-care: First and foremost, taking care of yourself will allow you to succeed throughout these weeks. Get into a daily routine that works for you, eat and sleep properly, take breaks when needed, and try some at-home exercises such as yoga, body-weight workouts, or stretching.
- Create a dedicated workspace: You might not be used to watching online lectures or making notes from home, so it is important to create a comfortable space for you to maximize productivity. Try to stay away from your bed (which won’t promote focus), and work at a table with a comfortable chair as if you were at school. You can even decorate the space with some cute plants and art that you already have at home.
- Make a plan: It’s easy to get distracted and lose track of deadlines at home. Start off by building a calendar with all of your important dates, and then figure out a to-do list prioritized by date and/or importance. Having a visual to look at when you’re feeling lost will help to keep you on track.
- Use group communication tools: Being at home can be isolating, so be sure to keep in touch with group members, classmates, and friends via digital tools through group chats and direct messages. This will help you feel more supported.
- Ensure that you have access to everything you need: In order to stay on top of your work, make sure that you have consistent access to Wi-Fi. Sometimes, connections can be interrupted, and technology mishaps occur all the time. You can take measures to save work or important files often. You can also share your documents online in cloud-based drives, so that you can access them from anywhere while using Wi-Fi. We suggest you save contact information of professors and classmates in case you need to reach them due to missing information or technical difficulties.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are all entering uncharted territory and need to support one another. Stay in touch and stay healthy - we will see you soon #TelferNation!
- Category: Student Announcements
Telfer School of Management Bachelor of Commerce students Joy Xu, Leah Salzman, Lina Salama and Madison Woo, better known by their collective pseudonym “Employees of the Month” at the competition, brought recognition to the program by winning 1st place at the 5th annual Diversity and Inclusion Case Competition. In all five years since the competition’s founding, a Telfer team has won first place each time, with “Employees of the Month” representing Telfer at the fifth edition. The competition took place last Saturday, February 29th, at Export Development Canada (EDC), one of the founding partners of the event.
The group’s ideas, which the judges found to be refreshing and grounded in the reality of today’s world, earned them a shared $5,000 prize that was presented at the evening awards gala. This was the first year that the competition was open to not only MBA students, but also to third and fourth-year undergraduate students. The latter showed they were up for the task, as two of the four finalist teams came from undergraduate programs.
A new edition this year in the spirit of renewal and innovation, this fifth edition of the competition started on Friday evening, February 28th, at a networking launch event at Bayview Yards. An interactive activity hosted by second founding partner, Deloitte, was definitely the highlight of the evening, according to many participants. The Deloitte Greenhouse team offered the students who were present an opportunity to attend four workshops that were each as useful as the next. Participants were invited to discuss real diversity and inclusion issues both in the workplace and in everyday life.
For this year's competition, which could count on the support of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for the first time, the participants received the case analysis two weeks in advance, which marked a new direction for the case competition. Twelve teams from 10 different universities across Canada had to develop a strategy to recruit, retain, and develop employees of visible minority groups working for the Bank of Canada (the official author of the case study) by highlighting barriers to equal access.
According to Professor Catherine Elliott, Director of the Telfer MBA program, this new format enabled the teams to bring more depth in their analyses and increase the quality of the cases in the first round of presentations. “The bar keeps getting higher!” said Catherine; “Diversity and inclusion is now part of CEOs’ vocabulary, and is receiving more and more visibility as a topic in businesses. We can expect to host more teams and businesses involved in this subject, as a result, for the years to come.
The Competition
The purpose of the first part of this case analysis, which was presented before an audience for the first time this year, was to select four teams for the final round. This is where Joy Xu’s team stood out from the crowd, and this time the finalists had only 75 minutes to prepare before tackling a new problem posed by the Bank of Canada regarding employment equity data.
“Everything we learned in case resolution was really helpful to us, and each of us was able to put our own resources to work for the team, to determine exactly what employees needed”, Joy told us in the moments following the “Employees of the Month” victory. There was also the fact that two team members had to join the team just a few weeks before the start of the competition, and so the four of them were particularly pleased with this excellent outcome.
Another Telfer team, composed of Aditya Bhatkal, Allison Caverly, Camille Sigouin and Lisa Filter, all four MBA students, also performed well on the first round, but were unable to qualify for the final. The classmates were still happy to have had the experience and pleased with their presentation to the judges.
Competition Winners:
1st Place: Telfer School of Management, uOttawa, BCom
2nd Place: Schulich School of Business, York University, MBA
Tied for 3rd Place:
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Undergraduate; and
DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, MBA
The steering committee is already planning the 6th edition of the event, which will take place in early 2021. Any organization with an interest in diversity and inclusion issues and topics is invited to contact the Telfer Graduate Programs Office to discuss possible participation in next year’s competition at:
- Category: Latest News
Nominate an Alumnus or Alumna for an Award
If you know an alumnus or alumna whose efforts deserves to be recognized, nominate them for an award.
There is no shortage of exemplary alumni at the Telfer School of Management. In 2019, Mari Teitelbaum (MHA 2010), Marc Tassé (MBA 1997) and Luc Fortin (BCom 1990) were awarded the Trudeau Medal for their leadership, initiative and contributions made not only to the world of business and health care but to their communities and alma mater. Derek D. Ricci (BCom 2002) was recognized with the Young Achiever’s Award for his personal and professional achievements in an exceptional period of time.
This is your chance to tell us about a Telfer alumnus that you feel is deserving of our Alumni Awards. Details on the two award categories, as well as the nomination form can be found below.
The nomination period opens on January 30, 2020. These recognitions will be awarded at the next Gala of Excellence, in Ottawa, on October 17, 2020.
The awards selection committee is composed of representatives from the Telfer School, the Telfer School of Management Alumni Association, the MBA Alumni Association, the MHA Alumni Association and the Executive MBA Alumni Association.
The deadline for nominations is June 15, 2020 at 12 p.m.
Should you have any questions on the nomination process, or require more information, please contact:
Anne-Marie Roy
613-562-5800 ext. 2934
- Category: Student Announcements
The 2020 CEOx1Day program, organized by Odgers Berndtson, has finalized its placements with four of Telfer’s Bachelor of Commerce students in the semi-finals. This challenge includes a selection process, and the top winners will win a day to spend with any CEO participating in the program. After several rounds of a competition selection process, one Telfer student made it to the top two Ottawa finalist spots.
We would like to congratulate the following BCom students for their progression to the semi-finals round:
- Ciara Carey: 4th-year, International Management
- Farah Osman: 3rd-year, Marketing
- Joy Xu: 4th-year, Accounting
- Rylan Williams: 4th-year, International Management
Fourth-year BCom student, Ciara Carey, made it to the finals, and will be spending a day with Sasha Suda, Director & CEO of the National Gallery of Canada, on February 26th.
The CEOx1Day Challenge
Odgers Berndtson, a global executive search firm, started this program as a world-wide initiative that connects third and fourth-year students with top CEOs. To find the next generation of Canadian business leaders, Odgers Berndtson has selected 20 students to shadow some of Canada’s top CEOs.
Students discover the inner workings that build company success, such as fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.
CEOx1Day has brought in new companies to match with students for the program’s 7th edition, including:
- Capital One Canada
- Facebook and Instagram Canada
- Sephora Canada
- Absolute Software
- Total E&P Canada
- National Gallery of Canada
- Toronto Zoo
Odgers Berndtson works with a broad range of clients and integrated talent solutions. The CEOx1Day program was the organization’s way of investing in the development of Canada’s future leaders.
This Year’s University of Ottawa Finalist
Ciara Carey, this year ‘s finalist, shared the details on her journey from application to final placement. She listed some of the opportunities that led her to feel more prepared going into the various competing rounds:
“I feel extremely fortunate for the different opportunities and teams I’ve gotten to be a part of throughout my Telfer undergraduate experience (BSA, JDCC, etc). I’ve learned many hard skills as a result of my involvement; however, what I’m most thankful for are the soft skills I have developed.
Coming into university after having played competitive basketball rigorously, I thought I understood work ethic and teamwork, but these extracurriculars ended up being a whole other test of what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself. They taught me to self-reflect, work on seeing the bigger picture, and how to act with humility. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to be a better teammate.
Due to my extra-curricular involvement, I had many experiences that I could pull from to demonstrate my leadership abilities, that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.“
Application Process
The application process for this year started in early October 2019, which the Canadian Association of Business Schools (CABS) added as a requirement for all Jeux Du Commerce Central (JDCC) delegates. After the application, an online leadership assessment was conducted by Hogen Assessments. Next, the applicant is drawn for a telephone interview with an Odgers Berndtson executive search professional. The last step was a half-day semi-finalist evaluation at the Odgers Berndtson’s office. Challenges, workshops, and exercises were used to assess the interpersonal and communication skills of the candidates, as well as their teamwork skills, problem solving abilities, and leadership potential.
The Motivation to Apply
As a JDCC delegate and this year’s JDCC Coordinator, Ciara submitted an application to the program, as she “thought shadowing a CEO for a day would be an amazing experience. After reading the descriptions of the CEOs offered in the region, I was excited by the idea of spending a day with Sasha Suda and learning about her journey.” Ciara shared, “I am especially interested in learning more about how the National Art Gallery operates in general, and the leadership abilities that are needed as a CEO. Furthermore, I’m curious about the organization’s strategic goals and the role Mrs. Suda plays in achieving them. I would also love to hear about her personal journey, and her opinion about the impact that art has on the community.“
Tips for Future Applicants
Applying to a program of this magnitude can be intimidating at first, but certainly worth while. With the right tips, you can work towards hopefully obtaining a finalist position. Ciara shared her advice for students applying for next year’s CEOX1Day program:
“An obstacle you might face is an internal struggle deciding to actually apply. Similarly to when underclassmen ask me for advice about getting involved in Telfer, my biggest advice for folks interested in CEOx1Day is to ‘just go for it!’ Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to ‘fail’ (everything is a learning opportunity). For CEOx1Day, I think it definitely helps to be honest and authentic, especially when it comes to the Hogan Assessment portion of the selection process.”
Ciara also shared that she is happy to get in contact with any students that may be looking for advice for their future application!
We hope Ciara has an insightful day at the National Art Gallery, and look forward to learning more about her experience.
- Category: Student Voices
Written By: Alexander Campbell, Telfer MBA Candidate
From January 3rd to 6th, a group of 17 talented MBA students from the Telfer School of Management travelled to Hamilton, Ontario to compete in the 2020 MBA Games. The MBA Games is one of the largest student-run competitions in Canada, where delegates come together from across Canada to compete in three areas: Academics, Athletics and Spirit.
In Academics, our “Wildcard” case competition team took on a case about Corporate Social Responsibility and advanced to the finals, placing them in the top four among all MBA programs across the country. The team was comprised of Candyce Yue Sun, Jason Tsang and Matt Gibbons. We also fielded teams in the Finance, Marketing and Strategy categories.
Wildcard Team
In Academics, our “Wildcard” case competition team took on a case about Corporate Social Responsibility and advanced to the finals, placing them in the top four among all MBA programs across the country. The team was comprised of Candyce Yue Sun, Jason Tsang and Matt Gibbons. We also fielded teams in the Finance, Marketing and Strategy categories.
In Athletics, our volleyball team played four hard-fought games but did not advance past the round-robin. Our basketball team notched a victory against the Haskayne School of Business (Calgary) but also was not able to advance.
In Spirit, we rocked some impressive dance moves at the opening ceremonies, found a creative way to crack an egg with our Rube Goldberg Machine, and came within a second of knocking the host, DeGroote School of Business, out of the Minute-to-Win-It competition.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the team was able to raise a total of $870 for the MBA Games’ charitable partner, Empowerment Squared, an organization that empowers youth to realize their potential and achieve their dreams through mentorship, access to post-secondary education, information literacy, and sports and recreation.
All the team’s successes over the weekend were made possible by generous contributions from our sponsors: The Telfer School of Management, QMR Consulting, and Welch LLP.
- Category: Student Voices
Written by Alex Dalcourt, fourth-year Telfer Bachelor of Commerce student
I almost missed my first class of the semester...I caught a cold and have dark circles under my eyes. So why do I still have an unwavering smile? All of this is a welcomed sacrifice, since I had the privilege of spending the first weekend of the new year in Montréal at the Jeux Du Commerce competition alongside 82 fellow Telfer students. The slogan for this edition of the games was: #expérienceJDC—and wow, it was quite an experience!
I was part of the Debate team, and though we did not win (we lost in the quarter-finals), I am nonetheless proud of our performance. We held weekly practices since the start of the academic year, and we all improved tremendously under the supervision of our extraordinary coach.
As well, the other Telfer teams that I saw present (Marketing, Entrepreneurship and the Surprise case) were all terrific. It is clear that the entire Telfer JDC team learned many practical concepts that will be useful throughout our professional careers.
Memories Worth Much More than a Trophy
“So Alex,” friends ask me, “why was this weekend such a success, if you didn’t win?” It’s simple: because I have memories that are worth much more than a trophy. (Yes, the trophy would have been a nice bonus, but regardless...).
This academic competition is a powerful catalyst for building friendships with other Telfer students during bus trips, meals, galas, while waiting in hotel rooms, through the lack of sleep, and the jokes that are only funny because of sleep deprivation, and so on. I came out of this weekend with 81 new friends whom I will have the pleasure of seeing during and between classes in the Desmarais Building. I also came back with songs like Sam Hunt’s “House Party” stuck in my head because it was played non-stop on the bus, as well as with increased knowledge of horoscopes thanks to my new friend, and with a better idea of where various Québec universities are located in the famous Belle Province.
The atmosphere surrounding this competition promotes mutual support and collegiality among participating universities; it gave me a unique opportunity to connect with people from across Eastern Canada—whether they were from the University of Moncton, the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, and Université Laval. I had the privilege of spending time with them during the many hours we spent in isolation, playing Werewolf Hangman, and card games.
A Competition, After All
I will always remember the debates my team and I had—after all, this competition had an academic goal!
The topics were sometimes a little obscure—for example, the debate on the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement, where we did not have Internet access to find out its specific content. However, all in all, we did rather well, and I’m very proud of that. As a result of the critical analysis skills and general knowledge we gained during our practices, we were ready to tackle almost any case that could have been thrown at us with a fresh mind and strong team spirit.
In short, this impressive competition (with 1,300 participants and organized by students) was a genuine success, in my opinion, both for my team and for the entire delegation. So, am I tired? Definitely! But am I happy to have participated in the 2020 Jeux du Commerce? That's for sure. Fatigue will dissipate, but the memories of this #experience will last forever.
About the Author:
Name: Alex Dalcourt
Email address:
LinkedIn
Instagram: @alex.dalcourt
Born in Hearst, Ontario, Alex Dalcourt is a 4th year student at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa in the Bachelor of Commerce and Juris Doctor program. He currently works as a mentor at the Telfer School and as a tutor at the University's Faculty of Law. In addition, he was co-president of the 16th edition of Place à la Jeunesse, an academic competition managed at the Telfer School.
- Category: Student Announcements
Our Telfer Bachelor of Commerce students began 2020 by competing at Jeux Du Commerce (JDC) and Jeux Du Commerce Central (JDCC) competitions, receiving 9 team and individual awards.
Through months and months of training, coaching, practice, and simulation, our JDCC team brought home 3 wins!
From January 3 to 7th, 2020, nearly 130 students represented the Telfer School of Management at the two largest undergraduate case competitions in Canada. These competitions are comprised of over 10 universities, and students can compete in either academics, sports, or social categories.
Management and business students across Canada spend months searching for the best candidates, placing them into categorical teams (such as marketing or finance), and help them practice their competition skills to compete against top students across the nation. In terms of the academics component, teams of three are given three hours to develop a case resolution that they then share with a panel of judges during a 20-minute presentation. Only the top three teams receive recognition and awards at the closing ceremony.
Jeux Du Commerce
This year, JDC was hosted at HEC Montréal in Quebec, where Telfer students were competing against 13 other schools in Québec. With a team of 82 students, Telfer brought home:
2 VIP Awards
- Andre Caissie - Accounting Case
- Charles Doray - Surprise Case
1 Team MVP (4 people)
- Quinn St. Pierre
- Sammy Najm
- Olivia Yap
- Angela Monfleury
Students are selected for VIP awards by academic judges for standing out in their category and presentation.
MVPs are awarded only to 1 person per category but in this case, was given to one team: the social team.
Jeux Du Commerce Central
At JDCC, Telfer students travelled to St.Catherines, Ontario to compete at Brock University, where Telfer students were competing against 11 other schools from Ontario. With a team of 46 students, Telfer brought home:
3 Podium Awards
- 1st place - HR case (Joy Xu, Aman Sidhu, Soumaya Esanhaji)
- 3rd place - Debate case (Samuel Benhamou, Aadi Koundal, Joseph Salem, Omar Al Salaq)
- 3rd place - Wildcard case (Bobby Wong, Dylan Budimir-Hussey, Soumaya Esanhaji)
2 VIP Awards
- Bobby Wong - Entrepreneurship case
- Dylan Budimir Hussey - Finance case
1 MVP
- Amede Fontaine - Sports team
The Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT) is the student association that selects and prepares undergraduate delegations for both JDC and JDCC. They are the students that reach out to all the coaches, which significantly impacts the team’s success. They also provide all the practice cases and run the case simulations.
Leah Salzman, President of TCCT said:
“I would like to commend the hard work of every delegate that participated this year. I would also like to recognize the outstanding work of both the JDC Coordinators and JDCC Captains. Without them and the delegates, none of this would be possible. Lastly I would like to thank the Telfer faculty for their ongoing support.”
We look forward to cheering on our Telfer students again at next year’s JDC and JDCC competitions! Now, TCCT is getting ready for the next case competition, Happening Marketing, taking place in Spring 2020.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The pressure of going back to school and managing your time for a new year and semester after the holidays can feel overwhelming. It is important to take the time to ensure that you’re staying healthy and organized to avoid major stress and exhaustion.
Here are some management tips for success this semester:
1. Take care of yourself: Self-care is more than a weekly face mask! Taking care of your mental and physical health is key to success in every facet of your life:
- Sleep: You’ve probably heard it a hundred times, but the importance of sleep cannot be stressed enough. Get at least 7 hours per night to have a well-functioning brain by the morning. Read the benefits of a good night’s rest in this Medical News Today article.
- Hydrate: When you’re thirsty, drink water. When you’re bored, drink water. When you’re tired, drink water. There is never a bad time to drink water! Try to always have a reusable water bottle with you, which you can refill at our many water stations across campus.
- Mental health: Be sure to prioritize your mental health, because a healthy mind makes a healthy you. The University of Ottawa offers a variety of mental health counselling services including therapy, workshops, and group sessions. Check the uOttawa Mental Health and Wellness website to keep up with their schedule of free events such as yoga, reiki, and pet therapy.
- Exercise: You already know this, but exercise is essential for a healthy body and mind. Here’s a list of super easy ways to stay active throughout the busy semester, like taking the stairs over elevators.
- Eat well: The key to a nutritious diet is variety. Be sure to have a ton of colours on your plate from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins. Get more information on eating well and tips for a balanced diet from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
2. Get organized: Organization is more than colour-coding your accounting notes. There are simple tasks and tools to keep you on track for success.
- Set goals: Set short and long-term goals for your personal and professional development. Take it a step further by writing down and tracking the little steps that will lead you to achieve your bigger goals.
- Use a planner: Whether it’s a hand-held agenda or a digital calendar, it can be super helpful to have a visual representation of your upcoming deadlines, meetings, and events. Check out this list of some of the top calendar apps for 2020.
- Prioritize and reprioritize: Now that you have your scheduled planned, you can figure out what are the most important things to work on every day. Even after you’ve decided these priorities, situations might change and you might need to reprioritize - that’s okay! The ability to be flexible enough to adapt your to-do list when needed is a great skill that you will use throughout your career.
3. Meet with an Academic Specialist: As a Telfer student, you have access to professionals who specialize in helping you plan your BCom degree and career path afterwards.
- Changing your course sequence: Don’t worry if you need to make changes to your course sequence. Whether you want to ensure you have all the credits to graduate on time or faster, change your specialization, or go on international exchange, our Academic Specialists can help you to plan all your semesters so that you take the right courses at the right time.
- Sign up for a meeting: Set up a chat with a Telfer Academic Specialist at the Student Services Centre to discuss your academic progress. Visit the offices at DMS1100, give them a call at (613) 562-5805, or send them an email at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Whether you want to adopt a new lifestyle or simply implement baby steps towards change, we wish you all the best with your growth and learning in 2020!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Over the last few weeks, the Bachelor of Commerce 4th-year students completed their respective capstone courses. As a team, students must conduct a live case study on a specific issue related to a real company. The finalists of each discipline must then present their work in front of a panel of professionals and classmates.
Intopia
From November 8 to 10, 4th-year students participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their Strategic Management class. The aim of the simulation is for students to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers in order to grow their business over the weekend.
Congratulations to the members of the winning team: Katya Berezovskaia, Robert Mackenzie Duncan, Patrick Kaminski, Tsoi Yuen Lau and Evan Naylor
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition
On December 3, the Telfer School of Management hosted the Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition, a live case competition, where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan which aims to solve a real-life issue. This year's cohort created marketing strategies for the University of Ottawa's Alumni Engagement team.
Congratulations to the winning team: Jia Zi Chen, Jiana Bandojo, Kyenshak Zakka, Will Vincent, Michael Vice and Fiona Ing.
Finance Capstone
All finance students must take the Equity Valuation course in which they undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance. On December 4, finalists presented their results in front of a panel while other students created posters explaining the company’s financial value. This semester's teams analyzed a case on Canopy Growth.
Congratulations to the winning team of the case competition: Tsoi (Jack) Lau and Mackenzie Duncan.
Congratulations to the winning team of the poster competition: Rushika Khatkar, Nourhan Mohamed and Pierre-Andre Smith.
Accounting Capstones
On December 4 and November 25, the finalists of the accounting competition presented their analysis of a company and report on related accounting issues.
Congratulations to the winning team of the English accounting section: Robin Cheung, Adib Hossain, Kushalsingh Romooah, Ziyad Zeidan, Yasr Said and Leah Salzman.
Congratulations to the winning team of the French accounting section: Laurence Vaillancourt, Alexandre Plouffe, Tina Samaha and Myriam Joanisse.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Job shadowing is cool, but in honour of Telfer’s 50th birthday, we thought it would be more fun to try a “reverse job shadow”.
Earlier in 2019, Telfer accounting alumna of 1980, Marlene Patrick spent a day with current finance student, Nourhan Mohamed. Throughout the day, they learned just how dramatically the school has changed in the 43 years since Marlene attended the university!
When Marlene walked through the doors of the Desmarais building, she immediately loved the bright sunlight shining through the large lobby windows. This was a pleasant surprise given the historical building on Wilbrod Street that used to be home to the Faculty of Commerce.
The ladies started their day by attending Nourhan’s Operations Management lecture. While many of the course names have changed - Operations Management was called Production back in the 1970s - they discovered that the first and second-year courses back then still exist in today’s Telfer curriculum. Marlene also noticed that female students made up over 50% of the class. Her graduating class only had 17 women out of 57 graduates.
Walking through campus after class, Marlene felt nostalgic seeing her old University of Ottawa buildings like Morisset and Montpetit, where Telfer students still have classes today. However, there was nothing nostalgic about exploring the new STEM and CRX buildings that opened in 2018. The bright colours and innovative design gave Marlene a warm welcome, but she was especially in awe of the Richard L’Abbé Makerspace in the STEM building, where students can design, build, or 3D print their creations.
At the end of their day, Marlene shared some of her photos from her time living in uOttawa’s Thompson residence, on campus, and at graduation with Nourhan. What they realized is that despite the immense changes in technology, appearance, and even school name that have happened at Telfer over the last 43 years, one thing certainly has not changed - the kind and innovative community that students contribute to #TelferNation every single day.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Gee-Gees celebrated the 2018-19 class of Academic All-Canadians on Wednesday, November 20. The annual reception celebrates the student-athletes on varsity, varsity club, and competitive club teams who competed for uOttawa while also achieving an annual GPA of 8.00 or higher, or studying at the graduate level.
In 2018-19, over 220 student-athletes achieved this prestigious recognition. Each one represents a story of commitment, dedication, and passion for athletic and academic success. For Brendan Jacome, a Finance major on the men’s hockey team, it’s a story of hard work and recognizing one’s strengths.
Brendan Jacome is a 24-year old from Caledon, Ont. Now in his fourth year at uOttawa, Brendan is a key player for the Garnet and Grey on the ice and brings his competitive spirit to his course-work as well.
“Roughly half of my classes are math-based and that is one of my strengths. If I don’t get a question I have a desire and a drive to find the right answer, so I’ll sit and I’ll work on it until I get it,” explains Jacome. “I have to make sure I fully understand that before I move on. You don’t treat it as a chore, you treat it as something that’s going to make you better.”
Getting better is a process that happens academically and on the ice. “If you work really hard at something, and you have a goal set out, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to achieve it. I think that’s a very valuable outlook that can carry over to many situations.”
At Telfer, Brendan enjoys interacting with his classmates while also having his hockey teammates to support him. “I have people in my group from all over the world. It’s cool to see how we do things differently sometimes but at the end of the day, everyone is focused and wanting to do well. I also have some great professors with good real-world experience and they are very engaging.”
“Lots of guys on our teamwork really hard on their school and a lot of my roommates are in finance too. Our coaches also want to make sure that we succeed. If we have to miss something because of a conflict with the school they are understanding.” There are eight members of the men’s hockey team who earned Academic All-Canadian status in 2018-19.
On the ice, Brendan achieved an interesting statistic last season: he did not take a single penalty. Partly in recognition of that, but also as a nod to his overall quality of play (Brendan was fourth on the Gee-Gees in points and third in goals scored and is an excellent penalty kill player), he won the national award for Most Sportsmanlike men’s hockey player.
“My role is to go out and score points, not to agitate guys. I’m more useful for my team on the ice than in the penalty box! But I like to work hard and make sure I play a good game in all facets.”
That ability to be multifaceted has also been recognized on campus. Brendan won the Gee-Gees President’s award for outstanding commitment to academics and community involvement in addition to athletic performance. With an AGPA of 8.38, he is also active in team efforts to help the local hockey community with clinics and is a visible advocate for the Movember, Hockey Gives Blood, Do it for Daron, and Pride activities that the Gee-Gees take part in.
Brendan anticipates completing his studies at uOttawa this spring. Both the hockey world and the world of finance have opportunities awaiting.
“I’d like to go on and play pro hockey next year. More than anything though I just want to help the team win this year. Right now I am taking it one year at a time and I’ll see what happens. I have had some good internships in the last couple of summers with good firms in the commercial real estate field. I left on good terms and have good relationships, so those doors are open for the future for sure.”
- Category: Student Announcements
The evening of Monday, November 25th marked Telfer student non-profit organization, CASCO’s 20th annual gala. That’s a full generation raising over $600,000 in funds for the kids at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). This year, CASCO President, Michaela McLoughlin, and her hard-working team raised $62,005 for CHEO, funds that will go towards youth mental health initiatives.
The 2019 Gala theme of “The Ripple Effect” came to life at the event with inspiring dancing, singing, and modelling from University of Ottawa students who rehearse every weekend in the fall to prepare for this night. The theme of the gala was moving as each performance was connected to the overall idea that one small action can create a ripple effect that impacts others and can even change the world. The narrator of the show eloquently explained how values such as courage, perseverance, and love have been emulated by many influential leaders such as Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Terry Fox, Malala Yousafzai, Ellen DeGeneres and more.
The CASCO team’s involvement doesn’t end at its spectacular gala though. Students work throughout the entire year to put on unique fundraisers that lead up to the final event. These give students the opportunity to give back to the community while having fun at sports tournaments, paint lessons, bake sales, trivia nights, and more.
CASCO was founded in 1998 by Telfer alumni, Alexandre St-Jean and Tuan Nguyen to honour their friend, Eric Danis who passed away from Leukemia. Every year since then, Telfer students have put in countless hours of work and passion towards the cause, and they’re not done yet.
Congratulations to the entire CASCO team and cast on another successful year and gala!
- Category: Appointments and Honours
Dean François Julien and Vice-Dean of Programs & Executive Director of the Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership (CEL) Julie Beauchamp are pleased to announce the appointment of Guy Laflamme and Jean Desgagné as Executives-in-Residence at the Centre.
The Centre for Executive Leadership is part of the Telfer School of Management, and is focused on delivering innovative executive development programming for our clients. The Centre’s clients include public, private and not-for-profit sector organizations in the Ottawa region, across the country, and internationally.
Guy Laflamme
Guy Laflamme is an international keynote speaker with 25 years of experience in high-visibility marketing and production roles for a variety of organizations including the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Capital Commission, and Casino du Lac-Leamy, among others. He completed his MBA from the Telfer School of Management in 1989, and taught at the Telfer School as a Part-Time Professor for 15 years. He has received the Trudeau Medal in 2005, the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni.
In 2018, Laflamme was a recipient of the Alumnus of the Year Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievement of a University of Ottawa alumni member within the last year. This year, we asked Laflamme to take the role of Honorary Chair for the 50th anniversary of the Telfer School of Management. Laflamme led the Ottawa 2017 project, celebrating 150 years of Canada. The $40 million dollar program of major events and festivities brought in $300 million dollars for the city of Ottawa. That success earned him a nomination to the Order of Ottawa and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Radio-Canada and LeDroit named him “Personality of the Year” for his vision, boundless imagination, determination and enthusiasm.
Jean Desgagné
Jean Desgagné who has recently been appointed as CEO of Stablecorp Canada and as a Board member of CAA Insurance and Echelon Insurance, was formerly the president and CEO at TMX Global Solutions, Insights and Analytics Strategies. As a Chartered Professional Accountant and a proud graduate of Telfer School of Management (BCom ‘86), he currently serves as a member of the President's Advisory Council for the University of Ottawa, and Chairs the Dean's Advisory Board (Toronto) at Telfer.
As the first donor of its capital fund, Desgagné also contributed to the creation of the Telfer Financial Research and Learning Lab. He also acts as a mentor for the Telfer Capital Markets program, serving as a judge of multiple finance competitions over the years, as well as a notorious speaker at countless events.
Desgagné and his wife started the Desgagné-Soden Family Scholarship Fund for female commerce students, in 2009. “While I applaud all the work that goes on to get women in senior roles,” he says, “I’m acutely aware that we need to get the pipeline going at the beginning.” “It’s a win- win for the students, for the school, and for me,” he says. “I can look back and say I did something good here.”
He also received the Trudeau Medal from his alma mater in 2009, as well as the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2002 in recognition of his service to the community.
- Category: Latest News
At the Telfer School of Management, we have several networking events going on throughout the year - many of which you don’t want to miss! The whole “networking” concept can be daunting, but it is a valuable step in building professional connections, and ultimately helps in your career search. That is why we want to make sure you are ready to succeed at your next networking event at Telfer.
We have over 200 events going on throughout the year. Here is a list of some of the upcoming events and workshops you should be sure not to miss:
- Telfer Networks: Held annually in January, this event enables all students in our BCom or MBA programs to meet with employers who are looking for part-time, summer, contract or full-time workers. This year, practice your networking skills while finding out directly from employers what skills, academic background, and qualifications they are looking for. Sign up to attend on January 23rd.
- Small Group MBA Workshops: The Career Centre hosts workshops for MBA students to work together on their career skills throughout the year.
- Job Search Skills: This workshop is designed to help you map out an effective job search strategy. Learn more about exploring your interests, strengths and career values, how to establish your job search criteria, and discover various job search techniques. Attend the next one on January 21st.
- Let's Talk Networking and Coffee Chats: Career advice publications state that a large proportion of all available jobs are not advertised. To compete for these "hidden" jobs, you need to add a key component to your job search, career and personal life: networking. During this small group session, you will have the opportunity to learn valuable insight on how to build and maintain professional relationships and cover topics such as first impressions and personal branding. You can sign up to attend the next chat on March 4th.
- Explore Sports Management Career Journeys with OSEG: Want to learn more about a career in sports management? Join the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) on January 17th for a panel discussion at TD Place, a chance to network and chat with the OSEG team members, and a discounted ticket to watch the Ottawa 67's game. Don't forget to bring copies of your resumé!
If you want to prepare to attend these events, we have a few helpful tips you can use:
- Attend “Get Ready for Telfer Connects.”
- Set up an appointment with a Career Centre professional or come to their Drop-In Hours.
- Attend a networking tips session with the Career Centre.
- Read a few blogs like this one with 17 networking tips from Forbes, or this one about the essentials for attending an industry event from Salesforce.
- Learn how marketing yourself effectively can help you succeed at an event.
- Check the Telfer Career Centre website regularly for blogs about networking, resume, and interview tips.
- If you know the professionals who will be attending the events ahead of time, do some research about them on LinkedIn to prepare some smart questions that you want to ask.
- Practice. Practice. Practice. The more you network, the easier it will become!
The Telfer Career Centre is a useful resource open to all students at the Telfer School of Management. No matter what program you are in, the Career Centre will always have a ton of events and tools available through Career Launch that you can use to your advantage.
We look forward to seeing you at the next event!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
On November 9th, 2019, 90 students from francophone high schools across Ontario came to Ottawa to participate in the business case competition, Place à la jeunesse at the Telfer School of Management.
Each year, Place à la jeunesse is organized by Telfer students to introduce high school students to the business world, and prepare them for university. At this year’s 16th competition, 30 teams were selected from 90 schools to test their business case skills. The students competed in one of four categories; marketing, accounting, entrepreneurship, or debate.
The event started the evening before the competition, where Telfer students led workshops on PowerPoint, problem-solving, and presentation skills to coach the high school students who had never been in a business environment before. The next day, the teams received their business cases, created solutions, and presented to the judges. Winners received scholarships to the University of Ottawa from sponsors that added up to $82,500.
Telfer is thrilled to congratulate the winners of each category:
Marketing
1st place: Emma Iusan, Vanessa St-Denis et Julianne Lacelle from ÉSC L’Escale
2nd place: Ashley Edouard, Elyse-Anne Bordeleau et Saïma Altimo from CC Samuel-Genest
3rd place: Kara D’Arcangelo, Chloé Emery et Christian Ricard from ÉSC Thériault
Accounting
1st place: Marika Brunet, Emma Phillips and Annabel Clément from ÉSC L’Escale
2nd place: Mélodie Chartrand, Jade Poirier and Julien Lemieux from ÉSCR de Hawkesbury
3rd place: Alexa Caron, Keenan Roy and Emma Bertrand from ÉSC Thériault
Standout competitor: Marika Brunet
Entrepreneurship
1st place: Lyra Sheldon, Cameron Chevalier and Mathias Lazure from ÉSC. E.J. Lajenesse
2nd place: Alexis Jeaurond, Laurie Boucher and Maxim Sauvé-Rozon from ÉSP Le Sommet
3rd place: Patrick Ibrahim, Simon Willemsma and Cyril Fayek from ÉS Père-René-De-Galinée
Debate
1st place: Lia Charleois, Cassandra Joly and Catherine Vaillant from ÉSCR de Hawkesbury
2nd place: Nathalie Shuh, Sarah Clouston amd Anne-Sophie Autale from ÉSP. Le Sommet
3rd place: Delhia Mainville, Kassandra Marleau and Marie Luciani-Grimaldi from ÉSC de Plantagenet
Best Presenters
Marketing: Kara D’Arcangelo
Accounting: Mélodie Chartrand
Entrepreneurship: Maxim Sauvé-Rozon
Debate: Marie Luciani-Grimaldi
- Category: Student Announcements
The Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) has been hosting the Elevator Pitch Competition as a part of Global Entrepreneurship Week for over a decade, showcasing top talent and innovation among uOttawa student-entrepreneurs. This year’s competition offers ten companies, competing in two divisions, an opportunity to pitch their business ideas for a chance at a prize pack valued at over $35,000; with $20,000 in cash prizes and over $15,000 in additional services including law (offered by LaBarge Weinstein LLP), accounting (offered by Logan Katz) and incubation space (offered by Invest Ottawa).
Throughout the years, the competition has grown both in popularity and in awareness amongst the Ottawa business community. Back in the first few years of the competition, there was one category which was only for companies that were already established. When Professor Stephen Daze, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management got involved in the event, he pushed for the formation of a second “Validation” category. Professor Daze recently explained the evolution of the competition, and shared that the new category “allows the opportunity to promote that it's important to validate your ideas before you just create a business. By showcasing the top five companies at this stage, [we] demonstrate to everyone else in the room what they need to be doing as next steps for their business ideas.”
Over the decades, TECDE, the Telfer School of Management, and the competition’s sponsors have been able to help countless companies launched by uOttawa students. Two of these companies include Hoppier, co-founded by Telfer alumnus, Cassy Aite, and Welbi, founded by Telfer alumna, Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau. These two bright co-founders will both be joining the 2019 competition as judges.
Aite, co-founder and CEO of Hoppier shared that: "the Elevator Pitch Competition gave Hoppier the opportunity to connect with a network of people and receive funding to help the company grow in a time when we needed it most. Hoppier was able to grow into a self-sustaining company, achieving over 6 figures in sales in its first year. Today, 2 years later, Hoppier employs over 20 people and is used by companies across Canada and the United States." The ability to create an impact in the lives of students and their companies over the years is the reason why TECDE continues to host this flagship event and strives to make improvements year over year.
In addition to the two category prizes, TECDE will be featuring a People’s Choice Award where the audience will vote on their favourite startup to be awarded a $2000 cash prize!
Join TECDE on Tuesday, November 19th in DMS 4101 to hear the 2019 finalists pitch their ideas and support our uOttawa student-entrepreneurs.
- Category: Telferimpact
Young DONOR OF THE YEAR
Sarah Parr
My time at Telfer taught me how to work hard and push beyond my limits. Not long after graduating, I earned my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation. To me, this was an accomplishment worth celebrating. It has continued to pay dividends over the years, providing me with a number of professional opportunities. I strongly value continuous growth and learning, which is why giving back to Telfer means so much to me, and why I am honoured to be receiving this award. It demonstrates that you do not have to wait to make a difference. When you give from your own abundance, you can contribute time or money at any age and regardless of the resources at your disposal.
Volunteer Donor of the Year
Jodie Harrison
I am an extrovert by nature, I love working with people and having a chance to impact their lives. It is something of a recurring theme in my life. It is what I liked about Telfer: the opportunity to meet other professionals, to be mentored. That connection is important. That is why I volunteer. The Executive Mentorship Program allows you to take a student under your wing and help them with career counselling and networking. It is very rewarding. As was chairing Telfer’s 24th Annual Golf Tournament: We set up a family scholarship for a student from Northern Ontario, where I am from. I am honoured and humbled by this award, and thankful for opportunity to be able to give back and help the next generation.
Loyal donor of the year
Marie Fortier
I started in Commerce, but in 1969, I discovered a new program existed – Masters in Health Administration – and I never looked back. I got a lot of satisfaction in my first 10 years at the old Ottawa General Hospital and when I became CEO of what was then the Hull Hospital. However, my impact was limited to one city, so I took a low-level government job in Indigenous Health. It stimulated me into thinking about the country as a whole. This eventually served me well as Associate Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister in my work with minority language communities, resulting in organizations that continue to make a big difference today. I am very proud of that. It was the main reason I was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016. I feel partly humbled and partly grateful for this recognition.
- Category: Telferimpact
Five notable alumni will be recognized by the Telfer School of Management by receiving Trudeau medals, the Young Achiever's Award and the Dean's Philos Award for their outstanding contributions to the world of business, healthcare, community and their alma mater at the 2019 Gala of Excellence. The Gala will be held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, October 19, 2019 and this event also serves as an opportunity to collectively celebrate the Telfer School and highlight the graduation anniversary of the classes of 1969, 1979, 1994 and 2009.
Trudeau Medals
Luc Fortin, BCom 1990
Although going to the University of Ottawa for Business was an eleventh hour decision for me, it was one I will never regret. The Telfer School of Management gave me the fundamental skillset I needed. More importantly, it peaked my curiosity and completely opened my eyes to this horizon that was Finance. For me, the best way to achieve success is by being collaborative, being eternally optimistic and most importantly helping to unleash people’s potential. When you start leveraging the strengths and complementary skillsets of the whole team, it can be a very, very powerful thing!
Marc Y. Tassé, MBA 1997
My Telfer journey started in 1986 as an undergrad. It’s 2019, 33 years later, I’m still there — and I’m very happy to still be there. I have spent my professional life working in forensic accounting, fraud detection, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. There is a lot of negativity that comes out of my day to day but I find optimism in my academic life, especially when I see that the new generation of students actually rejects unethical behaviors. The core values that we need in the business world right now are integrity, ethics, and transparency. At Telfer, we promote those values. I am confident that what I am sharing my students will be remembered and applied. This, to me, is certainly a major cause for celebration.
Mari Teitelbaum, MHA 2010
As I am an electrical engineer by training, I had 15 fun years in the high-tech field. I enjoyed the work, but needed something more meaningful. A friend recommended the Telfer MHA program. It was perfect, and I luckily landed at CHEO for my residency. What drives me is that there is an endless amount of work to do to become a truly patient-focussed system of care. I believe innovation and technology are fundamental in that transformation. To get there, I celebrate people that move beyond their comfort zone to reach their potential. It is magical when committed, smart, hard-working group of people find that rhythm, and that is what I am in this for.
The Young Achiever's Award
Derek d. Ricci, BCom 2002
For me, there is no real secret to success. No shortcut. It is just hard work and taking everything one day or one task at a time. Telfer most importantly taught me about working in teams and the importance of presenting your ideas clearly and succinctly. This has helped me in everything since, be it graduating Law School, making full equity partner in six years, negotiating settlement of a $500 million mining dispute, or joining an elite global network of fraud and asset recovery specialists. I have the privilege of working with a group of truly gifted and amazing colleagues who share my passion for the law, so I share this award with them. At our firm, the work comes before any individual accomplishment.
The Dean's Philos Award
Bernard Raymond, BCom 1981
I am a native of a small village in Abitibi Témiscamingue, where the words "community" and "solidarity" were important. Education has always been one of my priorities; I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of Aylmer Montessori School and Joan of Arc Academy in Ottawa, president of major donations for the University of Québec, made a donation towards admission scholarships at Telfer, and participated in their mentoring program. Inspired by my son, Alexandre, who lives with an intellectual disability, I am proud to have created my own foundation to help people living with intellectual disabilities and their families. Through this foundation, my wish is to ensure the perpetuity of a tradition of giving and sharing.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
From Monday, November 18th to Friday, November 22nd, the University of Ottawa will be celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week with unique events and workshops organized by the University of Ottawa Entrepreneurship Hub.
Whether you make valuable connections at the Telfer Career Centre’s Startup Career Fair, learn some HTML basics at the Coding with Legacy workshop, get inspired hearing new business ideas at the Elevator Pitch Competition, or attend any of the other events, be sure to take advantage of the incredible opportunities on campus this Global Entrepreneurship Week. See the schedule and register here.
Entrepreneurship is about more than just starting a business. Entrepreneurship is also a mindset and lifestyle. Before the week starts, you don’t have to go far to find the entrepreneurial spirit in our community! Our university is home to many budding innovators. Here is some advice that some student-entrepreneurs want to share with students interested in entrepreneurship:
Alina Jahani, CEO and Co-Founder of HireFast
While completing her degree in Management Information Systems and Analytics (now renamed Business Technology Management) at Telfer, Alina started HireFast, a SaaS company that reads through millions of data points on Github to source top developer talent for recruiters within seconds.
Alina shares, “starting your own business is an exciting process that leaves you tangled in tons of information about the best next step to take for your business. As a result, tons of great entrepreneurs get stuck in the quicksand known as analysis paralysis. The best way to stop yourself from sinking further is to get ‘out of the building’ and talk to your users about your idea and about your competition.
Logan MacPherson, Co-Founder of Point3D Commercial Imaging
Two years ago, Management and Entrepreneurship student, Logan launched his startup, Point3D Commercial Imaging, a B2B company that creates media experiences to allow audiences to digitally navigate a space as if they were actually there.
Logan adds that “everyone wants to be successful, but only a few are willing to put in the work to make it happen. From my experience, failing is a key part of the process, but more importantly, it is how you learn from failure that determines your success."
Andres Tovar, Co-Founder of Noetic Marketer
Marketing alumnus, Andres started his own digital agency, Noetic Marketer while he was studying Marketing at Telfer. Now he runs his company from Toronto.
Andres shared some meaningful advice: “entrepreneurship is about adding value to people’s lives through a business or an organization. Is your business making people’s life easier, more enjoyable, more affordable, or profitable? You don’t need a ground-breaking idea or a lot of money to achieve this, all you need to do is care, think critically about this question, and continue to push that agenda. So, don’t overcomplicate entrepreneurship, and put your energy into nurturing your mindset and learning new skills. The idea will come to you as you become passionate about starting your business.”
Check out the uOttawa Global Entrepreneurship Week event schedule to register and connect with some of the brightest and most creative people in Ottawa!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Telfer Impact goes beyond the classroom. There are countless stories of students and alumni who have truly made a difference through their involvement, community engagement, entrepreneurial vision, and hard work. Over the last 6 weeks, we’ve shared some incredible stories of Telfer students developing into the next generation of leaders:
The CASCO Impact
20 years ago, two inspired Telfer students founded the non-profit organization, CASCO. Every year, Telfer students team up to host spectacular events that raise money for families at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). CASCO has donated over $560,000 to the cause ever since.
The Growcer Impact
After visiting communities challenged with food insecurity in Northern Canada, two Telfer BCom alumni, Alida Burke and Corey Ellis created a hydroponic system that grows produce in controlled shipping containers. From there, the business, The Growcer Inc. was born. Today, the company is part of Invest Ottawa’s accelerator program, and its systems are being sold across Canada, empowering communities around the globe to grow their own produce.
The PhD Impact
Telfer PhD candidate, Alex Chung researches the design of wearable technology that influences human behaviour change. As a result of the balanced program, Alex has been able to lead an active and fulfilling life, while impacting the future of wearable technology.
The Unscented Company Impact
BCom alumna, Anie Rouleau is living her dream, running her own eco-sustainable, B Corp certified cleaning product business, The Unscented Company (TUC). Through her innovative business model, Anie has caught the attention of the public with her Dragons’ Den deal to sell TUC products in 500 Canadian Tire stores across Canada.
The MBA Impact
After discovering the world of administration while working at Montfort Hospital, Mélanie Potvin decided to elevate her experience with an MBA in French at Telfer. Now she has the crucial knowledge and confidence in her leadership role as Project Manager for the Orléans Health Hub at the hospital.
These are just a few stories of the meaningful change that Telfer Students are creating. What will be YOUR impact?
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The CEOx1Day program from Odgers Berndtson offers student-leaders the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to spend a day with a top Canadian CEO.
For many management students, the ultimate career achievement is to earn the title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an organization. While being a CEO is a much sought-after position, the job is complex and constantly changing. This one-day event offers third and fourth-year students a unique opportunity to explore a CEO’s role at their respective company.
Last year, there were two Telfer students who advanced far into the program:
Audrey-Anne Délage, semi-finalist
Nayaelah Siddiqui, finalist
International Management and Entrepreneurship student and CEOx1Day finalist, Nayaelah earned one of 18 competitive finalist spots, getting to spend an inspiring day of learning and mentorship with Teresa Marques, CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. Nayaelah shared that she “had the opportunity to learn lots of different things” from meeting Former Governor General David Johnston, spending time at the Senate of Canada, and spending one-on-one time with Marques.
Nayaelah faced an intense and eye-opening selection process. To get her day with Teresa Marques, she went through four selection phases: Application, Online Leadership Assessment, Phone Interview, and In-person Evaluation. Nayaelah recalls that she “didn't know if [she] would be the finalist, but just getting through so many rounds gave [her] the confidence boost to never give up and be [herself]. There is a lot to learn even if you don't make it all the way!”
This year, the CEOs participating are from Facebook Canada, Sephora Canada, Capital One, CHEO, and many other companies. Check out the full list of CEOs you might meet here.
Apply for the 2019 CEOx1Day program by Friday, October 25th for your chance to connect with incredible students, business leaders and Canadian CEOs.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Telfer MBA was a huge catalyst for change in the career of our graduate Mélanie Potvin, who is now project manager of the Orléans Health Hub at Montfort Hospital.
After graduating from the University of Ottawa with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy, Mélanie began her career in the health care system. Following several years working in clinical services at the Montfort Hospital and in the Ottawa community, she landed a job in the field of occupational health and safety. This position exposed her to the administrative side of the health care system, sparking a desire to learn more about management. That’s when she decided that an MBA was what she needed to boost her career.
During the application process, the Telfer School of Management contacted Mélanie to determine whether she was interested in completing her MBA in French. The opportunity to benefit from scholarships for this program, but especially to use her mother tongue, really appealed to her and she jumped at the opportunity to do her graduate degree in French.
Thanks to her experience in the healthcare system, and Telfer’s MBA and MHA (master’s degree in health administration) courses, Mélanie has learned how to work on the system and its various challenges. Her educational and practical experiences have provided her with the skills needed to manage complex projects.
Beyond project management, Mélanie has also developed her skills in oral presentation, leadership, human resources, and other management disciplines that are important in her new role.
Mélanie can now proudly say she has what it takes to make an impact at work and in her daily life.
Learn more about the Telfer MBA.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The business world needs a world, and that's what Telfer BCom alumna Anie Rouleau understood in 2016, when she decided to launch her eco-responsible and certified B Corp venture, The Unscented Company (TUC).
Much more than just a company selling soaps and household products, TUC is trying to redefine the very concept of cleanliness by focusing on innovation and eco-design.
For Anie, sustainable development is not only a fundamental value, it is in the DNA of Unscented Co. From research and development, to minimalist, recyclable and plastic-free packaging, to re-filling stations at local retail partners, to the very furniture of its offices made from recycled materials, every decision is guided by this eco-responsible corporate philosophy.
Her innovative re-definition of the consumption model was not an immediate success, but her patience and strong convictions will have finally paid off in a market where until recently, the environment was not considered an issue."It will have taken a video of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose for people to wake up," she told us during our interview. "Now we are seeing a real willingness on the part of people to change their consumption habits, and business is starting to move," Anie concluded.
On that note, her business is definitely moving. On October 10, 2019, Canadian Tire announced on a CBC episode of Dragons’ Den, that they would bring TUC products into their 500 stores across Canada. Although Anie was already seeing some craze for her products in local markets, a national distributor such as Canadian Tire will allow her to amplify her message, and together, they will have a real opportunity to change the country's consumption habits.
Her story is an inspiration for the business community that proves that when you have strong convictions, you can make your dreams come true. Once again Anie, congratulations, and we are very proud to have a graduate among us who has such a great impact on our world! #TELFERNATION
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Telfer Financial Research and Learning Lab located in the Desmarais building at the University of Ottawa is used as a key tool to educate students about capital markets.
This lab is recognizable with its real-time stock exchange ticker tape, multiple televisions displaying world news, and 11 Bloomberg terminals available for students. The lab is open to all University of Ottawa students daily from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Each Bachelor of Commerce student in the Finance specialization requires the use of Bloomberg technology in capstone and mandatory finance classes as well as in extra-curricular programs, workshops and competitions.
The Bloomberg terminals provide students with the ability to retrieve past historical pricing data, review past financial statements of publicly listed companies, acquire in-depth industry analysis, and track macro-economic trends.
Students are able to enhance their resumes by taking the Bloomberg Market Concepts Certification, an 8-hour self-paced e-learning course that provides a visual introduction to the financial markets. This course covers economics, currencies, fixed income and equities, and retails for $249 USD, but is FREE to all students with a valid University of Ottawa ID.
Also, the Financial Research and Learning Lab is the first of its kind in Canada to be recognized as a Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner (ELP). This means the lab hosts a number of workshops such as “Financial Literacy”, “Key Functions in Bloomberg”, “FactSet Overview” and an “Introduction to Capital Markets”. This is a four-part series that helps students learn and practice technical skills in finance.
Recently, this lab has become part of the University Affiliation Program (UAP) from the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute. They are a global association of investment professionals that offer the CFA designation, the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement designation, and the Investment Foundation Certificate.
As a result of joining the UAP, 10 new scholarships will be awarded this year to select Telfer students. The Manager of the Financial Research and Learning Lab shared that “the scholarship for the CFA designation will be awarded to students who demonstrate excellent academic standing, who have a passion for finance, and have strong career aspirations for capital markets.” Students who are interested in getting their CFA designation and who would like to receive a scholarship are encouraged to talk with the lab manager if they have any questions or if they demonstrate a strong interest in the tools that the Financial Research and Learning Lab has to offer.
In addition, to the variety of opportunities and scholarships offered with access to the lab, there is also a variety of ongoing workshops available throughout the year, led by industry professionals such as Vice Presidents, Portfolio Managers, and Asset Management professionals from leading institutions.
This lab also enables students to compete in an annual Telfer Simulation Trading Competition. Top competitors of the simulation are invited to compete at the Roman International Trading Competition (RITC) in Toronto, where students compete against schools from around the world. The simulation is effective in providing students with real-life experience in a financial trading environment. Last year, Telfer’s team placed third at the RITC.
Visit Telfer’s Financial Research and Learning Lab today to improve your financial analysis skills and learn more about the various opportunities mentioned. Follow the lab on Facebook to stay up-to-date with ongoing events.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Alexander is a PhD candidate at the Telfer School of Management, in the Health Systems specialization. His research interests lie in applying analytics and management information systems methods to health-related issues, more specifically to the area of mobile health technologies.
He holds a Master’s degree in Systems Science with a specialization in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa, and an undergraduate degree in Biology from Carleton University. His master’s thesis focused on the formal definition, measurement, and simulation of coastal community preparedness for severe environmental events.
Following his Master’s degree, Alex worked as an independent management consultant and researcher while also teaching part-time at the Telfer School of Management. He has had the opportunity to work on topics that include: applying real-options analysis and financial modelling to the solar energy industry in Ontario and modelling how organizations use social media in order for them to anticipate problems that may arise later on. Alex also has an interest in fisheries management and has been involved in several projects with government and private industry on the management of Canadian fisheries and coastal areas.
Alex is a member of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants’ Eastern Ontario Chapter Council where he is responsible for marketing and social media. During his free time, he enjoys travelling, playing volleyball, and riding and restoring his many bicycles.
Alex holds the Lilian and Swee Chua Goh Doctoral Scholarship, the first admission scholarship created by donors for PhD candidates at the Telfer School of Management.
Find out more about the Telfer PhD program.
- Category: Student Announcements
It is almost that time of year again - when the uOttawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens storm the football field. Our Gee-Gees football team is ready to claim Pedro the Panda - the coveted trophy. For the upcoming 51st Panda Game, the university rivalry is as strong as ever with over 20,000 fans expected to attend and show their support.
This year’s team roster includes 12 Telfer School of Management students:
- Christopher Cyril, Management as Defensive Back
- Daniel Oladejo, Management as Wide Receiver
- Peace Tshilombo, Accounting as Wide Receiver
- Chris Ciguineau, Accounting as Defensive Back
- Cody Cranston, Management as Defensive Back
- Cédric Amessan, Finance as Defensive Back
- Jackson Hyland, Accounting on the Offensive Line
- Frednick Eveillard, Accounting as Wide Receiver
- Michael Pezzuto, Accounting on the Defensive line
- Raphael Gagné, Marketing as Linebacker
- Ryan Malvaso, Finance as Wide Receiver
- Jeremy Pryde, Marketing as Running back
Many of these athletes found their Telfer education to be useful when applied to the football field. Wide receiver, Daniel Oladejo says “the lessons I’ve learned pertaining to teamwork and communication have had nothing but positive impacts on my Gee-Gees experience. It’s always nice when classroom learning points actually have real-life applications and, in team settings, the things I’ve learned have been proven to be very useful.”
Being a student-athlete is a large responsibility. Gee-Gees defensive back, Cédric Amessan notes that “to be able to perform in both the sport and the academic side of life, we have to be more organized and work more than the majority of our classmates.” However, the experience is well worth the effort. Defensive back, Cody Cranston’s favourite part about being a student-athlete is “meeting so many amazing people. Sports brings together different people of different walks of life, many times people you'd never cross paths with.”
The Telfer student-athletes are feeling ready and excited for the big game. Defensive back, Christopher Ciguineau shared that “it’s going to be a tough game, but [he is] confident that [their] hard work will allow [them] to win the game”.
We are looking forward to watching the 2019 Panda Game on October 5th at 1:00 p.m. The Telfer School wishes the Gee-Gees good luck on the field!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
At the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, we believe that it is through hands-on learning experiences and community support that we can help our students reach their goals, accelerate their careers and make a positive impact on our collective future.
This is the case for The Growcer Inc. - an Ottawa-based social enterprise co-founded by Corey Ellis and Alida Burke, two Telfer BCom Alumni. The pair came up with the idea for their modular hydroponic growing systems after having visited remote communities who face food insecurity in Northern Canada.
The plug-and-play hydroponic system gives produce everything it needs to grow in a controlled environment, built inside retrofitted shipping containers. These enable northern communities, schools, Indigenous and regional governments, as well as other businesses and non-profit organizations to develop more self-reliant and sustainable local food systems.
Through Telfer opportunities and extra-curricular activities such as the E-Foundry course and Enactus, Corey and Alida were able to travel the world, understand the challenges communities face, and build their business. Enactus is a student-led organization that uses the power of entrepreneurship and business, to help solve social problems. In 2017, the University of Ottawa became one of The Grower's first customers and acquired one of the systems to grow local food that’s now being served in our own cafeteria.
Now, The Growcer has over 15 employees and operates out of Invest Ottawa’s accelerator program at Bayview Yards.
Find out more about The Growcer Inc.
Find out more about our Entrepreneurship at Telfer.
Find out about uOttawa's Enactus Chapter.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
As a leading Canadian Management School focused on creating the world's next generation of leaders and influencing sustainable organization performance through the leadership of our graduates and the impact of our research, we believe it is our duty to stand in solidarity with the global climate strike movement.
The Telfer School of Management is organizing a delegation of staff members and students to participate in the activities planned on the day of the global climate strike happening this Friday, September 27th.
The Telfer delegation will leave the Desmarais building at 10:20 am on Friday, to join the thousands of Canadians who will march in solidarity to demand action on climate change from our world leaders.
Students will not be penalized in any way and are invited to participate in the march. While classes are not cancelled, professors are being asked to make available online, all class material that is to be covered and to push assignment deadlines for any assignment due on September 27. Tests or exams will not be rescheduled and students who wish to join the Telfer Delegation are asked to contact their professor to find out the special arrangements planned for missing the test or exam.
#TELFERNATION is proud to be part of this global movement. Join us tomorrow and take a stand for the future.
Best,
Dean François Julien
SCHEDULE FOR TOMORROW:
Friday, September 27th
10:00 a.m. - Gather in the DMS lobby (Creation of signs for march)
10:20 a.m. - Walk to Tabaret Lawn (University of Ottawa)
10:30 a.m. - Gather at Tabaret Lawn (University of Ottawa)
11:00 a.m. - Gather in Confederation Park
11:30 a.m. - Leave Confederation Park
12:30 p.m. - Arrive at Parliament Hill #ClimateStrike (Approximate time)
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Corey Ellis is the Co-founder and CEO of The Growcer, a company he started three years ago with the goal of providing a tool for northerners to grow food. As Co-Founder and CEO, Corey leads sales, community engagement and business development activities, maximizing social impact in the communities The Growcer operates in. In addition, Corey oversees the research and development function of the organization, ensuring continuous improvement in customer offerings.
Corey is an alumnus of Enactus, an international leadership development organization focused on the next generation of socially-conscious entrepreneurs. His unique perspective as a social entrepreneur has helped him understand how to enable community-level impact through profitable market-driven business models.
The Growcer is a social enterprise that empowers remote Canadian regions to grow fresh produce locally using modular hydroponic systems. Growcer systems are specifically designed for Arctic regions, enabling local food production with a steady stream of affordable fresh produce grown in outdoor temperatures as cold as -52°C. Our company also provides ongoing services to allow local entrepreneurs to own & operate their own systems, and additional supports to enable better nutrition for the community, including meal packages, a series of food education and kitchen literacy tools, and an automation system that cuts labour requirements by over 80%.
Watch the Growcer Impact Video.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Why not use a strong leadership to create inspiring, socially and environmentally innovative businesses? Proactive, Anie Rouleau didn’t have to ponder this question long.
A Montrealer born to a business-oriented family, Baléco’s Founding CEO knows how to do business without compromising her values and convictions. That’s why she chose to redefine the notion of clean by creating a line of ecofriendly home and body care products designed for conscious living.
In 1992, Anie graduates from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Business, majoring in Finance. She joins Hydrocom International, the family business. Quickly made Vice-President, she leaves Quebec to start Hydrocom USA in Birmingham, Alabama. When the family business is sold, she is offered the role of President for Maclean Power Systems’ Canadian branch, before becoming President at Société de Gestion du Commensal.
Trilingual, open to the world, Anie runs on new challenges. Her values guide her choices. Fervent defender of local sourcing, she sits on different committees, including Made in Montreal. Women leadership and ethics being causes close to her heart, she is a mentor for young women in business. She is also part of Quebec entrepreneurship promotion groups.
Anie strongly believes that a business’ social values are no obstacles to its profitability and financial viability. That is why she is a BCorp ambassador, giving conferences on this new business model. HEC, UQAM, and ETS also invite her as a guest speaker to discuss the importance of including one’s values at the heart of one’s business management.
Mother of two, Anie is driven by her desire to protect future generations. By investing in innovation and eco-design within an industry which sets his sight far from sustainable development issues, she seeks with Baléco to define tomorrow’s business as a transparent entity, respectful of its employees, the community and the environment.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Tammy Labelle was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) on March 12, 2018 at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).
In her new role, Tammy is driving the evolution of the PSPC information management and information technology strategy. As CIO, Tammy leads the maintenance of technology operations and key government-wide projects in support of government priorities and departmental service improvements. In addition to her role as CIO, she is also responsible for common Government of Canada services such as shared human resources, information management (GCdocs), shared case management services, finance (FreeBalance and Integrated Financial and Material System) and the Shared Travel Services program.
Before that, Tammy was Assistant Deputy Minister of the Integrated Services Branch where she led several government programs and initiatives, including public opinion research; publishing and depository services; the Canada Gazette; Electronic Media Monitoring Services; advertising; MyGCHR, GCSurplus, seized property management, the Canadian General Standards Board, as well as the PSPC Client Service Strategy.
Tammy has extensive experience in developing and implementing large-scale business programs, computer applications and infrastructure systems. She joined the department in February 2014 as Director General of MyGCHR, where she led the successful implementation of MyGCHR, a new human resources system, across the federal government.
Additionally, Tammy was appointed by the President of the Treasury Board to the Board of Directors of the Federal Public Service Health Care Plan Administration Authority, effective June 2016.
Tammy has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Ottawa and is a certified information technology project management professional.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Over the past 20 years, CASCO, a Telfer student non-profit organization, has inspired the Ottawa community to give back to the families at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Every year, a hundred students from the Telfer School of Management come together to host events to support and fundraise for CHEO. Through the hard work and dedication of the uOttawa CASCO team, over $500,000 has been raised for CHEO.
The CASCO non-profit organization was founded by two students in the BCom program at the Telfer School of Management in 1998. Their mission was to raise money for their friend who had passed away from Leukemia. Today, a fourth-year BCom student, Michaela McLoughlin, is running CASCO as this year’s president, with the help of 51 students on the executive team. Michaela joined CASCO three years ago when she discovered that the daughter of a family at work was being treated for brain cancer at CHEO. Since CASCO was an initiative that fundraises for CHEO, she decided to join so that she could make a direct impact.
CASCO’s mission for this year is to grow its presence in the Ottawa community. The executive team is working with CHEO to create more events to support the families at CHEO. The non-profit’s main event, the CASCO gala, features students from the Telfer School of Management in an evening of song, dance, and fashion. Telfer students, business professionals, and community members come together to support CHEO and see a year’s work come together on stage.
Find out more about the involvement of Telfer students in the student club CASCO, their impact on CHEO, and their pursuit of making an impact in the Ottawa community:
To find out more about the Telfer Student Experience: bit.ly/TelferImpact-Student-Experience
- Category: Student Announcements
The Telfer School of Management, in partnership with Export Development Canada (EDC) and Deloitte, presents the fifth annual Diversity & Inclusion Case Competition. The competition will be hosted in our Desmarais Building and at the Export Development Canada office in Ottawa from February 28-29, 2020.
During this case competition, teams examine emerging challenges and propose solutions pertaining to issues of diversity and inclusion in organizations. This innovative competition exposes future leaders to business change and growth opportunities, due to the diverse nature of the Canadian workforce. Sixteen teams from universities across Canada will be competing to solve a unique case for the chance to win $8,750 in prize money.
While most teams participating will be enrolled in an MBA program, we also encourage 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students in business/management to register. One team of 4 members is permitted per university. Teams will be registered on a first come first serve basis.
Register here to save $200 when you sign up before November 15th, 2019.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Continuing a tradition of giving
I am a native of a small village in Abitibi Témiscamingue, where the words "community" and "solidarity" were important and "giving back" was part of everyday life. These family values have greatly influenced the person I am today, and still colour all my decision-making. After a few years in a chartered accountant's office, my training at the Faculty of Administration at the University of Ottawa allowed me to join Multivesco's team, a tightly knit, socially engaged team that I identified a lot with.
I have been involved with several community organizations in the Outaouais region since the beginning of my career. Since education has always been one of my priorities, I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of Aylmer Montessori School and Joan of Arc Academy in Ottawa as well as president of major donations for the Université du Québec en Outaouais. I also made a donation to go towards admission scholarships to the Telfer School of Management in addition to having participated in their mentoring program.Inspired by my mentor at Multivesco, Mr. Camille Villeneuve, and my son, Alexandre, who lives with an intellectual disability and is on the autism spectrum, I am proud to have created my own foundation, the Alexandre Charron Raymond Foundation, to help people living with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Through this foundation, administered by my other three children, my wish is to ensure the perpetuity of a tradition of giving and sharing.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Giving from your own abundance
My time at Telfer taught me how to work hard and push beyond my limits. I took advantage of the co-op program, which was really valuable because I got to ‘try on’ different jobs. By the time I graduated, I had a year’s worth of internal audit experience and was able to get a great job right out of school.
Not long after graduating, I earned my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation. To me, this was an accomplishment worth celebrating as it enhanced my credibility as a young auditor. It has continued to pay dividends over the years, providing me with a number of professional opportunities. Today, I have the training and experience to assess governance, risk and control processes and recommend areas for improvement. That’s what I love about my job: I have the opportunity to learn about different activities within an organization and meet new people every day.
I strongly value continuous growth and learning, which is why giving back to Telfer means so much to me, and why I’m honoured to be receiving this award. It demonstrates that you don’t have to wait to make a difference. When you give from your own abundance, you can contribute time or money at any age and regardless of the resources at your disposal. Don’t take your skills or your time for granted; think about what you have to offer and what kind of contribution you want to make, and act on it.
- Category: Student Announcements
Starting a brand new life in an unfamiliar country, with new people, sites, and cultural norms is a courageous life decision. We are pleased to welcome new international students every year to the university and excited to see when these new students choose an education at Telfer.
As your new home, we want to make sure that as an international student at our school, you feel welcome and prepared for daily life in Ottawa.
That is why the University of Ottawa has an International Office that is designed to provide support, tips, and resources to international students while they prepare to come to Ottawa and for the duration of their studies. Additionally, at Telfer, we offer resources and services to help enhance theTelfer experience.
Here is a list of helpful tools and services from uOttawa’s International Office and from us at the Telfer School:
- Details for prospective students: Information about life in Ottawa, studying at our university, and admission essentials are provided for students considering uOttawa in this quick link. You can also use this Government of Canada tool to check your eligibility to come to Canada.
- Information for newly admitted students: For our newly admitted students, the International Office provides information relating to academic accommodations, immigration documents, admission offers, housing, orientation, health insurance, arrival on campus, and more.
- Tips and resources for current students: Students already attending uOttawa can use this quick link to find immigration, health insurance, and international mentoring centre information.
- Information sessions: If you are a first-year international student this year at Telfer, you can attend one of the mandatory information sessions on September 3.
- Telfer Career Centre tools: The Career Centre at Telfer has developed the International Career Mentorship program and launched a global career portal called Highered to help with your Canadian job search. The Career Centre also hosts many job search workshops, and provides a number of immigration resources.
- Telfer Student Information: The Telfer Graduate Office has listed helpful resources for International Candidates in regards to studying, living, and working in Canada.
- International Student Coaches Program: We have created the International student coaches program to assist with your transition into a Canada university. International Student Coaches program. You will be matched with a senior student who will work with you to help you succeed and answer any questions you may have.
- Events for International Students: Check for upcoming events in the uOCal, on the International Office Facebook page, or from the uOGlobal events page.
We hope you are ready for a new school year! Feel free to get in touch with the Telfer Undergraduate Office, Graduate Office, or Student Services if you have any questions.
- Category: Student Announcements
Since you are new to the Telfer School, we wanted to provide some helpful tips and resources for your next four or more years at the University of Ottawa. Starting a new life at university is a great milestone in your life. This new experience can be exciting, scary, fun, and nerve-wracking, and there are so many things to think about.
Let’s get you started by setting you up with a list of these kinds of things right here:
- Living with roommates in residence: When moving into residence, you may be living with a new roommate or two. This is a big change for everybody, which is why uOttawa prepared a list of roommate tips to help you achieve your best #reslife.
- Familiarize yourself with our campus: Welcome to your new home away from home! The uOttawa campus can appear large and daunting at first, but we have a useful list to help you become better acquainted with campus.
- Choose an orientation activity: Choose from a list of orientation times to learn about adjusting to your new home. You can attend a university-wide session, or learn more about your specific faculty.
- Find your new favourite grub hub: Here is a list of top 5 food places on campus so you can find your new favourite spot to eat.
- Tips from students for students: Here is a list of tips from uOttawa - a collection of what we wish we knew in first year.
- Navigate around campus: Not the best at directions? That’s okay - find your way around campus with our interactive map.
- Learn about SASS: SASS (Student Academic Success Services) is a free network of services designed to provide tools and information to guide you on a path to academic success. These services include student mentoring, counselling, coaching, academic writing help, and academic accommodations.
- Take a break with pet therapy: That’s right - there is a spot on campus where you can unwind and spend time with dogs! Keep an eye on the uOttawa pet therapy schedule for the next puppy lovin’ session.
- Keep track of important dates: From exams to breaks, this link will be your best friend when you need a quick answer.
- Get ready for the Great Rivalry: At the University of Ottawa, we take pride in our school, especially when it comes to sports. We aren’t the only university in the city, which means we have a rival: Carleton University. Gee-Gees vs. Ravens games are some of the most exciting events of the year, so make sure you grab your garnet and grey!
- Understand your uOttawa gym membership: As a student at the university, you are welcome to use the two gyms on campus - Montpetit and Minto Sports Complex. There are quite a few perks that come with having a uOttawa gym membership, so take advantage of them while you can!
- Stay active with uOttawa Health Services: The university's Health Services offers many free activities to provide a study break and encourage well-being with yoga, cooking, reiki, meditation and more.
- Meet with a Telfer representative: We have a handful of staff members at Telfer who offer advice to first-year students. Set up an appointment with one of our representatives to chat about academic life, extra-curricular activities, schedule balance and more.
We hope you have an amazing first year at the Telfer School of Management. We are available to answer any questions or concerns while you complete your studies.
As you can see there are many fun activities and perks to keep up with at the university. Feel free to come back to this list anytime!
- Category: Student Announcements
It's time for a new school year, so we have created a checklist for our new and returning Telfer students to get you started.
- Set up your uOttawa Student Card: If you are a new student, be sure to collect your new student card in the University Centre building or online. If you are a returning student who has lost a student card, deactivate it and get a new card or check the University of Ottawa lost and found.
- Collect or renew your U-Pass: The U-Pass is a mandatory bus card for all full-time undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Ottawa. You can get or renew your U-Pass in the University Centre building (UCU) student lounge (located on level 0). To renew your pass, you must tap it at a recharging station in the UCU.
- Get your Gee-Gees Pass: The Gee-Gees Pass gives you access to 100+ varsity events and exclusive access at uOttawa sporting events. If you live in residence, it is already included in your residence fees.
- Attend a Mandatory Information Session on September 3: All first-year students need to go to a mandatory information session to learn important information about being a new student. You can also ask questions of our staff members at the session.
- Join a club(s) or activity at uOttawa: The University of Ottawa has a huge variety of clubs and extra-curricular activities for you to choose from. Watch out for Clubs Day during Welcome Week along University Private.
- Sign up for a Telfer student club(s): Telfer has 17 different student-run clubs and associations that you can join each year. During uOttawa Welcome Week, you can get to know these clubs on University Private, or in Morisset Library on the first floor at Clubs Day.
- Take part in intramural sports: A great way to keep up with a sport you enjoy while making new friends is to join or start your own intramural team at uOttawa.
- Try out for a Gee-Gees sports team: If you are more serious about a certain sport, you could try out for a Gee-Gees varsity sports teams.
-
Stay safe with the SecurUO safety app: The university has worked to develop a new app for students to keep you safe and informed of key security information. You can download the app to your mobile device to use while on campus.
The University of Ottawa and the Telfer School offer a variety of student services, career help, activities, sports, and volunteer opportunities. The Telfer Student Services staff are happy to help you learn about these opportunities.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Passionate about helping others achieve their goals
I’m an extrovert by nature, I love working with people and having a chance to impact their lives. It’s something of a recurring theme in my life.
It’s what I liked about Telfer: the opportunity to meet other professionals, to be mentored. That connection is really important — it rounds off the hard work and gives you the foundation to grow in your life and career. I can think of so many times where a past connection through Telfer has come back to be part of my life as a client or as a mentor.
In fact, it was through their Connexions work-study program that I ended up at BMO Nesbitt Burns. I stayed for 13 years – and returned after six years elsewhere – because I’m passionate about helping families achieve their goals. I get a real sense of accomplishment out of hearing someone say “I feel comfortable about my retirement because you helped me get there”. That’s really impacting someone’s life and that’s something to celebrate.
It’s also why I volunteer. The Executive Mentorship Program allows you to take a student under your wing and help them with career counselling, networking, and answering questions in a safe environment. It’s very rewarding. As was chairing Telfer’s 24th Annual Golf Tournament: We set up a family scholarship for a student from Northern Ontario, where I’m from. We raised enough for it to be endowed immediately.
I’m honoured and humbled by this award, and thankful for opportunity to be able to give back and help the next generation.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Consistent contributions on many fronts
I started in Commerce, but in 1969 I discovered a new program existed – Masters in Health Administration – and I never looked back.
There’s no question that formal education gives you credentials and opens doors, but it’s only the base. You build on that foundation with your experience, your successes and, especially, your failures. If you make no mistakes at all, you’ve probably not done much.
I got a lot of satisfaction in my first 10 years at the old Ottawa General Hospital, and when I became CEO of what was then the Hull Hospital. However, my impact was limited to one city, one hospital, and I knew there was something bigger I could do, so I took a low level government job in Indigenous Health.
I jumped into that and I saw how basic the services were for Indigenous peoples in some places. It stimulated me into thinking about the country as a whole. You can’t just think of your own narrow mandate or perspective — you have to see and understand other points of view, even if you don’t necessarily agree on everything. Respect and collaboration are key, especially for tackling today’s more complex public policy issues.
This eventually served me well as Associate Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister in my work with minority language communities across the country, resulting in organizations that continue to make a big difference today. I’m very proud of that. It was the main reason I was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016.
I feel partly humbled and partly grateful for this recognition. I didn’t realize I’ve been contributing for over 40 years! It’s like compound interest — no matter how small the contribution, if you are consistent and faithful and stay the course, it can be appreciated to an extent you never thought possible.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Every year, we recognize outstanding Telfer School of Management donors in order to demonstrate our appreciation and create meaningful relationships with those in our community who choose us amongst a sea of giving opportunities. This year, the Telfer Donor of the Year awards will be presented at our annual Gala of Excellence on October 19, 2019, along with the celebration of our anniversary classes (1969, 1979, 1993 and 2008) and the presentation of our Alumni Awards.
Congratulations to our 2019 Donor of the Year awards recipients:
Loyal Donor of the Year:
Marie Fortier (MHA 1972)
Marie Fortier has been actively involved with her alma mater for over 30 years and is a past Trudeau Medal award recipient. In 2016, she was awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to health care and health planning as a public servant and hospital administrator. Her expertise in health care has improved the lives of thousands of Canadians. To learn more about Marie and her desire to continuously impact the lives of others, click here »
Young Donor of the Year:
Sarah Parr (BCom 2011)
For Sarah, growth and continuous learning are essential values. That's why, since graduation, Sarah has not failed to demonstrate her strong commitment to enhancing the student experience at the Telfer School of Management. It is thanks to generous donors like Sarah that the Telfer School is able to continue to enrich the opportunities available to its students. To learn more about Sarah, click here »
Fundraising Volunteer of the Year:
Jodie Harrison (BCom 1999)
As a BCom graduate of Telfer School of Management, Jodie Harrison has consistently demonstrated her interest in volunteer work. Her main motivator in volunteering is the desire to have a positive impact in other people’s lives. That is why, in 2018, she accepted to be co-chair of the annual golf tournament and helped raise over $30, 000 for the Harrison-Comtois Family Admission Scholarship benefitting students from Northern Ontario newly admitted into an undergraduate program at Telfer.
To read more about Jodie and her passion for volunteerism, click here »
- Category: Latest News
Glen Orsak, Director of Executive Programs at the Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Linda Lizotte-MacPherson as Executive-in-Residence at the Centre.
Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson is a recently retired senior executive that currently serves on boards, and provides coaching, teaching and strategic advice to senior executives in the Federal Government and industry. She brings a unique blend of experience and an exemplary track record of leadership in both government and the private sector at the CEO, COO, CIO and Deputy Minister levels. She has led complex organizations, launched start-ups, and managed large transformation and information technology programs throughout North America. Amongst many prior executive roles on her resume, Linda was most recently the President of the Canada Border Services Agency, President of the Canada School of Public Service and Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency. In the private sector, Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson was President of two Canadian subsidiaries, Sapient Canada Inc. and AMS Management Systems Canada Inc., and she held a number of senior executive positions with Digital Equipment of Canada (DEC). She was also the first Chief Executive Officer of Canada Health Infoway, where she successfully launched the corporation.
Drawing on her impressive credentials and experience, Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson will advise Telfer on developments and opportunities in key markets that are served by the Centre for Executive Leadership. As an Executive-in-Residence, she will help to create and lead forums and programs that engage executives to develop their leadership capacity and advance change initiatives that they are leading in their organizations, networks and communities. Her extensive experience as an executive and practitioner will bring real-world experience to Telfer programs that help leaders to develop their skills in the practice of leadership.
The Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership is part of the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and is focused on delivering innovative leadership development programming for executives and senior leaders in its client and partner organizations. Telfer clients and partners consist of organizations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in the National Capital Region, across the country and internationally. The Centre offers over 30 leadership programs and workshops for executives as well as the Telfer Executive MBA and the Telfer Master of Business in Complex Project Leadership (MBCPL).
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
A clear path to success
For me, there’s no real secret to success. No shortcut. It’s just hard work and taking everything one day or one task at a time. I can tell you I struggled in my first year at Telfer. University was a big adjustment from high school in North Bay. But thanks to great teachers and hard work, I found my groove.
Telfer taught me about business, but more importantly about working in teams, the importance of presenting your ideas clearly and succinctly, and hitting deadlines. This has helped me in everything since, be it graduating Law School, making full equity partner in six years, negotiating settlement of a $500 million mining dispute, or joining an elite global network of fraud and asset recovery specialists.
I love facing challenges. Like the one that every new case brings. Meeting new clients, learning about new businesses, working with world leading experts in their field and putting a story together for the judge.
Everything I do involves working in a team. Everyone – young lawyers, senior lawyers, clerks and assistants – has an important role to play on every case. I believe that attitude is critical. There is no stopping team players that have a can-do attitude and take on new challenges with enthusiasm. I have the privilege of working with a group of truly gifted and amazing colleagues who share my passion for the law, so I share this award with them. At our firm, the work comes before any individual accomplishment.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Technology enabling better care
As I am an electrical engineer by training, I had 15 fun years in high tech. I enjoyed the work, but needed something more meaningful. I realized technology in healthcare hadn’t reached its potential, and a friend recommended the Telfer MHA program. It was perfect – an MHA really shows a commitment to a sector, is valued in the field and provided me the foundation I needed as I adjusted my path.
Lucky me, I landed at CHEO for my residency.
What drives me is that there’s an endless amount of work to do to become a truly patient-focussed system of care. I believe innovation and technology are fundamental in that transformation — not just improving things incrementally, but making some big leaps in changing the way that people stay healthy.
To get there, I celebrate people that move beyond their comfort zone to reach their potential. I love seeing a high performing team come together. It’s magical when really committed, smart, hard-working group of people find that rhythm.
As an example, when CHEO and SickKids went live with EPIC, becoming the first to implement the gold standard of electronic medical records in Canada for kids, it was truly a team effort. To see everyone pivot and focus on the achieving a common goal was absolutely a lesson that we can accomplish pretty much anything when we work together. We recently became one of the top 1% of digital hospitals in Canada, and it has helped make CHEO a safer, better, more effective hospital. We leveraged technology to support people in evolving the standard of care, and that’s what I’m in this for.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
A generational shift
My Telfer journey started in 1986 as an undergrad. In 1992, when I did my MBA, I was lucky enough to be able to network with people in my region who were well connected. In 1993, when I was working at Deloitte, Telfer put trust in me and gave me the opportunity to become a lecturer. It’s 2019, 33 years later, I’m still there — and I’m very happy to still be there.
I’ve spent my professional life working in forensic accounting, fraud detection, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of negativity that comes out of my day to day. Fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated. My job is to always be at the forefront of global and emerging financial crime and anti-corruption issues and to spread awareness about it — it’s a never-ending process. Sometime, it can be depressing, therefore I celebrate every time I see reason for optimism.
I find optimism in my academic life, especially when I see that the new generation of students actually rejects individual and corporate unethical behaviors. They are clear that they are on the lookout for corporations and organizations that shows good governance, nothing less. For me, this is wonderful because I see the role of the University as helping that change take place.
In an age where allegations of unethical behaviour in the social medias can be as damaging as a conviction, one of the major risks the corporations and organizations are facing is reputational. In my view, what really matters is integrity, ethics, and transparency. Those are the core values that we need in the business world right now.
At Telfer, we promote those values. And I am confident that what I’m sharing my students will be remembered and applied. This, to me, is certainly a major cause for celebration.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Building businesses through collaboration
Going to the University of Ottawa for Business was an eleventh hour decision for me but one I will never regret! Prior to that, I was focused on getting into med school. The recruiting numbers were against me, so I knew I needed to pivot. At the time, the market had little demand for a biology major. It was all about business and finance. Here we are, almost 30 years later, and I’ve never looked back.
The Telfer School of Management gave me the fundamental skillset I needed. More importantly, it peaked my curiosity and completely opened my eyes to this horizon that was Finance. It equipped me with that sense of discovery that you need to scratch beneath the surface and really look into things to get the answers you need.
I’m not your traditional operator: I’m a fixer. I’m driven by challenges. I like to come in, make tough choices, reshape businesses and set vision and strategy. And, like most of my peer CEO’s, I’m really driven by success. For me, the best way to achieve that is by being collaborative, being eternally optimistic and most importantly helping to unleash people’s potential.
I believe celebrating success is indispensable in building a winning culture. When I started out in the industry, TD didn’t really have a Markets business. It was covered by other investment dealers/banks. When I left in 2010, TD Securities had risen to be one of the top investment dealers in Canada and was now a fierce competitor to those same dealers. I take tremendous pride in having contributed to building that great business.
That was the appeal of joining TMX, to be able to challenge the status quo and build businesses again. To help a siloed organization break down barriers, be more collaborative, and unleash the full potential of an integrated entity. To have more of an “enterprise” view of the business. When you start leveraging the strengths and complementary skillsets of the whole team, it can be a very, very powerful thing!
- Category: Latest News
On June 13, 2019, Telfer School of Management Centre for Executive Leadership hosted the Ontario Inclusive Innovation (i2) Action Strategy conference. The event launched a new report, Strengthening Ecosystem Supports for Women Entrepreneurs, and provided industry leaders with opportunities to discuss strategies to further engage women-identified entrepreneurs in Ontario small business and innovation support organizations.
The groundbreaking report profiles the state of small business supports for women entrepreneurs in Ontario, and advances recommendations to create more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Telfer faculty Dr. Barbara Orser and Dr. Catherine Elliott collaborated with Dr. Wendy Cukier, Director of the Ryerson Diversity Institute to conduct the gender-based assessment of Ontario intermediaries.
The i2 conference brought together a spectrum of influencers, including leaders of small business and innovation support organizations and industry networks, academics, policymakers and champions of Canadian entrepreneurs. Attendees interacted with women enterprise experts who are employing good practices to support equality, diversity and inclusion. Workshops enabled participants to build a portfolio of diversity assessment tools and client support resources.
Access the i2 report and video through Telfer Women Entrepreneurs Knowledge Exchange. Live streaming of two conference panels can be viewed on Startup Canada Facebook and Twitter.
Putting Inclusive Innovation (i2) into Action
Entitled “Putting i2 into Action”, the first plenary panel focused on the multiple ways that practitioners employ inclusive innovation to engage diverse entrepreneurs and drive impact. Moderated by Dr. Wendy Cukier (pictured far left below), speakers discussed institutional barriers in supporting women entrepreneurs, and the challenges facing women in scaling their firms. Ruby Latif described an organizational level challenge as "We often function in silos, and organizations are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel.”
Panellists included (from left to right):
- Karen Greve Young, CEO of Futurpreneur
- Ruby Latif, Founder at Milieu Strategy and Consulting
- Melissa Cook, Program Manager at PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise
- Sonya Shorey, VP Strategy, Marketing, and Communications at Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, and
- Denise Christopherson, CEO of YWCA Hamilton
Inclusive Innovation Changemakers
A second panel was comprised of more changemakers, individuals who are leading interventions to support women in multiple entrepreneurial ecosystems. Moderated by Lynda Partner (pictured far left below), VP Marketing of Pythian, panellists discussed their personal journeys in creating change, and how their organizations are spearheading interventions to support women in Ontario and around the world. Some of these challenges, according to Victoria Lennox, President of Startup Canada, include a lack of political support, cultural barriers, and difficulty expanding international initiatives.
Panellists included (from left to right):
- Stephanie Dei, National Coordinator – Canada, WE EMPOWER Programme at UN Women
- Sandra Altner, CEO of Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba and Chair at Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC)
- Petra Kussan-Murch, CEO of LiisBeth and Founder of the Entrepreneurial Feminist Forum
- Anne Christensen, Director, Development and Partnerships at the Canadian Bureau of International Education, and
- Victoria Lennox, Founder and President of Startup Canada
In closing off the panel, speakers shared advice. This included using failure to create success, and the lessons learned the next time around. Stephanie Dei, National Coordinator – Canada, WE EMPOWER Programme at UN Women advised to not be afraid to dream and envision your ideal world. Lynda Partner of Pythian then summarized the conversation by identifying collaboration, communication, education, persistence and passion as key values that lead to success as an entrepreneur and changes within organizations that seek to support women entrepreneurs.
In the words of Barbara Orser “The vision of the Ontario Inclusive Innovation Action Strategy is to make Ontario the most innovative and inclusive ecosystem in the world. This is achievable.” The report documents gaps between the practices of small business intermediaries and the needs of Ontario women entrepreneurs. Recommendations include: building equity and inclusion assessment criteria into all government agency funding requests for proposals; expanding the mandates of innovation centres to include process, organizational, marketing, and product innovations; encouraging collaboration among mainstream and women-focused support organizations; and recognizing that inclusion requires change at the social, organization, program and individual levels. The report has already sparked online discussions in Ottawa and other Ontario communities.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Kelly Medora Elliott (BCom 2005) is a partner at global law firm Dentons in the Real Estate and Banking and Finance groups. In addition to her law practice, where she provides legal counsel and strategic advice to clients, Kelly is also the Canada Director of Practice Support & Optimization at the firm.
Being naturally ambitious and career-minded, Kelly has enjoyed taking on progressively more senior leadership roles at Dentons, where she has led numerous complex transactions and managed a broad range of client projects. More recently, Kelly’s work leading the 20-person Practice Support & Optimization team has provided a transition into the firm’s management, giving her the opportunity to leverage the business fundamentals she learned at Telfer.
As a testament to her success at Dentons, her growing professional profile, and personal commitment to mentoring and influencing young women in her network, Kelly was named a 2019 recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award, which recognizes accomplished and rising business leaders in the National Capital Region.
Kelly’s passion for business started early. She recalls having ongoing discussions with Professor Koppel about her career, which remain among her fondest memories from her time at Telfer. As she approached graduation from the Telfer School, she knew she wanted to pursue additional studies, and eventually decided to study law at McGill.
Women in significant leadership roles, such as Dentons’ Canada CEO and CFO, Beth Wilson and Andrea Nicholls, respectively, inspire Kelly. Her desire to see women “sit at the table” with decision-making capabilities in large organizations has motivated her to set and achieve her own professional goals.
Kelly’s advice to recent graduates is to be kind to themselves, and never lose sight or give up on their dreams. “We need to challenges ourselves to aim really high, while acknowledging the bumps and mistakes that will confront us along the way,” says Kelly. What’s most important, she says, is to learn from your mistakes, not throw in the towel during the hard times, and embrace the advice of strong mentors when they push you to keep reaching.
Given her accomplishments and success in her field so early in her career, Kelly Elliott will undoubtedly leave her mark on the practice of law in Canada.
Connect with Kelly Elliott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellymedoraelliott/
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Strategic leader, developer and builder, François Vaqué is an accomplished business pioneer whose career path was enriched by his MBA from Telfer.
With a Bachelor in International Commerce from Rouen and in Economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal, François chose to pursue his studies at Telfer because of the diversity of its students as well as its faculty expertise.
The MBA program gave François the opportunity to meet potential employers, which allowed him to work at Newbridge Networks and participate in the development of its marketing function. Later on, François worked as product manager at Future Electronics, before launching his own company named Marketingisland.com. His work experiences provided him with the knowledge necessary to become Vice-President of marketing and communications for KPMG and Davies Ward Philips & Vineberg. These prestigious positions strengthened his reputation as a business professional with a vast expertise in communications and marketing, and led him to become Vice-President of public relations and corporate affairs at Citoyen.
Even though François has a successful career, he strongly believes in the importance of achieving a healthy work-life balance. He explained that what matters most to him is working hard, having a good career and finding a balance between his personal and professional life. He developed this perspective during his studies at Telfer, because his cohort taught him that you could work hard while still having fun. François is inspired by social implication, which is why he gives back to his community through art foundations. Furthermore, he is engaged with his alma mater by organizing alumni events and being a speaker at Telfer conferences to show his recognition to the faculty that shaped him.
He encourages students to engage themselves, whether that be in nonprofit organizations, with family or at work in order to have a balanced and rewarding life.
- Category: Rising Stars
A passionate and driven leader, Alyssa Bourjolly is a promising third-year BCom student studying in accounting. She was inspired to study at the Telfer School because of its international recognition and faculty expertise, two key elements in providing an excellent education in Alyssa’s opinion.
Alyssa understands the importance of getting involved and how crucial it is to flourish personally and professionally. She has been involved with the School in many ways, from joining the Telfer Accounting Club (TAC) to working as Director of student engagement for the Telfer Student Council (CéTSC).
Most recently, Alyssa was elected President of the CéTSC! She is responsible for the daily operations of the Council and ensures its Executive members are fulfilling their responsibilities. Some of her tasks include serving as the liaison between the Council and the faculty and being the chief spokesperson and official representative of the CéTSC and its 13 clubs.
Alyssa benefits from her involvement, by meeting new people and creating long-lasting relationships that have greatly contributed to her student experience. She urges everyone to do the same “as it allows you to develop great academic, social and professional skills”.
Alyssa has achieved a lot since she started studying at the Telfer School, but her proudest accomplishment is being able to balance her studies, work and volunteer work. She manages to work three part-time jobs and volunteer at the CéTSC, all while maintaining a good GPA as a full-time student!
Her success would not have been possible without the support of her parents who believe in her ability to succeed in any initiative she undertakes and never fail to encourage her hard work.
Five years from now, Alyssa hopes to work in an accounting firm where she will have the opportunity to put into practice the skills she gained from Telfer – and we have no doubt she will find success in this field!
- Category: Latest News
On Wednesday, May 8, 2019, senior government and private industry leaders filled the University of Ottawa’s Tabaret Hall for Telfer’s 3rd annual, full-day seminar dedicated to successful complex project execution.
Accomplished leaders from diverse organization including the Department of National Defence, IBM, the Canadian Space Agency, CHU Sainte-Justine, Accenture, and West Midlands Police delivered presentations on how they approach the challenges and best practices of some of their organization’s most dynamic and intricate programs.
Patrick Finn, ADM Materiel, DND opened the seminar with his insights on leadership in project delivery. Accenture’s David West, and West Midlands Police’s Alexandra Shariff collaboratively spoke on the ‘how and why’ the UK’s ‘West Midlands police 2020’ business transformation and reorganization were so successful. DND’s Isabelle Latulippe discussed how to manage a project when the technology needed, threatens to become obsolete due to prolonged project cycles. Other speakers included Col. Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency who spoke on the complexities of human space flight, and CISSS Montérégie-Est - CHU Sainte-Justine’s nursing director Claude Fortin discussed practical elements of change management implementation and stated, “The healthcare system is a highly complex ecosystem composed of several elements eminently based on relationships with a high level of interdependence. A hospital, for example, is a 24/7 organism, you cannot shut down one part of a hospital to proceed with an isolated program".
The day highlighted winning business strategy and transformation techniques, as well as discussions on how to build integrated high-performance teams. Characteristics such as honesty, compassion, integrity, and empathy in conversations were needed in building strong lasting relationships and a positive working environment.
Originally the seminar, as part of Telfer’s MBCPL, was reserved solely for the program’s candidates. It quickly became, however, a popular knowledge sharing forum. The ability to deliver complex programs are increasingly sought-after skills that move beyond the iron triangle, especially when projects and initiatives no longer follow systematic lifecycle that is fixed and linear, have quickly changed the scope, and multiple stakeholders with different objectives.
More specialized training is needed to bring a Canadian solution to a Canadian context. The Telfer School of Management’s Executive Master of Business in Complex Project Leadership seeks to bridge the gap and connect candidates to what matters academically and professionally, enhancing their career and their value in their workplace environment, giving them the advanced skills and confidence to be successful leaders and deliver successful program outcomes. Candidates are exposed to a lifelong network of accomplished leaders and practitioners.
Save the date for next year’s seminar in May.
For more information about the program, updates and this event, please click here.
- Category: Telferimpact
The Toronto Telfer Alumni Network (TTAN) is a group of alumni whose goal is to connect Telfer alumni and current Telfer students in the Toronto area. The TTAN believes that the experiences and sense of community formed as Telfer students are potent tools that can propel one forward in their career, enriching professional relationships, networks, development opportunities, and career opportunities. “We have noticed that there is a need to support and guide young Toronto alumni as many of them can lose touch after university, despite having a desire to stay connected”, explains Alex Dettman, President of the TTAN. Therefore, the TTAN works to connect Telfer alumni and students in Toronto to foster a continued sense of community, professional development, and support in navigating career opportunities. Run by a group of passionate alumni volunteers, TTAN also works to build an even stronger bond between the Telfer School of Management’s alumni associations and their alumni.
The TTAN held their launching party on May 2, 2019 at the EY Tower in Toronto, ON, where members of the Telfer community were invited to meet the network’s council members and learn more about their mission to connect Toronto alumni.
If you are looking to build your network, connect with alumni, find a mentor or mentee, and have an unforgettable experience along the way, then the TTAN is for you!
Here is an overview of the team:
President: Alex Dettman
VP Operations: Christopher Weatherhead
VP Strategic Partnerships: Aziz Garuba
VP Communications and Marketing: George Khalife
VP Events: Nick Detmer
VP Student Engagement: Aryan Habib
VP Alumni Engagement: Daniel Shannon
VP Mentorship: Laura Denham
Executives: Aurélien Leftick, Ellen Dalicandro, Sarah Nancoo and Aamer Siddiqui.
You can connect with TTAN through their group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13650317/
For any questions relating to the TTAN, please e-mail
- Category: Telferimpact
On May 13 2019, the Telfer School welcomed Helen Angus, Deputy Minister of Health and Long-term care for our CEO-In-Residence Lecture Series.
Helen Angus was appointed Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in June 2018, after having most recently served as the Deputy Minister of Treasury Board Secretariat and the Secretary of Treasury Board and Management Board of Cabinet.
During the CEO-In-Residence lecture series, Ms. Angus spoke to a class of MHA students about her career path and the lessons learned along the way. She also gave a presentation on “Health Transformation in Ontario”. It was especially timely as the government of Ontario rolls out its plans for Health Care reform. In her presentation, she focused on the challenges facing the ministry, and explained her vision for Connected Care. The aim is to offer better caregiver experience, patient and health outcomes, value and efficiency, and provider experience.
Ms. Angus’s long career in leading innovation and change, as well as her exceptional leadership skills and long history of experience in health planning and policy are all elements that contributed to the success of this event.
- Category: Community Engagement
The Employee Giving program is an annual initiative run by the University of Ottawa, which seeks to engage faculty, support staff and retirees in support of student-focused initiatives. These donations focus on enhancing the student experience with scholarships, financial aid and research programs. This year marks the eighth year of the campaign, in which the Telfer School saw its most successful participation rate to date.
The co-champions of the Telfer Employee Giving Campaign, Kimberly Duthie and Michael Mulvey, set out to obtain 101 donors this year, and they are proud to announce that they exceeded their goal with 109 donors! Not only did Telfer see the largest number of donors in 2019, it also represents a 60% participation rate, which is also a record number at the Telfer School. This means that, for the third year in a row, the Telfer School has the highest participation rate of any Faculty of the University of Ottawa.
We would like to thank our volunteers, without whom the success of the Employee Giving Campaign would not have been possible:
- Andrew Latty
- Sheetal Gandhi
- Carla De Ciccio
- Kathy Cunningham
- Linda Bellemare
- Alexandre Bélanger
- Margaux Carson
- Amanda Richardson
- Mercedes Zanon
- Jennifer Hyland
Finally, we would like to thank all the faculty members, support staff and retirees who participated in this campaign. You truly make a difference in the lives of our students.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
As an aspiring entrepreneur, Cyril Moukarzel was looking for a school that would teach him the business skills needed to start and run a successful business. He was attracted to the Telfer School’s international recognition and faculty expertise, as well as its strong alumni network. These elements made Telfer the best fit for him.
The Telfer School has had a tremendous impact in Cyril’s professional and personal life. He explained the Professors helped guide him in his career path and provided him with the necessary skills to thrive in the business world. In fact, it is with the help of Professor Gurprit Kindra that he changed his major from entrepreneurship to marketing. This decision had a significant impact on his career, as he was able to learn about the digital marketing landscape, enabling him to “bootstrap startups from the ground up and grow them into revenue generating businesses”. Furthermore, during his time at Telfer, Cyril recalls several amazing experiences, like the time he won first place at the Telfer Elevator Pitch competition. He explained this accomplishment gave him the validation and the motivation he needed to pursue a career in Entrepreneurship.
When asked about how the Telfer School helped shape him into the person he is today, Cyril explained how the School helped launch his entrepreneurship career. It is thanks to the Telfer School that he was able to take part in the Startup Garage Accelerator. The program helped him acquire the funding necessary to get his first startup off the ground. The startup, called eCelery, is an “online marketplace where hungry food lovers can order authentic ethnic meals from chefs cooking in their own kitchens”. Without this program and the Telfer School, Cyril would not have been able to grow his startup to 40 chefs and gain hundreds of monthly sales in just a few months. Cyril also explained the individuals he met during his studies helped him get to where he is today.
After eCelery, Cyril worked as the head of Marketing for a few startups, where he was put in charge of growing their sales and customer base. He also participated in the Techstars Accelerator Program in Berlin for 3 months, which helped him hone his marketing and entrepreneurship skills before he could start his next venture. Cyril aspires to create a positive impact and change the world with his companies. He is achieving this goal with his current company, LifeDNA. LifeDNA is a personal genomics company that analyzes your DNA and creates a customized regimen of dietary supplements based on your unique genetics. With a growing team and some of the best advisors, LifeDNA created the most personalized supplement line in the world. In this regard, Cyril recalls that Telfer connected him with the Entrepreneurship community in Ottawa and taught him essential business skills, which helped him make this positive impact.
Connect with Cyril on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrilmoukarzel/
Learn more about LifeDNA: https://www.lifedna.com/
- Category: Rising Stars
Alida Burke was born and raised in Ottawa, and made the decision to study at the Telfer School of Management to have a positive impact in her community. She recently completed her fourth year of studies, specializing in Accounting. Alida has always been interested in making a positive impact in communities across Canada, which is why she joined Enactus in her first year of studies. Enactus is a student club at Telfer aimed at building social enterprises to tackle social and environmental issues in our community. During her fourth year, she held the Vice-President of Finance position. Through Enactus, Alida met another student who shared the same passion as her for the wellbeing of Canadian communities. Together, they created their own startup called The Growcer.
Click here to visit their website.
It all started when Alida decided to do something about the issues regarding food security in the Northern communities of Canada. Her company provides state-of-the-art farming systems that allow people to grow fresh produce with ease all year long. These systems are suitable for virtually any temperature, and do not require any farming experience to operate. What is interesting is the fact that this business lets people grow produce in a sustainable way, while still making profits year-round. You can find one of her farming systems at the University of Ottawa, near the Morisset library. Alida even appeared on the show “The Dragon’s Den” with her business partner to pitch her business, where she astounded everyone with her ability to manage such a revolutionary business while still studying at Telfer.
Click here to watch her appearance on The Dragon’s Den.
Not only has Alida been involved in Enactus, she has also been a Telfer Peer Mentor, a Career Centre ambassador and a Teaching Assistant for Financial Accounting! When she is not getting involved in her community, you can find Alida hiking in Gatineau Park and finding great local bookshops. Her involvement in the Telfer community has granted her many opportunities, and allowed her to meet likeminded people who have strongly enriched her student experience. Alida encourages everyone to do the same!
Her current work aspirations are to obtain her CPA and to work in a field she is passionate about, which is currently at The Growcer. Her impressive accomplishments lead us to believe she will undoubtedly find success in any field she chooses to pursue.
We wish Alida luck with her future endeavors!
Connect with Alida Burke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidaburke/
- Category: Rising Stars
During their final year of undergraduate studies, the Telfer Bachelor of Commerce students must complete their respective capstone courses. A capstone project is an academic experience where students conduct a live case study on a subject that targets a specific issue. The students must present their conclusions in front of a panel of judges and peers. The students in Finance, Accounting, and Marketing participate in these final presentations at the end of their studies.
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition
On April 2, the Telfer School of Management hosted the Michel Cloutier Competition, a live case competition where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan to solve a real life issue. This winter, the students’ mandate was to present to the Ottawa Senators a marketing plan for the Sens Student Army, aiming to attract more student to the Senators’ games. We were happy to welcome members of the Ottawa Senators Executive team as our esteemed panel of judges.
Congratulations to the winning team: Amy Wakerell, Mariah Thom, Maxime Alarie and Véronique Sabourin.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take the Equity Valuation course (ADM 4350) in which they will undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real-life company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance. This semester, students had to work on the children’s entertainment company Spin Master. This year a sum of $1,400 dollars was allocated to the first place winners. The students also had to create posters to explain the company’s financial value.
Congratulations to the winning team of the case competition: Yining Hou, Yufeng Zhang and Bohan Li.
Congratulations to the poster competition winning team: Amaresh Parameswaran, Sagar Kaushal and Ashok Baldeo.
Accounting Capstone
This winter, accounting students enrolled in the ADM 4340 course were tasked to analyze a company and report on accounting issues. This year, the case study was about the Valeant Pharmaceutical case (now known as Bausch Health). The winning team has received a sum of $2,000.
Congratulations to the winning team: Natalija Karajovic, Matthew Kreuk, Peter Li, Garrett Reed and Kyle Weedmark.
- Category: Latest News
Each year, the University of Ottawa invites associated entrepreneurs to participate in a competition that results in up to 5 companies being selected for an exclusive and curated trip to Silicon Valley. Winners of this challenge are awarded the phenomenal opportunity of a trip to Silicon Valley. Selected start-ups receive $4,000 to fund their trip, which coincides with the annual Executive MBA trip to the Valley, this year scheduled in May 2019. The five companies selected this year were Incuvers, Thawrih, Alpha Kinetic Inc., Desk Nibbles (now re-named Hoppier), and App 8.
1. Incuvers
Incuvers is a manufacturing and software company that offers biological incubators with an integrated time-lapse imaging system, allowing researchers to grow and subsequently visualize their cells on their mobile and desktop platforms. This captured data is collected, stored, and then analytically compared between research groups around the world to provide feedback of experimental results, in real time. Users can share their results, creating a library of cellular experimentation that can be explored by others. Now, Incuvers is looking to create its own market, which incorporates time-lapse imaging systems, incubators, and scientific big data. Since inception, they have designed their incubation system and sold 5 units locally and internationally, as well as elaborated an equity-based partnership with an engineering firm to help them incorporate and develop a manufacturable system. Incuvers has 5 founding members: Dr. Sebastian Hadjiantoniou, Dr. Charles Cuerrier, Dr. Andrew Pelling, Maxime Leblanc Latour, Dan Modulevski, and Mark Kerskey. While in Silicon Valley, they worked to further their discussions with Indie Bio, met with various players in the life science space, built connections with U.S. distribution channels, increased product awareness, and fostered relationships with American academic institutions..
2. Thawrih
Thawrih, a local manufacturer of sports turbans, sports hijabs, inclusive and modest activewear, was founded by Sarah Abood and Sami Dabliz. Thawrih is a social enterprise whose mission is to revolutionize activewear for those that have religious and cultural obligations and to make sports accessible to all. Every headgear item is handmade by newcomer women, providing income and employment to disadvantaged communities. The team has already sold in excess of 1000 products to 22 countries around the world in just over a year, and have won or placed in over 6 UOttawa competitions. On the trip, they worked on digitizing their supply chain and logistics, met with police forces in California to present their uniform headgear, met with current California customers, and launched a pop-up shop at UCLA.
3. Alpha Kinetic Inc.
Alpha Kinetic’s Q-Grade is a data-driven concussion recovery tool. With Q-Grade's neuro-analytics, its mobile application, and its wearable EEG headset, concussed individuals will be able to navigate their recovery process and return to their life, sport and work in a safe and efficient way. Alpha Kinetic has created an MVP prototype and is in the process of developing the Beta version of the Q-Grade to be trialled this summer with the Ottawa Red Blacks football team as well as with several youth associations in Ontario. The company’s founders are two University of Ottawa PhD Human Kinetics students: Ashleigh Kennedy (Stanford University alumna) and Coren Walters-Stewart. These entrepreneurs benefitted from the trip to the Silicon Valley, as it allowed them to meet face-to-face with American venture capitalists to raise seed financing, recruit concussion experts from Stanford University to their advisory board, and worked towards recruiting a senior software developer. In addition, Alpha Kinetic’s co-founders were looking for more professional sports teams for beta testing on their Q-Grade device.
4. Hoppier
Desk Nibbles (now re-named Hoppier) makes it easy for offices to order snacks, beverages, fruit and more to their workplace. The company was founded in late 2016, by Cassy and Emil Aite, on a mission to make offices happier and healthier. They built a software like the Nibbler Slackbot that integrates with a company’s Slack. Employees can make requests and give feedback directly to the Nibbler Slackbot. This information is interpreted using machine learning and translated into a personalized e-commerce dashboard that curates a list of items to be delivered to the office on a weekly basis. This means employees feel heard, are happier, and the company’s budget is used efficiently. Hoppier is a marketplace that creates smarter software tools for offices to procure goods. Hoppier currently has over 100 customers in Canada including Trip Advisor, Uber, and Indeed. The Hoppier team enjoyed their trip where they met in person with one of their investors and created a co-marketing campaign, met with current customers with offices in Silicon Valley, and met venture capitalists that have previously expressed interest in the company.
5. App 8
App8 is a FinTech startup working on the next generation payment paradigm. App8 offers a turnkey solution to sit-down restaurants, allowing guests to pay from their phone without waiting for the printed bill or credit card machine. App8 is focused on the Full-Service Restaurant (FSR) industry, which processes over $330 billion in annual sales transactions across Canada and the U.S. App8 has selected 4 North American cities as the near-term target. App8 has been live in Ottawa since July 2018 in places like El Camino, The Clocktower Brew Pubs and more. Since beginning sales and marketing efforts in October 2018, the company has grown to over 1,000 active users and over 2,000 registered accounts with just over 10 Ottawa restaurant locations. App8 was founded by two uOttawa alumni: Elias Hage, Telfer BCom in Finance and Hani, uOttawa Computer Engineering. App8 is in the process of searching for the right financial backing to join the company's journey. The trip to Silicon Valley was invaluable to the App8 co-founders as they were able to learn from the past journeys of other successful SaaS entrepreneurs, specifically those who have experience approaching dual-ended marketplaces in e-commerce and FinTech, and interacted with Silicon Valley investment firms interested in their business.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Once a year, the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) recognizes accomplished and rising business leaders in the National Capital Region by naming them to their Forty under 40 list. These pioneers reflect the economic diversity, entrepreneurial spirit, and future of the city’s dynamic business community.
Among this year’s recipients, five are alumni of the University of Ottawa, one of which studied at the Telfer School of Management. The Telfer School would like to congratulate Kelly Medora Elliott for this astounding accomplishment.
After her studies at the Telfer School of Management, Kelly went on to study Law. She now is a partner in Dentons' Real Estate, Project Development, and Banking and Finance Practice groups. Her ability to think and act strategically as well as her amazing leadership skills have led to her new role as Director of Practice Support and Optimization for the Dentons Canada Region. Those who know her agree her organizational skills and work ethic have contributed greatly to her success, and have enabled her to become of the best lawyers in Canada.
Click here to read more on Kelly Medora Elliott »
The Telfer School would also like to congratulate Amy Lynn Friesen, Christina Kathelyn Black, Ian Duff Bingeman, and François de Bellefeuille who all graduated from the University of Ottawa and also made it on the coveted list.
This year's Forty Under 40 awards gala will take place at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel on June 21, 2019. The event will feature cocktails, fine food, music and dancing and is in part sponsored by the Telfer Executive MBA.
Click here to view the full Forty Under 40 list on the OBJ website.
- Category: Latest News
Last Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in our Desmarais building, more than 200 sharply dressed guests gathered merrily to eat, drink, and most importantly, to celebrate! The occasion: the annual Telfer Career Centre Celebration, a carefully crafted reception meant to highlight the invaluable contribution of the many Career Centre collaborators. Once again this year, it was an evening to remember!
Saying “Thank You”
Created 15 years ago to empower undergraduate students, MBA students and alumni in their career development, the Career Centre has built over the years an astounding network of partners, within and outside the Telfer walls. “Our success would not be possible without the creativity, initiative, and support of our countless collaborators, explains Career Centre Manager, Amanda Richardson. This very special evening is our way to say "thank you" to all these people, especially the students, who are the reason we go to work every day.”
Celebrating Diversity
For this year’s theme, the Telfer Career Centre had chosen diversity. And what an appropriate theme it was. “Whether it’s through its services, events, or numerous collaborating partners, including students, alumni, professors, staff, and industry professionals, from all walks of life and all corners of the world, the Career Centre truly embraces a variety of perspectives,” adds M. Richardson. Guests were invited to share their vision of diversity through quotes displayed on giant screens around the room. A beautiful touch that certainly enlightened many of us.
Finishing Strong
As a former student collaborator – and user – of the Career Centre, Gaëlle Faye was always looking forward to this event. “It’s the perfect way to kick back a little and chat with friends before the exam period”, says this Telfer alumna, who now works as a Career Engagement Coordinator at the Career Centre. “I have benefitted immensely from the Career Centre support as a student, and now I get to work behind the scenes of this fantastic evening! It’s truly amazing.”
Want to join this happy crowd next year? Get to know the Telfer Career Centre now!
- Category: Student Announcements
We are proud of our #TelferNation student-athletes for their personal accomplishments and at the USPORTS National Championships. We are excited to celebrate four undergraduate Telfer students, for their remarkable accomplishments at the National level:
- Brendan Jacome, Gee-Gees Men’s Hockey, specializing in in Finance with a complementary option in Entrepreneurship
- Hannah Temple, Gee-Gees Women’s Basketball, specializing in Management
- Amelie Hachey, Gee-Gees Women’s Basketball, specializing in Accounting (not pictured)
- Montana Champagne, Gee-Gees Men’s Swim team, graduating from a Specialization in Human Resources this summer
On March 26th, these four Telfer students were honoured at the University Centre (UCU) building on campus for their impressive sports accomplishments this year for a celebration gathering teams and athletes. Awards were handed out to the athletes to recognize their sportsmanship on both provincial and national levels. Roger Archambault, Assistant Director of High-Performance Athletics for the Gee-Gees, was thrilled with the performance from all teams for their outstanding success.
Montana Champagne has now been awarded 8 medals during his Gee-Gees Swimming career, including 4 gold medals. Champagne collected 2 gold medals at the 2019 U SPORTS National Championship held at the University of British Columbia this year. During the championship, Montana Champagne finished first in the 200m individual medley (IM) setting a new U SPORTS record by more than a second and a new team record, while also finishing first in the 400m IM for another team record. He completed the weekend with a fourth-place finish in the 200m butterfly final. Montana’s journey as a Telfer student and Gee-Gee athlete is coming to an end as he will be graduating, but we wish him best of luck in training for the Olympics, we will definitely be cheering him on!
Brendan Jacome was named the 2018-2019 winner of the R.W. Pugh Award (U SPORTS Most Sportsmanlike Player). He exceeded his career-high, recording a total of 13 goals and 16 assists in 27 games without taking a penalty throughout the season. During the playoffs, Jacome added 8 points in 5 games. The Gee-Gees Men’s Hockey team finished first in the OUA East competition, with an impressive 22-2-4 record. Unfortunately, the Gee-Gees were eliminated by the Queen's U Gaels in the third game of a best-of-three series in the second round.
The Gee-Gees Women’s Basketball won the Bronze Medal at the 2019 U SPORTS National Championship hosted by Ryerson University. The team finished the regular season with the best record in the OUA, with 21 wins and 2 loses, setting a program record. During the playoffs, the Gee-Gees made it to the finals and won the OUA Silver Medal. Their season also included the team's first Capital Hoops win since 2015 versus Carleton University.
We are proud of our Telfer student-athletes and wish them luck in the coming year in both their academic and athletic accomplishments.
- Category: Student Announcements
Three MBA and one MHA student from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa teamed up to place first in the 3rd annual Diversity and Inclusion MBA Case Competition co-hosted by Telfer, EDC, and Deloitte.
Students Anya Marion, Daman Preet Singh, Nazmus Saqib Tasin, and Sidharth Mahajan claimed the top prize of $5,000 while their colleagues from John Molson School of Business and Rowe School of Business placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively winning cash prizes of $2,500 and $1,500.
The competition took place at EDC, where eight teams from universities across Canada converged for a full day of case cracking on the theme of Diversity and Inclusion.
- Beedie School of Business — Simon Fraser University
- DeGroote School of Business — McMaster University
- John Molson School of Business — Concordia University
- Lazaridis School of Business and Economics — Wilfrid Laurier University
- Rotman School of Management — University of Toronto
- Rowe School of Business — Dalhousie University
- Ted Rogers School of Management — Ryerson University
- Telfer School of Management — University of Ottawa
Without access to the internet, the teams were asked to find human resources solutions and strategies for AGNICO EAGLE, a gold mine located in Meadowbank, Nunavut, Canada. The gold mine has been experiencing absenteeism and turnover within the Inuit workforce. Each team had to develop a plan in order to retain and increase the number of Inuit employees. Once the time was over, each team got to present to our panel of judges comprised of EDC and Deloitte members. Four finalists were then selected to participate in the second round of the case, where they were presented with a challenge to recruit a minimum of 500 new Agnico Eagle employees who would be working in two new operations while having the same culture, respect, and mentality that had made them successful in the past.
The four finalists gave a final presentation in front of the judges and their peers, volunteers, and community members who came to attend before heading back to the Telfer School of Management where a reception was held to announce the winners.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the participants who travelled to Ottawa to compete, our judges who provided the students with valuable insights and feedback, our amazing volunteers who were instrumental in the coordination of the day, as well as our two amazing co-sponsors, EDC and Deloitte who went above and beyond to make this competition a success.
(Judges from left to right):
- Kat Lee (Deloitte) Senior Manager, Human Capital Consulting
- Raj Mudhar (Deloitte) - National Director, Agile & DevOps Consulting
- Emily Boudreau (Deloitte) - Senior Manager, Human Capital Consulting
- Liane Nickerson (EDC) - Director, Workforce Strategy and Culture
- Patricia Vincent (EDC) - Vice President, Talent, Learning & Culture
- Michael Machabee (EDC) - Director, Portfolio Management and one of EDC’s 2018 D&I Ambassador Award nominees
- Joe Rios (EDC) - Manager, Exporter Outreach and one of EDC’s 2018 D&I Ambassador Award recipients
- Not pictured: Stephen Harrington (Deloitte), Senior Manager, Human Capital Consulting
- Category: Latest News
The next Entrepreneurship Bridges event will take place on April 9, 2019, featuring a guest speaker and the announcement of the 2019 Startup Garage cohort. This year's guest speaker is Corey Ellis, Co-Founder and CEO at The Growcer Inc. and alumnus of the Startup Garage. The event will take place in the evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Desmarais room 12102.
Corey will discuss his experience launching The Growcer Inc. and how they have grown their company into the success that it is today.
Corey, along with his co-founder and fellow Telfer classmate, Alida Burke saw the lack of available locally-grown fresh produce in Northern Canada. They identified the need to remove the resulting high cost Northern Canadians have to pay just to be able to eat healthy food. They determined a way for Canadians to have affordable and sustainable access to fresh foods, which led them to the creation of their stand-alone growing systems.
The Growcer is a social enterprise that empowers remote Canadian regions to grow fresh produce locally using modular hydroponic systems. Growcer systems are specifically designed for Arctic regions, enabling local food production with a steady stream of affordable fresh produce grown in outdoor temperatures as cold as -52°C. They also provide ongoing services to allow local entrepreneurs to own & operate their own systems, and additional supports to enable better nutrition for communities.
The Startup Garage is an initiative of the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub to foster and support youth entrepreneurship in the Ottawa region. The program offers youth-led ventures the opportunity to accelerate their business by working full-time over the course of four months during the summer. Startup Garage provides each participating company with four essential tools: cash, office space, mentorship, and support. The program is delivered through the generous support of the University of Ottawa, BMO, Logan Katz LLP and Gowling WLG.
- Category: Latest News
Congratulations to Enactus uOttawa for their success at Enactus Canada's Regional Competition last week, bringing them on to compete at Nationals! Enactus is a global non-profit with chapters in countries across the globe that aims to empower students to use entrepreneurial action to create a better world for us all. Enactus builds student leaders, creates impactful projects, and teaches students valuable entrepreneurial skills.
The team placed in four categories at the Regional Competition:
- Third Place in Financial Literacy
- Second Place in Environmental
- Second Place in Entrepreneurship
- First Place in Youth Empowerment
These results mean that they will be presenting in the Youth Empowerment category at the National Competition. The team will also participate at the overall National Presentation held in Vancouver in May.
We wish the team best of luck at Nationals and are proud to see them represent the University of Ottawa on the national stage, and hope to see their success take them to the Enactus World Competition.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Legacy Conference 2019 organized and hosted by a group of University of Ottawa students is Canada's largest entrepreneur conference. On March 29 and 30th, 2019, the Legacy Conference will bring together over 800 entrepreneurially-minded students in Ottawa at the Shaw Centre. In collaboration with high-growth startup companies and top-tier speakers, the Legacy Conference is the only event in Canada dedicated to hosting the nation’s top student entrepreneurs.
Over the course of two days, the conference will feature keynote speeches delivered by entrepreneurs and industry pioneers, expert panel discussions, mentorship sessions, a startup exposition showcasing some of the nation’s hottest startups, and interactive workshops for startups and attendees. Run by a group of student volunteers at the University of Ottawa, 800 + students from 30 campuses across Canada will get a chance to connect throughout the conference. With a fun and welcoming environment, attendees will learn tactical and actionable advice and join an amazing community of hustlers, innovators and doers.
This year's keynote speakers include:
- Adam Cheyer, co-founder of Apple Siri
- Oobah Butler, filmmaker at Vice
- Patrick Lee, co-founder of Rotten Tomatoes
- Amber Stratton, Founder & Co-owner of Pure Kitchen & Pure Yoga
- Anastasia Valentine, CMO at Versature
- Daniel Eberhard, Co-founder & CEO at KOHO
- Heather Payne, CEO at HackerYou
- Richard Lorenzen, Co-founder & CEO at Fifth Avenue Brands
- Mike Smith, Founder of The Bay & Mike Smith Live
- Julie McClure, Co-founder & CEO at hello.me
- Nadine Hogan, Co-founder & Owner of Wheelhouse Cycle
Grab your tickets to join Canada's largest student entrepreneur conference.
- Category: Latest News
As we are celebrating Telfer’s 50th Anniversary this year, we would like to showcase some of our outstanding female alumni that have had an impact in our community for International Women’s Day - March 8. There are so many accomplished and influential women that have left Telfer to create phenomenal businesses and lead successful careers.
There are so many more, that we have certainly missed many of our accomplished female alumni, and would like to hear from you as to who you feel should be recognized. Feel free to send us a message, and/or connect with us on our social media channels. You could also post a tweet including a mention regarding an accomplishment from a woman who has graduated from Telfer using the hashtag #telfernation, and we will be sure to share or retweet.
Lina Arseneault completed her MBA in Strategic Marketing in 1996 and holds a Certificate of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. She has gone on to impact the tech industry in her variety of Director positions at Bell Canada, Nortel Networks, Cisco Systems, and AirTight Networks. She is currently in California, as the Chief Social Alchemist in Digital Communications, Content Marketing, Social Media at Cafelina Consulting providing actionable advice for large tech corporations regarding the creation and implementation of effective social media strategies.
Justine Hendricks is an MBA 2004 graduate, and has received a Trudeau Medal from the Telfer School at the 2017 Gala of Excellence. She is now the VP of Working Capital Solutions at Export Development Canada (EDC) with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry, and has been a critical member to the Canadian export community since the start of her career at EDC in 2010. She has worked closely with EDC’s banking partners and a key component to the business development group.
Mimi Lowi-Young attended the University of Ottawa to obtain her Master's in Health Adminstration in 1981 and her Diploma in Business Administration in 1988, and has gone on to be a recipient of the Dean’s Philos Award in 2009 for her outstanding philanthropic achievement and social commitment. She has made a big impact in her work for non-profits and the Canadian healthcare system including her previous roles of former CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Central West Local Health Integration Network. She now holds governance positions on a number of not-for-profit boards including the Chair of the board of directors of AGEWELL NCE Inc. She continues to contribute to both the Canadian College of Health Leaders and American College of Health Care Executives as a Life Fellow. She is a Senior Fellow of the University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation.
Anie Rouleau was the President of the Games of Commerce in 1992 during her BCom which she completed that year, and has gone on to make an impact in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability. She has redefined the notion of clean at Baléco Inc. with the creation of her Montreal-based environmentally-conscious retail brand: The Unscented Company that significantly reduces our collective plastic footprint through its packaging. Since its inception in 2016, the company is a B Corp certified business, becoming the first Canadian home and body care product company to be certified, and has recently been endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop.
Bernadette Sarazin completed her BCom degree in 1999, and was actively involved in Telfer’s Jeux du Commerce (JDC) team in 1997 as well as Telfer Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) and their annual ELLE Gala celebrating the success of women in business. She is known as an active Francophone rights leader, and received the medal of the Order of the Pleiade of the Ontario Chapter of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF) recognizing her outstanding contribution to Ontario's Francophonie. In 2018, she was named "Female Personality of the Year" by the Fondation franco-Ontarienne (FFO) at La Soirée Saphir. She is Co-owner of Brio Stratégies which provides strategic advice, professional communications and marketing services, and project management.
Darlene Dasent completed her BCom in 1990, and is now the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for University Health Network (UHN). Darlene has over 20 years of leadership experience. UHN is an integrated healthcare, research, and education network of four hospitals: Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, as well as a college of applied health sciences, The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. She is currently leading UHN’s Finance Transformation and has been instrumental in developing financial governance models. She was named one of Women’s Executive Network’s (WXN) most powerful women in the PwC Public Sector Leaders category.
Annie-Marie Hubert finished her Business Administration degree with Cum Laude in 1985 at the University of Ottawa, and earned her CPA designation in 1987 and a fellowship from the Ordre des comptables professionnels du Québec in 2004. She currently works at Earnst and Young (EY) as Québec Managing Partner since 2017. She was named to the Order of Canada for her commitment to parity and inclusion in business and for her skill in corporate governance. In December 2011, she was recognized for the fourth time as one of Canada’s 100 Top Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and in June 2012, she was selected as one of three Champions of Women in Business leaders chosen by Catalyst Canada. Anne-Marie has received a WXN Hall of Fame Award for winning a spot as a Top 100 most powerful woman three times. In June 2015, Hubert was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the advancement of women in business.
Mona Fortier holds a master’s of business administration (MBA 1998) from the Telfer School of Management. She was elected to the House of Commons in April 2017, Mona Fortier is the first female Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier. This marks a historic moment, as it is the first time residents have elected a woman to represent them in the federal riding's history. She currently serves as a member on the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics and the Standing Committee on Official Language. She has served on several non-profit Board of Directors including the Montfort Hospital, the Provincial Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs (Ontario), and the Shaw Centre. In addition, Mona has received numerous awards for her community involvement, including the Queen Elizabeth II - Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
Jacline Nyman took office as Vice-President, External Relations at the University of Ottawa in August 2018. Jacline received an adjunct professor appointment at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa in 2012 and upon her appointment as vice-president becomes associate professor. She completed her BCom at Telfer in 1990. Prior to joining the university, Jacline was the President and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada, where she led a national movement for social change. She engaged with stakeholders through donor, government and media relations, participating in public policy development and driving the United Way mission forward. As a non-profit sector leader, she engages frequently in public speaking on a wide range of topics, including organizational leadership, philanthropy and fundraising, transformational change and modernization.She currently volunteers on a number of advisory boards, and actively mentors young professionals as they navigate their careers.
Lynda Partner completed her BCom in 1983, and was awarded the Trudeau Medal from the Telfer School in 2010 for her outstanding contributions to the world of business and the community. Today, Lynda is Vice President, Marketing and Analytics as a Service at Pythian. As Vice President of Analytics, Lynda has been instrumental in growing and defining Pythian’s analytics practice and is the driving force behind its new Kick Analytics as a Service solution. As Vice President of Marketing at Pythian, Lynda makes data-informed decisions every day, empowering the team to achieve greater results with measurable outcomes. Before joining Pythian, Lynda was Chief Communications Officer at Redline Communications where she and her team helped return the company to profitability after 15 straight years of losses. Lynda has led and founded several successful start-ups, including In-Touch Insights and GotMarketing (Campaigner.com).
Linda Eagen completed her Executive MBA at the Telfer School in 2002. In 2018, she received an award in recognition of her entrepreneurial and professional achievements at Ottawa’s Businesswoman of the Year Awards (BYAs). Today, Linda is President and CEO of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, and ensures that cancer remains a priority year-round in our community. Through support of research and clinical trials and through the delivery of Cancer Coaching, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is changing the cancer experience and giving families in our community access to the best, personalized cancer treatment and care right here at home. Linda has had a lifelong career in the not-for-profit industry combined with her entrepreneurial spirit and business education.
- Category: Student Announcements
A huge congratulations to five of our Bachelor of Commerce students who finished fifth at the Rotman International Trade Competition, the highest placing by a Telfer team.
Dmitry Shorikov, Shang Wu, Maxime Gosselin, Jack Lau, and Ben Burk went toe to toe with fellow undergraduate AND postgraduate students from 52 of the top schools in the world. This event is one of the most competitive quantitative trading competitions, and these students put in countless hours of hard work to prove they were up to the task. The passion and effort you put in translated into the school's best finish.
Very proud of all of you!
- Category: Rising Stars
-
Who is Tristan Langlais?
I am a third-year student currently in my first coop term at the Costco Canada Head Office. I come from Montreal (Sec 5). I started university at 17 years old. From my first week at school, I was able to get a job as a student ambassador. It contributed immensely to my professional development. In second year, I had the pleasure of joining Telfer Finance as Marketing Director, which gave me the opportunity to widen my social media knowledge from a new perspective. Thanks to my maturity and my skills in management, I was promoted to supervisor on the student ambassador team even though I am the youngest member of the team.
At Costco, after a week of work, I am already trusted to plan very large orders and I am able to write marketing contracts with suppliers, being an inventory control specialist.
I am part of an extremely motivated team of 7 people who trust me in my day-to-day operations. We manage an entire department of the Costco.ca branch, and each day brings a new challenge. I already feel at home after a few days at work and I am considered an important member of the team.
In short, thanks to the School of Management, I was able to quickly launch my professional career.
-
What are you currently studying at uOttawa’s Telfer School of Management?
I am currently studying in B. Com option in marketing with coop.
-
Can you tell us about your involvement at the Telfer School?
I have a huge sense of belonging to the Business School (That guy with the Telfer Shoes) and I am involved in all kinds of events. Whether it's case competitions as a participant or coach (mentor) I like to take on new challenges while helping my community (the Telfer school). I was a mentor for Perfect Pitch with Enactus, I participated and won TICC with my team. I taught twice in front of young people as part of “Destination Réussite” on how to start a business. I participated in a promotional video with over 15,000 views on the university's YouTube channel. I was a guide for 101 week.
-
What do you love the most about the Telfer School and/or uOttawa? (profs, courses, clubs, social network, etc.)
People who know me well know that I like to put on my suits. In Telfer, there are enough networking events relevant to my program so I can wear my suits almost every week. In other words, it's possible to network and get to know a lot of people from different places and fields. I like it to be simple to progress and develop, but it is also only those who make the necessary effort that will get there. In a word, it's a very rewarding school.
-
Do you have a fun fact about yourself? If so, what is it?
Eight months after I started learning English, I found myself in front of a group of 50 English-speaking people on a 1h30 campus tour. Evidence that the university gives us the chance to get out of his comfort zone...
-
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time in Ottawa?
Coming from Montreal, I knew absolutely nothing about Ottawa. My pleasure recently is to discover what the city offers restaurant wise. I'm always available for a coffee in one of the many local coffee shops for a little networking session!
-
Whom or what inspires you the most?
A great source of inspiration for me is the students who rub shoulders with me. I realize that we are many to work hard to succeed and to break into the realm of our dreams. With that in mind I think that I am able to go ahead, and I am motivated to give everything to stand out. But this motivation comes from my surroundings. Whether it's my parents who encourage me at every step of the way, my friends and co-workers on campus inspire me a lot.
-
What are your career aspirations?
I would love to work in the marketing field for a company that trusts me to represent it externally. I like talking with people and I like to present / sell my ideas and beliefs.
-
If you are a bursary or scholarship recipient, how has the additional financial aid impacted your student experience?
I am the lucky recipient of several awards
- Legico-CHP Fleur de Lys
- Ethics of the new millennium
- Roger Guindon
- Admission scholarship
These scholarships allowed me to take a huge amount of stress off my shoulders so that I could focus on my studies and my professional career. They allowed me to pay a large part of my tuition and encouraged and motivated me to continue my studies.
-
Optional: What would you like to say to donors who give to enhance the Telfer student experience?
A huge thank you. These scholarships are more than just money for students. It's an incredible source of motivation when you realize that a person / organization believes in us and encourages us to continue.
Please join your LinkedIn to this questionnaire. www.linkedin.com/in/tristanlanglais
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
“What do you think?” This question, posed in a third-year Organizational Behaviour course, may seem arbitrary at first glance but it was a significant moment in Caroline Leblanc’s career path (B. Admin 1983). Caroline says, “It was the first time that I can recall that I was asked what I thought.” This is the point in her academic career where education transformed from theory to practice. Caroline continue to say, “It signified the melding formal learning with intuition, ethical beliefs and practicality. This for me illustrated the distinct difference between Management and Leadership.” This new perspective of the business world propelled her towards a successful career at BMO Private Banking.
On the other hand, despite Caroline’s impressive progression, she admits to not being “the most academically gifted student” during her schooling. As a result, she attributes her success to two values: grit and determination. Caroline gained an insight into the business world through these critical learning blocks, helping her stand out as a professional.
Caroline’s professional journey began in the depth of a recession with a major bank on a contract. Eventually, she move to Toronto where she joined BMO Financial Group as a Lending Specialist, which then evolved into various roles. Enjoying both the investment and credit aspects of the business, Caroline looked for an opportunity that would marry both sets of skills—leading her to the Private Bank. This choice was a risk as Caroline mentions, “at the time, we were small boutique operation that no one really knew about. I am glad to say that we have consistently experienced double digit growth and are leaders in providing customized Wealth Solutions to Affluent and High Net Worth families in Canada.”
Caroline concludes by expressing her pride in being part of an organization that supports a cause that is close to her heart: the advancement of women in the workplace. More than twenty years ago, she read a paper by Felice Schwartz, discussing the disparities at work between men and women. So, when asked about her inspiration, Caroline lists women such as Michele Obama, Sheryl Sandberg and Malala Yousafzai, stating that those women “are brave and that have chosen non-traditional paths, which have made significant contributions to everyday lives.” These women inspire Caroline and the next generation of women to take their rightful place at the metaphorical table.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
The Telfer School of Management, in partnership with EDC and Deloitte, is proud to announce the university teams participating in the third annual Diversity and Inclusion MBA Case Competition.
On March 1 and 2, eight teams of MBA students from universities across the country will be converging on our nation’s capital to compete in Canada’s only MBA case competition of this type:
- Beedie School of Business — Simon Fraser University
- DeGroote School of Business — McMaster University
- John Molson School of Business — Concordia University
- Lazaridis School of Business and Economics — Wilfrid Laurier University
- Rotman School of Management — University of Toronto
- Rowe School of Business — Dalhousie University
- Ted Rogers School of Management — Ryerson University
- Telfer School of Management — University of Ottawa
During the competition, the teams will examine emerging issues and propose solutions related to the topics of diversity and inclusion in organizations.
Co-sponsors EDC and Deloitte hope to shed light on the importance and benefits of a diverse, inclusive workforce. “Our research shows that highly inclusive companies achieve superior results and are more innovative, more adaptable and faster-growing than less inclusive ones,” says Kate Morican, partner and national lead for strategic transformation and change services at Deloitte.
“Our broader goal is developing a culture open to diversity of thought, where thinking is shaped by our culture, background, experiences and personalities,” says Justine Hendricks, vice president of working capital solutions at EDC. “Only then can our customers and employees alike can reach their fullest potential.”
Through the competition, participants will gain a better appreciation of the strategic advantages of having a diverse workforce. We wish our students good luck and look forward to seeing everyone on our campus.
Media Inquiries:
Karyne Vienneau
Media Relations Officer
Cell: 613-762-2908
- Category: Student Announcements
We are extremely proud to report that our Telfer student-athlete Maude Lévesque-Ryan has been selected to represent Team Canada for women’s university hockey at the Winter Universiade taking place in Krasnoyarsk, Russia from March 2 to 12. She will compete against other student-athletes from around the globe along with two University of Ottawa Gee-Gees from her team, Mélodie Bouchard and Christine Deaudelin.
The 29th annual Winter Universiade will draw over 3,000 student-athletes from over 50 countries competing in 11 different sports, making it the largest university winter multi-sport competition in the world. The competition will get more than 1.5 billion TV viewers, and attract over 100,000 attendees to the games, with a total of 5,000 volunteers.
Maude is currently in her second year of her Master of Science in Health Systems (MSc HS) at the Telfer School of Management working on her thesis. Her interest in information and data collection has fostered her passion for studying and conducting research in the health sector. Currently, Maude is completing her thesis project on better understanding seniors’ opinions about technologies that could be beneficial for them. She also wants to clarify which characteristics seniors give more importance to, and in which context they would be using these technologies.
Through exploratory research and focus groups, she has identified a need for seniors to use technology in their daily lives, which she is hoping will lead to reducing waiting times for access to treatments and lessening the burden of their personal care. Maude joined the MSc in HS to better understand health systems particularly for the senior population in Canada and wants to help identify seniors’ needs for these technologies and better understand their behaviours in relation to these technologies.
Maude feels that the MSc HS program is great for students who want to take action and make a difference in the health world. The program has enabled her to have a better understanding of the health services available in Canada, and she has been able to work closely with her professors for a more personal experience. Maude is working hard to ensure she is proud of her work on her thesis and hopes her research can help develop health systems solutions.
Like many student-athletes, Maude has to balance time for her school work with her hockey commitments. She considers herself very fortunate to attend the University of Ottawa and having the opportunity to compete in her favourite sport on the world stage.
We wish Maude and her teammates the best of luck at the World University Championship.
- Category: Student Announcements
We are proud to congratulate the DECA uOttawa team for their first place wins in the Start-up Pitch and Marketing Management competitions at this year’s DECA U Ontario Provincials. The team also placed second in the Project Management Institute (PMI) competition, third in the Advertising Campaign Challenge, and top 5 in Accounting.
The weekend-long Provincials event is held annually by DECA U, with 17 participating schools and 18 different competition categories. Delegates not only compete, but have the opportunity to network with several other student leaders and industry professionals throughout the weekend events. This year, the conference was held at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto, with over 1,300 students present and eager to #MakeTheirMark.
DECA uOttawa delegates had the opportunity to demonstrate their months of case study preparation on a national stage. On top of the case competitions, delegates were given the opportunity to engage with Toronto-based professionals from a multitude of business fields during networking functions. This networking opportunity provided a unique experience for University of Ottawa students to expand their connections in the GTA.
Delegates from uOttawa displayed their skills acquired through both academia and case practice to benefit from all opportunities provided by the conference. They demonstrated these skills in both their case presentations and their networking experiences, resulting in a fantastic overall performance by the University of Ottawa.
In categories ranging from a jeopardy style battle to Individual, Team and Special Cases, DECA uOttawa placed top three in 5 of 18 categories. With a quarter of the competing delegates returning to Ottawa with a medal, the list of decorated competitors is as follows:
- William King – Startup Pitch Competition – 1st Place
- Arya Ghaeli and Luke Lu – Marketing Management – 1st Place
- Austin Marques, Rula Al-Halbouni and Justin Walker – Project Management Institute – 2nd Place
- Abinaya Sivanthanu, Vanessa Kelly and Shoshana Matheson – Advertising Campaign Challenge – 3rd Place
- Jason Lum – Accounting – Top 5
The Chapter Executive Team and the Telfer School is very proud of each and every individual that contributed to the overall success of the uOttawa team for the 2018-2019 season.
- Category: Student Announcements
This year, we are proud to announce that our Telfer MBA students won first place in the Innovation and Technology case competition and placed third in the Spirit case competition on cannabis and harm reduction (sponsored by Health Canada) at the 2019 MBA Games.
Congratulations to the Innovation and Technology team: Steven Legault, Nazmus Saqib, Alexander Campbell, and Anya Marion, and to the Spirit team: Ian Rintoul, William (Qiwei) Jia, Marianne Pelletier, and Anya Marion.
Overall, against 19 other school, the University of Ottawa came in 9th place.
Each year, the MBA Games attracts the largest gathering of MBA students in Canada. Taking place at the beginning of January, 20 schools and approximately 600 students will compete against each other for the prestigious Queen’s Cup by taking part in academic, athletic, and spirit challenges.
This is a great opportunity for students to represent their school and showcase their talents. We look forward to the future success of the MBA Games delegations from Telfer.
- Category: Student Announcements
Telfer's undergraduate marketing club, the Telfer Marketing Association (TMA), recently hosted Mad Marketing, a speed networking event to connect undergraduate students and marketing professionals in the Ottawa community. This year, TMA held their 9th annual Mad Marketing event on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 with over 40 students and 13 companies in attendance.
This event is designed to provide an opportunity for students in all specializations to network with industry professionals from major Canadian companies on a personal level, with an application process to keep the event exclusive. Each student had the chance to ask each professional about their marketing experience and expertise in a one-on-one setting.
The main goal of Mad Marketing is for students to learn about the many types of marketing work and strategies of the various companies in Ottawa, to help them decide on a career path.
Thank you to the company representatives who came out to speak with our Bachelor of Commerce students this year:
- Kognitive: Ahmed Ashry
- Shopify: Aly Harji, Chris Edwards, and AJ Thompson
- Cinnamon Toast: Bev Hyatt and Anna Nativ
- Enterprise: Tara Boase
- FarmLead: Victor Han and Alamin Mollick
- Pepsi: Josh Bousada
- Babcock: Nicholas Avellaneda
- EDC: Gaby Patenaude
- RedBull: Hilary Colley
- SnapClarity: Mathew Paquet and Tess MacLellan
- PageCloud: Philip Westfall
- Soshal: Marissa Homère
- Ruckify: Daren Cody and Aaron Lemieux
Great job to this year's TMA executive committee for organizing this event. We are exciting for more upcoming events from our Telfer clubs!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Please keep the family of Professor Paquet in your thoughts during this difficult time.
Dean François Julien, PhD
Telfer School of Management
- Category: Student Announcements
This month, our Telfer Bachelor of Commerce students won a total of 17 team and individual awards at Jeux Du Commerce (JDC) and Jeux Du Commerce Central (JDCC) competitions.
From January 3 to 7, 2019, nearly 130 students represented the Telfer School of Management at the two largest undergraduate case competitions in Canada.
During the 31st edition of JDC hosted at l’Université du Québec à Rimouski – Campus Lévis, the Telfer School of Management’s delegation stood out by placing in the top three in six categories. Their performance in the academic segment of the competition allowed them to bring back more trophies than they have for the past 4 years.
- 1st place – Marketing Case: Fiona Doomasia, Christine Seguin and Rebecca Stiletto
- 1st place – Accounting Case: Maxine Beaumier, Paulina Karwowski and Ziye Zhang
- 2nd place – Organizational Information Systems Case: David Gallo, Jean-Martin Twagirimana and Josh Powers
- 2nd place – Tax System Case: Joel Emond, Andre Caissie and Adib Hosain
- 3rd place – Operations Management Case: Beau Goehrum, Christopher Flores-Lyons and Archana Manek
- 3rd place – Ultimate Frisbee: Charlotte Winton, Jessica Nesrallah, Maxine MacKinnon, Damian Samuel, Paul Michel, Keagan Ross, Matt Fong, Noah De Abreu and Anton Père
Additionally, the nine following students were selected as VIPs by academic judges for standing out in their category: Anna Abraham, Audrey-Anne Delage, Fiona Doomasia, Beau Goehrum, Sarah Pétrin-Perron, Maxine Beaumier, David Gallo, Odile Burume and Tran Truong.
At JDCC in Guelph, Ontario, two academic teams wearing the Telfer colours left their mark by winning the gold.
- 1st place – Business Strategy Case: Matthew Fernandez, Jonathan Khov and Maxim Goldenberg
- 1st place – Entrepreneurship Case: Daniel Beech, Mishal Butt and Julia Simon
The Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT), the student association that selects and prepares undergraduate delegations for JDC and JDCC, thanks all the coaches who played a key role in the teams’ success. Audrey-Anne Delage, President of TCCT, said: "We would also like to highlight the continuous support from the Telfer faculty, who recognizes the importance of these competitions both in the academic and professional development of its students."
We look forward to next year's JDC and JDCC competitions, and wish the next delegation great success!
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
2018 was a year filled with great accomplishments and powerful achievements. See what the Telfer School of Management picked as the best of 2018. Take a look back at the news and stories that shaped an extraordinary year. 2019 has a ton of surprises with the 50 years of Telfer School of Management celebrations.
- Category: Latest News
MBA teams can now register to participate in the 3rd annual Telfer Diversity and Inclusion MBA Case competition taking place from Friday, March 1 to Saturday, March 2, 2019. The Telfer School of Management has partnered with Export Development Canada and Deloitte for this competition.
The prizes range from $5,000 for First Place to $1,250 for Third Place. All details regarding the competition schedule, fees, and accomodation details will be provided soon.
Register your team today to participate in the competition.
- Category: Student Announcements
In order to complete their undergraduate studies, the Bachelor of Commerce students take their respective Capstone courses in their final year of study. A capstone is an academic experience where students conduct a research assignment on a subject that connects to community issues and present their conclusions in front of a panel of judges and stakeholders.
Intopia Simulation
All of our undergraduate students take Strategic Management (ADM4311), and depending on their specialization, will take additional capstone courses (i.e. marketing, finance, and accounting). The Strategic Management course integrates knowledge attained from prior courses combined with the latest strategy frameworks and analytical concepts. Students must examine and resolve the complex decisions top managers face in today's globally competitive world. The emphasis is placed on the fundamental tools of strategic formulation, competitive and market analysis, developing resource and organizational capabilities, and shaping strategic fit through the use of the weekend-long Intopia Business Simulation.
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition
Fourth-year Marketing students complete their studies with the Promotional Planning Practicum (PPP) course (ADM4325). The Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition was originally introduced by the late professor and Associate Dean, Michel Cloutier, in 1986. The competition was renamed in his honour in 1991. This year, the students worked on a fresh promotional strategy for Wesley Clover Parks, and the first place team won $1,500 dollars.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take Equity Valuation (ADM 4350) which consists of a case competition where students estimate the value of a real-life company, which this year was the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), and propose a course of action that the company should take to solve its problems; this year’s prize was $1,500 dollars for first place. The students also had to create posters to explain their financial valuation, with two teams who tied for best poster.
Accounting Capstone
Each semester, students in Case Studies in Accounting (ADM 4340 and ADM4740) course participate in a case competition in which they analyze a real company and report on accounting issues being faced by the company. This year’s organization for the English Accounting class was Biovali Corporation, and La Ferme à Mathurin for the French Accounting class. The winning teams from each section (English and French) each received a $2,000 cheque.
View the complete list of the students who won each respective competition on our Telfer Capstone page.
- Category: Student Announcements
In less than a month, 25 of our Telfer MBA students along with close to 600 MBA students from over 20 schools across the country will meet up at Ryerson University in Toronto to compete in the 2019 MBA Games.
The MBA Games is a 3-day annual event, organized entirely by students, that brings participants together to network and build relationships while competing in a series of academic, athletic and spirit competitions.
This year, the MBA Games has partnered with the Canadian Council for Refugees, a national non-profit umbrella organization committed to the rights and protection of refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Canada and around the world.
Find out more about the games on the 2019 MBA Games website.
Help our team reach their charity fundraising goal.
- Category: Student Announcements
On Thursday, November 29, 2018, Telfer International and the Student Services Centre hosted the International Exchange Fair in the Desmarais building. This event is designed for undergraduate students to have an opportunity to meet with other Telfer students who are interested in going on an exchange, students who have completed their exchange experience, and visiting international students who are currently on exchange in Ottawa.
This event had over 60 volunteers in attendance, and approximately 140 students interested in going on exchange next year. It also provided a chance to learn more about the different universities and countries that are part of our exchange program, as well as a chance to discover more details about the experiences of Telfer students who have studied abroad. It was a great opportunity to learn more about our partners and their cities from local students.
Thank you to our partner schools for your representation at the event for our students:
- KEDGE
- Auencia Nantes
- ESSEC Business School
- EMLYON Business School
- Copenhagen Business School
- Aarhus School of Business
- Bocconi University
- LIUC
- Solvay Brussels
- University of Chile
- Lund University
- City University of Hong Kong
- Tongji University
- National Chengchi University
- Nanyang Technological University
- University of Sydney
- University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
- Auckland University
- University of Waikato
- Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU)
- Tilburg School of Economics
- Hogeschool van Amsterdam
- University of Mannheim
- ESCP Europe - Madrid
- University College Cork
- University of Porto
- University of Brighton
- University of Strathclyde
There is still time to apply to go on exchange. Start the process by attending a mandatory information session in January to learn more about the program, application process, partners, and more. Every student thinking of going on an exchange must attend at least one information session before applying for an exchange. An international exchange is mandatory for students in the International Management option.
Register for the English Information Session, taking place on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Register for the French Information Session, taking place on Tuesday, January 8, 2019, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
We are proud of our #TelferNation student-athletes for their National Championship wins this year. The Gee-Gees Women’s Soccer and Rugby Teams competed in U SPORTS Canada’s annual National Championships.
We are proud to celebrate five of our female Telfer students, four undergraduate and one graduate student, for their remarkable accomplishments on the field:
- Katerine Delev, Soccer player in Management
- Cooper Lee, Soccer player in Management Information Systems and Analytics
- Taylor Donato, Rugby player in Accounting
- Katie Geddes, Rugby player in Management Information Systems and Analytics
- Paulina Karwowski, Rugby player taking her Graduate Diploma in CPA (not pictured)
On December 5, both teams were honoured in the University Centre building at a celebration for their accomplishments this year. The Associate Vice-President of Student Life, Michel Guilbeault, described the teams as “amazing, fierce leaders” and “magical to watch”.
The rugby team had a fantastic season going undefeated in the regular season to capture their fifth consecutive RSEQ championship banner. The team moved on to play three exciting and hard games at the U SPORTS National Championship, held at Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and captured the Bronze Medal. No team has as many national championship medals over the last 5 years as uOttawa Women’s Rugby.
The soccer team finished the regular season with the best record in the OUA, and they followed that up in the playoffs by winning the OUA title. Come time for the Nationals, held right here at the Gee-Gees Field, the team defeated the Calgary Dinos, the McMaster Marauders in the semis, and then defeated the Trinity Western Spartans (the first seeded team in Canada), to capture the U SPORTS GOLD medal and the Gunn Baldursson Memorial Trophy.
The Gee-Gees Women’s Soccer Team attended the City Council meeting in the morning on December 5, where Mayor Jim Watson officially declared the day University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Women’s Soccer Team Day. The Head Coach of the Soccer team, Steve Johnston, said “it has been so rewarding working alongside them for the last 6 years” and described his team as positive role models on campus who “kick all the time!”. Head Coach Johnston has just been hired a full-time position to spend even more time with the athletes, and help to further move women's sports forward at the University of Ottawa.
We look forward to watching the team in the new year, and we are excited that the University of Ottawa is hosting the 2019 USPORTS Women’s Rugby Championships.
- Category: Telferimpact
With your support, The Telfer School of Management was able to have a succesful Giving Tuesday Campaign.
With over 100 donors who contributed, more than $40,000 was raised to support our students, who participate in various activities. Along with the matching contribution from uOttawa, this overwhelming generosity will have a huge impact on our Telfer student experience.
On behalf of all of us here at the Telfer School of Management, Thank you!
- Category: Student Announcements
In recognition of Telfer’s 50th Jubilee celebration, the Student Services Centre organized a special surprise for a handful of high-achieving students.
On Thursday morning, November 29th, five first-year students in the Bachelor of Commerce program were invited to a meeting with Dean Julien. These students were surprised to be awarded the Dean’s Leadership Scholarship with a value of $2000 each, for their excellent academic standing. Congratulations to Marie Chloé Andréa Nadon Sabourin, Victoria Sullivan, Collin Murphy, Toleen Taimah, and Naomi Kixmoller-Gosley.
As First Years, students have to navigate through classes, clubs, networking events, extracurriculars, and jobs all while adapting to university life. These young adults are hardworking, intelligent individuals who benefit from the mentorship and career development opportunities offered throughout their undergraduate studies at the Telfer School of Management.
These students received some advice from Dean Julien on how best to navigate through their remaining years of study - he advised them on the importance of networking and being active on campus in order to build up their resumes and enhance their professional portfolios.
Congratulations, and we look forward to seeing what our students will continue to accomplish while at the Telfer School.
- Category: Latest News
The CASCO Charity Organization at Telfer is hosting their 19th annual Gala and Premiere Night to raise money for the kids at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Over the past almost 20 years CASCO has raised over $500,000 for the CHEO Foundation, inspiring the Ottawa community to give back and positively impacting CHEO families.
The CASCO team works hard each fall semester every Sunday leading up to their two-night fundraiser. Each year, the Gala night is an exciting night for the team when they reveal the grand total of donation funds they have raised for the CHEO Foundation. These funds go directly to the hospital to enhance the quality of care given to the children at CHEO.
19th Annual Gala: The Moment
This year’s theme will be “The Moment”, exhibited through their carefully selected mix of singing, dancing, and modeling performance. The students modelling will wear creations by local designers Zargara, Eiman Abouzeina, and L’Hexagon. This year’s title sponsors are Fahel & Co., The Infinity Convention Centre, and the Telfer School of Management.
Premiere Night: Sunday, November 25
- Preview of Gala night
- Cocktail hour
- Silent auction
- Network with sponsor companies recruiting students
- Showtime
Gala Night: Monday, November 26
- Purchase raffle tickets
- Bid on prizes at the silent auction
- Participate in the live auction
- Network with sponsor companies recruiting students
- Cocktails and three course dinner
- Showtime
- Reveal of the big cheque for the CHEO Foundation!
Join CASCO for “The Moment” and buy your tickets to attend Premiere Night on Sunday, November 25 or Gala Night on Monday, November 26.
- Category: Latest News
Complete your course evaluations online for the fall semester from November 19 to 30 to improve the quality of teaching and learning in your classes. Each term, we ask for your feedback in order to enhance your student experience. It is the perfect opportunity to tell us what you think, so we know exactly what YOU need to succeed in the classroom.
Reasons to Evaluate your Courses
- It’s 100% anonymous! It is impossible for your professor to see your name or student number. Your answers and comments are therefore confidential.
- You can make a better choice of courses! Look at past evaluations for a course or a professor to make your decision.
- You can drive change! Your opinion can make the difference in the structure and the content of the course and, foremost, it can enhance student experience.
- You can help other students! Your feedback will benefit the new cohort just like you already benefit from the evaluations of students that came before you
Steps
-
Log-in to uOzone.
-
In applications, click on “Evaluation of teaching and courses (Blue platform)”.
-
It is simple and accessible since uOttawa has implemented online course evaluations. You can complete the evaluation forms anywhere and at any time during the evaluation period through uOzone.
-
Choose a course to evaluate.
-
Complete the evaluation form.
It is simple and accessible since uOttawa has implemented online course evaluations. You can complete the evaluation forms anywhere and at any time during the evaluation period through uOzone.
- Category: Telferimpact
Telfer Student Activity Fund
Beginning as a model on the runaway at her first CASCO event, Chelsea has worked her way up to her position now as the President of the CASCO Charity Organization. Chelsea Parker is a fourth year BCom student with a specialization in accounting with co-op. Chelsea has been actively involved in the Telfer community, participating in extracurricular activities such as JDC, JDCC, the Telfer Accounting Club and CASCO. Chelsea started her first co-op with Welch in January 2017 and hopes to get her CPA once she graduates in December 2019. With the help of your donations, Chelsea has been empowered and has flourished professionally and personally.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Chelsea chose to study at Telfer for the many student opportunities Telfer provides. When asked about her involvement with Telfer and why she loves the school she responded, “The courses and academics are great but what really enhanced my experience within Telfer were the extracurricular activities”. CASCO is a student run charity organization that has raised more than $560,000 over the past 19 years for the CHEO Foundation.Chelsea says, “Most families in Ottawa have used the CHEO facilities, so being a part of CASCO was a unique and fulfilling opportunity.
CASCO is composed of all students doing what we love and it has been an incredible opportunity to be a part of the team. We are more than a club, we learn through our roles more than school can teach through courses, and it has been an all-around great opportunity.” Chelsea also spoke about her gratitude and appreciation for JDC. She said, “JDC allows you to apply and enhance your academic skills by utilizing what you learned in class in case competitions. Being involved in CASCO and JDC allowed me the opportunity to be in a leadership role which is highly transferable for when I graduate and enter the working world.” Chelsea is one of many dedicated hard working young students who have tremendously benefited from donations.
Chelsea demonstrates her ambition through her commitment to CASCO, JDC, co-op at a top end accounting firm all while balancing her classes. Her tenacity and motivation stems from her family who inspire her in different ways. Chelsea said, “My mom inspires me with her kindness and selflessness. My dad for his drive and tenacity. We tell people who make donations to CASCO that every penny counts, even if you feel it is small, it adds to the total amount that we donate to CHEO.” Chelsea acknowledges and appreciates the impact of your donations as any amount of generosity goes a long way. Chelsea can speak on behalf of many Telfer students of her gratitude for donors like yourself who allowed Chelsea the opportunity to become philanthropic leader at Telfer.
- Category: Telferimpact
FINANCE COMPETITION FUND
Thank you for being a part of the 2018 Giving Tuesday movement at the Telfer School of Management. With the help of generous donors like yourself, the Telfer School is able to host, and have students compete in a variety of different f inance competitions on a yearly basis.
The huge impact of donations is not possible to articulate without the help of students. Bithanya Lemma is one of many students who can speak to the extraordinary opportunities that would not be possible without the immense support the school receives. Bithanya has been involved with the Telfer Finance Society for the past three years, holding the positions of VP Academic, VP Events and President. Bithanya is a prime example of how integral case competitions are for students.
"Finance competitions have changed my undergraduate experience because they provide opportunities for students that we other wise wouldn't be getting in lectures. These competitions allow students to not only apply what they're learning, but get feedback and networking opportunities with professionals well recognized in this industry. The opportunity to learn from them is extremely valuable and appreciated."
Bithanya can speak to the need and appreciation for donations to the Finance Competition fund, as she has been heavily involved in planning and leading finance competitions. "Donations are important to the students that compete in finance competitions because they enable us to continue to grow these competitions, allowing more students to participate, provide more incentives to attract students, and supply the Telfer Finance Society with the recourses and materials necessary to execute successful competitions. Without donors, the competitions would not operate at the caliber they currently do."
"The opportunities that case competitions provide are like non-other. In 2016, I served as VP Academic for the Telfer Finance Society which meant I was responsible for working with the title sponsor Jean R. Desgagne (at the time President and CEO, Global Enterprise Services at TMX Group) to plan the competition. Having the opportunity to work with and host Mr. Desgagne, a donor who continuously makes a difference as a Telfer alum and is an esteemed professional in the f inance field, was an amazing opportunity and something that Icould not have experienced without case competitions."
Once again, thank you for helping students like Bithanya experience and learn as much as possible during their time at Telfer!
- Category: Telferimpact
TELFER MERIT ADMISSION SCHOLARSHIP FOR QUEBEC STUDENTS
Thank you for your participation in the 2018 Giving Tuesday movement at the Telfer School of Management. Your donation towards the Telfer Merit Admission Scholarship for Quebec Students was greatly appreciated. With the help of generous donors like yourself, students from Quebec are able to excel in their studies at the Telfer School, be involved in clubs and organizations, and make the most of their time at university.
Steve Rutikara is a Quebecois student scholarship recipient who exemplifies the important impacts of donations like yours. When asked why he chose to study outside of Quebec and specifically at the Telfer School, Steve answered, "I chose the Telfer School of Management because I've always had an interest in entrepreneurship and I knew that picking a good institution and building a strong network would allow me to thrive in the business field. As well, unlike universities in Quebec, the University of Ottawa did not require first going to CEGEP."
However, for Steve, choosing to study outside of Quebec means having to cope with tuition that is more expensive. "Admission scholarships mean being able to see all a school has to offer its students; like clubs, renowned professors, sports, opportunities, rather than just the financial burden side of things. I have been able to participate in the Management Information Systems Association, the Finance Society, AfriqCan and Hillel Ottawa during my undergrad, all made possible by generous donors who continue to support these scholarships."
Steve hopes to use all that Telfer has to offer in his future to create his own business. Thank you for investing in current and future students from Quebec attending or who will be attending the Telfer School!
- Category: Telferimpact
What do Nicholas Tesla and Elon Musk have in common? Both are inventors who have demonstrated that hard work and a passion for making the world a better place can lead to great success. To Mark Fraser, a first year student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in International Management, these people are his inspiration. Mark sees himself as a leader, role model and communicator, and hopes that Telfer will allow him to reach his full potential and develop the skills needed to dominate in the business world. With donations like yours, Mark was given the opportunity to learn more about the business world and develop his personal strengths so that one day, he may become the new Elon Musk or Nicholas Tesla.
Since High School, Mark has had an interest in starting his own company and says, “I like to find things I can tinker with and make better.” He enjoys working on small start-ups, and has recently launched his own line of clothing. When he is not working on these small initiatives, he enjoys reading in his spare time. Mark is passionate about doing new things and is eager to start learning more about the business world. Mark believes that the most important part of every business is the people and states that; “every person has a story and has something you can learn from them.”
Mark is one of many eager young Telfer students who have benefitted from donations like yours. Mark said that the scholarship “made me feel inspired to do my best and succeed when I knew I had people on my side and backing me. It motivated me to choose the Telfer School of Management and had a large impact on my life here in Ottawa.” Mark speaks on behalf of the many scholarship recipients as he expresses his appreciation for donations such as yours.
Once again, thank you for supporting students like Mark, who, because of your donations, was given the opportunity to develop his personal goals and further his career plan.
- Category: Telferimpact
"My ultimate goal is to become a financial planner and be able to open my own financial planning firm in my hometown where I could make a difference in the community that raised me.” From a small town with a high school of 300 people, Julia Despres has recently joined the Telfer School of Management where she has been given the opportunity to develop her personal and professional life. Julia was initially attracted to the Telfer School of Management due to the location, bilingualism, reputation among peers and the strong reputation Telfer has on a global scale. Julia is a student with many passions including an immense affection for flying. Julia has been a part of the Air Cadets for six years and “will do anything to get in the air.” After spending a summer in Ottawa staffing the Advanced Aviation Course at the Connaught Cadet Training Centre, she fell in love with Ottawa and continues to walk around and explore Ottawa’s many wonders. Through Telfer, Julia has been able to share her passion of movies with other students, spending many nights in residence watching films and bonding with what are now close friends.
With a dream of becoming a financial planner on the horizon, Julia additionally expressed her ambition to become a leader in her community. “I would like to be able to be successful enough to donate funds… specifically to Cadets Canada, my high school and local sports teams in my community. Air Cadets was such a big part of my life and I would like to be able to give back to a program that (greatly) benefitted me. The reason I would like to donate to my high school is to spark the interest of young people in my community about the world of business. Because the school is so small, (it has limited resources therefore,) it is very difficult to offer any type of business classes, and I want to change that. My aspirations are essentially to influence younger generations in a positive way and be able to support those who are struggling.” For Julia, your donations reinforced the importance of giving back to the community.
When asked about who inspires her Julia stated, “People like you who have donated their hard earned money to students like me. You are the ones who inspire us to be better people, the ones who enable us to become better people. I will ALWAYS aspire to be in the position to give back to this world. The amount of bursaries available to students is unbelievable and I will always strive to be like the numerous donors who have envisioned a brighter future for others.” Your donations inspired Julia and enabled her to fulfill her full potential while making the most of her experience at the Telfer School of Management.
Julia can speak on behalf of many scholarship recipients of her immense gratitude for donors like yourself. Once again thank you for your donations, which drove Julia’s passion to become a philanthropist in her community and allowed her the opportunity to attend and thrive at the Telfer School of Management.
- Category: Latest News
This year marks the 15th edition of Place à la jeunesse, which takes place on Saturday, November 10, 2018, at the Desmarais Building of the University of Ottawa. Place à la jeunesse is an annual business case competition that brings together over 90 students from French high schools across the province of Ontario. For the members of the organizing committee, the ultimate goal of this competition is to foster Francophone pride in the next generation and to help them develop their business acumen.
The day of the competition unfolds as follows: participants are given 3 hours to read, analyze and solve complex business cases in the following four areas: marketing, entrepreneurship, accounting and debate. They then present their innovative solutions to a panel of judges made up of business professionals in Ottawa, as well as alumni, students and professors from the Telfer School of Management.
This year, we have the honour to welcome MP Mona Fortier and Senator Lucie Moncion. In addition, professionals from accounting firms such as Deloitte and Marcil Lavallée will judge the entrepreneurship and accounting disciplines. The marketing component will welcome alumni of the Telfer School of Management. In addition to the opportunity to interact with these expert judges from the Francophone business community, Place à la jeunesse offers several scholarships to the winners. To date, more than $1 million has been awarded in scholarships!
In conclusion, Place à la jeunesse offers students much more than a case competition and scholarships. It is really a chance to acquire and develop skills in an entirely French environment while fostering a passion for commerce!
Check out this quick overview of the Place à la jeunesse competition, which we hope will spark your interest.
This competition and opportunity for academic development offered to young Francophones across Ontario would not be possible without our dedicated sponsors and partners. We are very grateful to:
- Category: Appointments and Honours
When Anna Dopico reflects on her fondest memories at the University of Ottawa, convocation immediately comes to her mind. Although she enjoyed her student experience, the conclusion of her University career, meant the beginning of a new one. "For me, this was the starting point of my journey to a career in the business world.” Anna explains
As a result, Anna has had many career successes, including her position as Director of Corporate Transformation and Control for CIBC and now President of Endeavor Volunteer Consulting for Non- profits. Anna is also the author of ‘To Make Riders Faster’, a self-published book that tells the inside story of Cervélo Cycles, a company co-founded by Gerard Vroomen and Phil White an alumnus of the University.
To Make Riders Faster is an inspirational and cautionary tale of two entrepreneurs who took their company, Cervélo Cycles, from a school basement project in Montreal, Canada, to their bikes winning in the Tour de France, the Olympics and Ironman. Vroomen and White built the most sought-after brand in the cycling world in less than a decade and faced the fight of their lives to keep their company alive.
“The book begins with Vroomen and White meeting at McGill University in 1995 and takes you on a wild ride of success and setback with laughter and tears all the while sharing cycling stories and engineering insights. The story is woven with words, images and quotes. It is a unique combination of a beautiful book and a biography of the company that reflects the aesthetic values of the Cervélo brand."
This 256-page hardcover book is available for purchase at www.ToMakeRidersFaster.com. A percentage of the net proceeds goes to CAN Fund, a Canadian non-profit athlete club.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
David Bishop — Loyal Donor of the Year
The years I spent as a Telfer BCom student were among the best of my life. Not only did I get a thorough grounding in business theory, but I also took non-business courses that both broadened my intellectual horizon and enabled me to view business from varying perspectives. For example, I recall English professor Paul Marcotte fondly. I’m still inspired by his enthusiasm and use his Essays in Speculative Literary Criticism to spur discussions with friends. Speaking of friends, I made many at the Telfer School: it took us 565 steps to walk from the doors of the former Arts Building, now Simard Hall, to the Albion Hotel. I also was active in student affairs, serving as the managing editor of The Fulcrum and director of the central advertising committee. Scholarship, friendship, leadership—mine was a true university education.
I left with a degree and a keen sense of possibility, and used both as a springboard to my future. Ultimately, as a Deloitte partner, I enjoyed working with some of the brightest and most helpful people one could hope for. Looking back, the rewarding experience I enjoyed at the Telfer School was an essential part of my foundation for a wonderful personal and professional life.
I’m also aware that my Telfer School experience was made possible, in part, by the financial support provided by countless donors. My decision to be a steadfast donor stems from my ongoing gratitude for the foundation the school and its backers gave me. My message to Telfer School graduates: as you experience success in your lives, take your turn in contributing to champion those who follow you. Be thankful and show it; contribute so others can enjoy enriching experiences; never take a good thing for granted; and never take this good thing for granted.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
Rob Ashe and Sandra Herrick — Donors of the Year
We’re Ottawa people. We grew up here, went to the University of Ottawa, built careers in our hometown after graduating and raised a family together. We owe much of our subsequent success and happiness to the rich learning experiences we enjoyed at uOttawa. We’re by no means alone. The university means a great deal to our hometown, especially its core. uOttawa is the academic, cultural and athletic heartbeat of downtown. It’s only natural to give back to an institution that has been vital to our lives and to the city we call home.
We’re also entrepreneurial people—Rob especially. He has spent some 30 years in lead roles in the local high-tech industry. While we’ve seen this sector grow steadily, we’ve also seen it falter at times. Its missing link has been a lack of management expertise for companies founded by entrepreneurs and fuelled by disruptive technologies. It’s tough enough to bring an idea to market successfully; it’s even harder to make an innovative company sustainable. The donation we made to the Telfer School is our way of forging that crucial link.
The Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School is designed to propel young entrepreneurs to create and lead groundbreaking businesses. The residency also spurs people from traditional business environments to infuse these settings with the entrepreneurial qualities of ambition, experimentation and resilience. The fact that the Telfer School has made entrepreneurship a strategic area of expertise only adds to the wisdom of our financial donation. To make our contribution complete, we dedicated the residency to Sandra’s late father. Dom Herrick had those key qualities of an entrepreneur. He was also keen to learn what new companies were emerging in his hometown, why some of these enterprises prospered and what aspects of their success he could apply in his job in the service industry. We’re thrilled that a residency in his name is a force for entrepreneurship in Ottawa. We think he would be too.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Foundry course (ADM3396) is a cross-campus initiative that leverages University and community resources to help you grow your business venture in a for-credit 13-week long course. This course lets you earn credits while working on your existing business or social enterprise (not just an idea), acting as an accelerator for your entrepreneurial venture.
You will have access to external mentors at themed sessions as well as frequent access to “lab” time to allow you to focus on your business. Course deliverables are designed to be relevant to your venture and each week you will have dedicated work time to help meet your milestones.
This course is open to all University of Ottawa students.
Interviews and Application
An interview and acceptance process will ensure only those most committed to real entrepreneurship will be accepted. Student teams are eligible, and not all members need to be registered for the course to participate. Space is limited to 25 students.
Venture Assessment
- Your venture will be evaluated by using a pre-survey and interview to determine where you are at with your venture and set goals.
- At the end of the course, you will be interviewed to measure the progress.
- Frequent pitches will allow you to develop your pitch skills, as well as gain valuable feedback from professors, mentors and peers.
Below you can watch Andres Tovar talking about his experience taking the Entrepreneurship Foundry course and building his business Noetic Marketer.
The course will run Fall 2020, Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
To learn more and to apply for the course, please contact Stephen Daze.
- Category: Telferimpact
Thank you to all of those who attended the 2019 Gala of Excellence on October 19. With over 330 guests in attendance, we celebrated the achievements and outstanding contributions that our alumni make to the world of business, health-care, the community and their alma mater. It was also a chance for us to celebrate the milestone anniversaries of the graduates of 1969, 1979, 1994 and 2009.
You can find photos from the evening on our Flickr page. Feel free to download and share with your friends!
Click here to read more about the five remarkable alumni who were recognized at the Gala »
Click here to read more about the Telfer Donor of the Year who were recognized at the Gala »
Did you graduate in 1970, 1980, 1995 or 2010? We are looking for class champions for the 2020 Gala of Excellence that will be held on October 17, 2020. Please
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Thank you to all of those who attended the 2018 Gala of Excellence on October 20. With over 330 guests in attendance, we celebrated the achievements and outstanding contributions that our alumni make to the world of business, health-care, the community and their alma mater. It was also a chance for us to celebrate the milestone anniversaries of the graduates of 1968, 1978, 1993 and 2008.
You can find photos from the evening on our Flickr page. Feel free to download and share with your friends!
Click here to read more about the five remarkable alumni who were recognized at the Gala »
Click here to read more about the Telfer Donor of the Year who were recognized at the Gala »
Click here to view the Dean’s Annual Report 2017-18 »
To help us improve the event, please fill out a quick survey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Did you graduate in 1969, 1979, 1994 or 2009? We are looking for class champions for Gala of Excellence 2019 that will be held on October 19, 2019. Please
- Category: Telfer Announcements
We are so proud to announce that our EMBA was ranked as one of the 100 best EMBA programs in the world by the Financial Times.
Find out more about what this ranking means here: Financial Times Ranks Telfer Executive MBA Among Top Executive MBAs in the World
- Category: Telfer Announcements
THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
The University of Ottawa is part of the Ontario postsecondary system. It became a public university on July 1, 1965 with enactment by the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario (Canada) of the University of Ottawa Act, 1965. Degree programs in business at the University of Ottawa are offered by the Telfer School of Management.
Ontario universities are authorized to offer Undergraduate Programs leading to a bachelor degree, Graduate Programs leading to master's and doctorate degrees, Continuing Education programs and certificates, including distance and part-time programs. Degree programs must be approved and are periodically appraised by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry does not impose specific admissions criteria: universities themselves have specific requirements for admission. The province funds universities and dictates conditions for tuition fees and increases.
The University of Ottawa is a member of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), an association of all authorized academic institutions in the Province of Ontario. It also belongs to the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), which is usually considered in Canada as the equivalent of an accrediting body.
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual institution offering programs in English and in French. The Telfer School of Management adheres to the university’s linguistic mission: students can complete their Honors Bachelor’s of Commerce in English or in French, and can take courses in either language. The School also offers its MBA program in both official languages. The EMBA, MHA and M.Sc. programs are offered in English. Student services are offered in both languages and active knowledge of either French or English, with passive knowledge of the second official language is a tenure condition for faculty members. While the bilingual nature of the School provides a rich cultural environment for students, it does impose additional constraints compared to other competing business schools.
THE TELFER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Our Purpose
To develop influential leaders and create relevant management knowledge that transform lives, organizations and communities.
Our Vision
The Telfer School is the space in which you create your future through the competencies, confidence and convictions we help you develop and the knowledge, connections and support we provide.
Our Mission
To launch and accelerate management careers and influence sustainable organizational performance through the leadership of our graduates and the impact of our researchers.
The Telfer School of Management is a member of the Canadian Federation of Business School Deans (CFBSD) which is a lobby group for Canadian Schools of Business. There are 61 university-based business schools in Canada that are members of the Canadian Federation of Business School Deans. Eighteen are in the province of Ontario and they all offer graduate and undergraduate programs; nine of them currently offer Ph.D. programs.
All of the Telfer School programs are subsidized by the Province of Ontario, except the EMBA and Master of Business in Complex Project Leadership programs which are funded by tuition fees.
The Telfer School is one of only three schools in Canada with the triple accreditation. It is one of twenty-two AACSB accredited business schools and one of three that has received AMBA accreditation. Nine other Canadian business schools currently (October 2017) have EQUIS accreditation.
While it attracts students from across Canada and around the world, the Telfer School largely competes in two regional markets: Ontario and Quebec. In the Quebec market, its major competitors are HEC Montreal and Laval for French programs and McGill and Concordia for programs in English. In the Ontario market, the major competitors are Queens, McMaster, Laurier and Carleton.
Over the past decade, the Telfer School invested time, energy and resources in establishing solid foundations. We have hired research intensive new professors and developed our research capacity and profile. Our program revisions have focused on learning outcomes and improvement of the student learning experience. We have invested in external relations and fundraising, generated significant engagement with alumni and numerous corporations, and raised the School’s endowment to $43M. We have expanded our Executive Education portfolio. During our most recent strategic planning exercise, we realized that the next stage in the School’s evolution is to consolidate its activities and become more visible internationally. As such, the School’s strategy has been centered on the idea of building reputation and this will drive our strategic initiatives.
The Telfer School has seen a dramatic increase in its competitive position and reputation. Its new name, new building and its fundraising success have increased applications to its programmes from students locally, regionally and nationally. The School has seen a marked rise in the quality of incoming undergraduate students. Having increased entrance requirements and put forward programs to enhance program success, the school is also observing an increase in 1st year student success and retention. The School has also seen a marked improvement in the quality and productivity of the faculty’s research. It has also been making major efforts to increase its international student recruitment through participation in various international recruitment fairs and has been seeing success in this area.
As the School look ahead to the next decade, our direction will be to continue to focus on building the Telfer brand and reputation, nationally and globally, by promoting the leadership and influence of our graduates, the relevance and impact of our research, the quality of the School’s work and the value it creates for others. Such a focus was consistent with much of the input received by the Strategic Planning Team during the consultative phase of the process.
Furthermore, considering how competitive the business school landscape has become, it became even more imperative to differentiate the School, both nationally and globally. To do this, we will continue to build the Telfer brand around a strong student experience, our distinctive competencies (for example, our Strategic Areas of Expertise (SAEs) and our various research communities of interest), our unique location in a G7 Capital and the benefits of our location in Canada, our association with The University of Ottawa, our bilingual heritage and our broad, multi-cultural heritage.
The Telfer MBA Program
The Telfer MBA is designed to provide participants with grounded knowledge and skills related to management of business, with a focus on preparing graduates to lead high-performing organizations. This concept of leading high performance organizations represents a differentiating theme of the program in comparison with its competitors. The MBA program structure provides participants with increased knowledge of their own personal, interpersonal and professional skill profiles as well as knowledge and skills related to the world of business practice.
Position Description
Under the general direction of the Vice-Dean Programs, the Director of the MBA Program is responsible for providing strategic leadership, management and oversight for Telfer MBA Program. Responsibilities include community engagement, recruiting, admissions, program management and delivery.
- Lead the School’s MBA Program in line with its mission and goals.
- Represent the Telfer School of Management in interactions with other UOttawa campus units, the corporate community, alumni and to current and prospective MBA students.
- Drive program recruitment and enrollment of qualified students for the program to achieve annual goals as established by the Vice-Dean's office.
- Collaborate with the Administrator Graduate Office on the recruitment and admission of MBA students. Conduct open houses, meet with prospective students and serve as spokesperson for recruitment activities.
- Oversee faculty, budgets, operations, and manage financial performance of the program.
- Administer of the MBA program; lead efforts in policy development and execution that enrich the MBA experience.
- Collaborate with the School’s Accreditation Officer in the provincial assessment and external accreditation processes of the MBA Program. Support the officer in all rankings activities and work to strategically identify and use those metrics that will enhance our program’s reputation.
- Oversee and direct program management and deliver an outstanding MBA-level student experience from orientation through graduation.
- Collaborate with the Vice-Dean Programs and MBA faculty to facilitate curriculum and course development in the MBA program.
- Collaborate with Vice-Dean Programs, Graduate Office Administrator, directors of the School's other Masters Programs, faculty, members of the marketing group, Career Center staff to identify, develop and implement key initiatives and programs.
- Develop and lead the delivery of a comprehensive academic advising strategy that supports all MBA students’ personal and professional goals
- Lead collaborative efforts to provide experiential learning and international programs for MBA students
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Knowledge of MBA markets, rankings, leading practices, and accreditation standards.
- Highly effective communicator, both in writing and speaking in English and French, with an ability to inspire students, faculty, and business partners.
- Proven marketing and networking ability.
- Ability to work collaboratively in teams with faculty, and staff, as well as with colleagues across the campus community and business community.
- Financial management knowledge desirable, as is experience in a highly dynamic and competitive environment.
- Ability to focus on actions and outcomes, with a strong level of energy and drive.
- Ability to work independently, multi‐task, and prioritize responsibilities.
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s Degree required. Minimum of three (3) years of related MBA program experience with an AACSB‐accredited program –OR—five (5) years of business experience in senior management or consulting positions.
Preferred Qualifications
- MBA or other relevant post graduate degree and/or a combination of academic and senior program management experience such that the individual will have recognition and credibility with students, faculty, alumni, and the general business community.
- A minimum of three (3) years of experience in program development and administration preferably within a graduate business school/university environment.
- A strategic thinker with evidence of successful implementation.
- Proven marketing and networking talents.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
Salary and Other Considerations
- Commensurate with experience
- Requires ability to work frequent weekends and evenings
- Requires periodic regional, national and international travel.
THE PROCESS
The Telfer School welcomes those who are excited by the prospect of building a world-class MBA Program in Ottawa, based on the following ambitions:
- To build the School’s competitive advantage around our most unique attributes: our location in a G7 Capital, our close proximity to Canadian decision makers, our association with uOttawa, our bilingual heritage and our broad, multi-cultural diversity
- To be a business school that is known for the impact of our programs, research and community engagement
- Our research drivers are truly strategic and drive the School - they provide distinctive, world class discovery and learning platforms, and they continue to strengthen the School’s international reputation;
- Our programs deliver a world-class, real-life, hands-on and relevant learning experience that is inspired by the research we do and supported by our engagement with the community;
- Our engagement with Canadian and International leaders drives our programs and research, and the relationships we have created with our community enable us to better understand the challenges they face and the value we can offer; and
- We are commitment to global standards of quality and excellence, and we achieve this through the process of continuous organizational improvement.
The search committee will begin considering potential candidates immediately and will continue until the position is successfully filled. A complete application which includes a letter of introduction, no longer than two pages in length, outlining the reasons why this position is of interest to you, your vision for the School’s MBA program and any initiatives you would like to put forward and undertake should you be selected, your curriculum vitae, and the name of three references (who will not be contacted without your consent) should be submitted electronically to:
The University Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management is an Equal Opportunity Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UOttawa non-discrimination policy.
- Category: Telferimpact
“People always use the expression that travel changes you, but travelling didn’t change who I am, it made me grow and understand who I am.” Rachel Champagne is a fourth year student pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in International Management at the Telfer School of Management. Having had few opportunities for traveling while growing up, Rachel was attracted to the international aspect of the International Management stream and in the fall of 2017, completed one semester of her studies in Aarhus, Denmark. After visiting 11 countries throughout Europe, Rachel not only learned a lot about herself, but also was able to understand the cultures of others. Donations such as yours allowed Rachel the opportunity to develop herself and further advance her career aspirations.
When asked where she sees herself in five years Rachel stated that: “I cannot tell you exactly what position I will have in five years, but what I can tell you is that I intend on pursuing a career that will make a difference in the lives of others. Whether it be in trade, diplomacy or international affairs, I aspire to obtain a job where I am challenged and where I can learn about and help others. My experience abroad changed my perspective, gave me a global mindset while understanding the importance of multiculturalism.” With the help of your donations, Rachel was given the opportunity to learn both inside and outside the classroom and to better understand what type of career she wants.
“The experience I had was a dream come true, and staying in a shared housing facility with eight other people was one of the best decision I ever made. These friends became family creating a home away from home feeling, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet such knowledgeable and inspiring individuals. From Brazil to France, Australia to Germany, I met people from around the globe and I learned something unique and special from each person. I learned to be resilient and resourceful during my travels and also I learned that knowledge is powerful and a privilege.
“I never thought that I would experience something so profound and incredible. Your donations empowered me and enabled me to fulfill my dream of traveling, learning and meeting new people.” For Rachel, this scholarship enabled her to experience what a global career may look like and provided her with friendships that will last a lifetime.
Once again thank you for helping students like Rachel aspire for greatness, and reach for more and her personal and professional life.
- Category: Community Engagement
The 19th annual CASCO Gala took place on Monday November 26th at the Infinity Centre to a sold out crowd. This year, They were able to raise their largest total in CASCO history with a sum of $71,000.00. For more information about CASCO and the 19th edition of their gala, click on the links below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cascotelfer/
website: http://www.cascotelfer.ca/#shapely_home_parallax-3
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Have you been considering pursuing a Telfer MBA or MHA degree? The Telfer School of Management is holding an information session for each Masters program this month. If you would like to learn more about the programs, attend an upcoming session to interact with professors and ask one-on-one questions about the program.
What is the value of a Master’s Degree?
Both the MBA and MHA programs provide value through a personalized, hands-on, and connected learning experience. Each of the classes are small and engaging, which provides the opportunity to work closely with your peers, and learn from your professors in a multicultural environment. Our masters programs can enable you to build competencies, grow your career, and establish valuable, long-lasting connections, all while being located in the heart of the Canadian G7 capital.
Why take your MBA at the Telfer School of Management?
Internationally recognized Triple Crown Accreditation
-
Access to top professors with valuable experience
-
Industry connections
-
Explore the management consulting project
-
Participate in our internship program
-
Receive a salary increase
-
100% chance of employment within 9 months
Register: MBA Information Session on Thursday, November 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Why complete the MHA at the Telfer School of Management?
-
Prepare you to make a difference in the healthcare industry
-
Assume leadership positions in all areas of Canada’s dynamic, complex health system
-
Choose from two flexible program deliveries with top professors
-
Obtain real-world experience with a four-month exclusive residency
-
Gain tactical management skills for your career
Register: MHA Information Session on Tuesday, November 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Determine if these Telfer programs are the right fit for you today.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
That’s not a typo. As an experienced healthcare executive, I’ve always had a strong commitment to improve healthcare delivery at organizational and system levels—to lead a legacy today rather than leave one tomorrow. My career has been a continuing effort to live up to this commitment. I’ve engaged not only in healthcare transformation, but also in human resources planning, organizational culture, system partnerships and other matters that underpin the business of healthcare delivery. On top of that, I teach leadership development programs, mentor current and budding healthcare professionals, and work with healthcare professionals to make their organizations increasingly efficient, resilient and successful in delivering better outcomes for patients.
Leading a legacy is vitally needed in the healthcare sector. After all, ours is no ordinary business. At its heart is the wellbeing of our fellow citizens and society as a whole. That’s the reason I’ve always wanted to devote my career to healthcare from my early days. I worked at hospitals as a teenager and earned an undergraduate degree in biology and life sciences. Yet it wasn’t until I joined the Telfer Master of Health Administration program back in the late 1970s that I received instruction in business management and healthcare policy and economics. This training enabled me to connect with what matters to me—becoming a leader and mentor in a sector I’m passionate about.
The Telfer School prepared me to serve as an executive at an academic research hospital, an assistant deputy minister in our province’s Ministry Health and Long-term Care, an executive-in-residence at a business school, and a leader at global consulting firms. Forty years into my career, I’m still learning. There’s a continuous newness to the healthcare sector because it’s changing all the time. Especially now. The transformation underway inspires me to redouble my efforts to maximize the leadership potential of healthcare professionals and make our sector’s organizations and overall system better than ever—to lead a legacy and not merely leave one.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
I liken success to an ever-widening circle. Opening yourself to a range of experiences expands your knowledge and empathy. When these qualities grow, you not only advance personally and professionally, but also help others flourish. I first realized this truth while a student at the Telfer School. The school was a stimulating academic environment that I made even richer by taking advantage of learning opportunities outside my classrooms and lecture halls. I played basketball for uOttawa, joined the business consultancy group on campus, and continued to look for other ways to widen my circle of experience.
I’ve followed this same approach since I graduated in 1983. An accountant by training, I was instrumental in making my firm more inclusive, its employees more skilled and its brand more powerful. So much so that I became managing partner of Ernst & Young in Ottawa. I also sought out ways to contribute to my community. I have served for several years on the boards of the local United Way campaign, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and the uOttawa board of governors, as well as chairing its audit committee.
Broadening my experiences in all these ways has made me a stronger leader, made my firm and its people more successful, and made my community an even better place to live. Seeing my firm and community grow is very important to me. I encourage current and prospective Telfer School students to follow my lead. Our school holds open plenty of opportunities to learn and give. Seize them. Widen your circle of experience and then reap and share the rewards.
- Category: Latest News
CEOx1Day is on the Hunt for Canada’s Top Students!
The CEO x1 Day program, run by executive recruiting firm, Odgers Berndtson, matches Canada’s top students with CEOs from across the country. Today’s students are the leaders of tomorrow and the yearly program aims to uncover some of Canada’s most promising future talent by giving them an unforgettable real-world experience.
The program has matched over 80 third and fourth year undergraduate students from across the country with leading Canadian CEOs from organizations like IKEA, PayPal, De Beers Canada, Purolator, the CFL, Manulife Financial, Kellogg, CBC/Radio-Canada, Amnesty International and the Canadian Red Cross. This year, we have another fantastic line-up of 19 CEOs from organizations in the private, public and not-for profit sectors including Toronto Pearson International Airport, Cirque du Soleil, IKEA, Mindbrige AI, Servus Credit Union, WSP Canada, Broadband TV, ArcelorMittal and more!
Past CEOx1Day students who have taken part in the program say that they received valuable experience that equips them with the tools to start building their careers. Because the selection process has several stages, there is an opportunity for students to get feedback on their leadership and interview skills that are instrumental to their career development. The different phases of the selection process include an online leadership assessment, as well as phone and in-person interviews and a half day with Odgers Berndtson recruiters.
The application process kicks off September 27th until October 26th and the actual day spent with the CEO occurs in February 2019.
Why Should You Apply?
The program gives third and fourth-year students an opportunity to take in-class learning and apply it to real-world situations while providing you with the tools and skills needed to start building your career.
What Are the Benefits?
There are many benefits of going through the CEOx1Day application process – even if you don’t reach the finalist round:
- 2 out of 3 applicants will have the opportunity to receive a personalized leadership report from Hogan Assessments
- Semi-finalists will be considered for an interview with McKinsey & Company for a summer internship or full-time job
- Semi-finalists will spend a half day participating in group exercises and one-on-one interviewing which will strengthen their presentation and interviewing skills
- And ultimately, the winners will spend a full day shadowing a CEO (including one-on-one time), learning about his/her background, career path, and leadership approach
- You can also see first-hand what previous winners have to say about the program.
Interested in applying? Starting September 27th, 2018, third and fourth-year students can apply at ceox1day.ca until October 26th, 2018.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
- Category: Rising Stars
Name: Marisha Sesto
Program (and Option, if applicable): Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing, with Coop
Year: 4th Year
Fun fact: I have a twin brother… who loves marketing almost as much as I do!
Link to Linkedin profile (optional): www.linkedin.com/in/marishasesto
Why did you choose the Telfer School of Management? Why did you choose your program?
I chose Telfer because it was in the core of the capital city. Coming from London, Ontario, I knew it’d be an exciting change and something that could allow me to experience independence and opportunities that I wouldn’t find in London. I chose my program, Marketing with the Coop option, because I’ve always been a creative at heart, I knew business degrees provided unique opportunities, and the Coop experiences would give me an edge, to differentiate myself from my peers when it came down to knowledge, skills, and relevant work.
Do you participate in any student clubs or associations at Telfer/uOttawa? If so, what motivates you to do so?
I do! Throughout the years, I’ve been involved as a 101 Week Guide, 101 Week Captain, VP Internal for The Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE), a sports delegate for JDC for 2 years, and an academic delegate for Happening Marketing. I just finished up my largest position this year as the President (Co) of the Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) with my bestfriend Aveen!
I was motivated to get involved after seeing the high-spirited, like-minded students in the lounge looking like they were having the time of their lives – even if they were just hanging out, studying. This same level of spirit and community or “family” as we called it at TECDE, runs through all club events, teams, and competitions.
I wanted to meet new people, make new connections, and to find a group of friends that I really jived with – inside and outside of school.
Getting involved made my university experience. When I think about my favourite moments and memories, most of them involve one of the clubs I was involved in, or one of the events I attended. The friends I truly believe I will have throughout my life, are people I met through being active in the Telfer community.
What do you love most about the Telfer School and/or uOttawa?
The people and opportunities is what I love most about Telfer.
Being involved, definitely. See question 2!
Also, the opportunities that Telfer provides. I’ve had an amazing experience hands-on learning the real-world skills I need through coop, gaining many valuable connections through networking, the faculty members and advisors, who go out of their way to share advice and provide mentorship, even when it’s not course-related. I could go on…
Which class (or classes) have you taken to date that has left a particular impression with you, and why?
Digital Marketing with Jonathan Simon. We’re in a digital era, and in a marketer’s world, we need to be adaptive to the fast ever-changing environment. Jonathan gave his class a crash course on “everything” digital marketing, giving us the brief on topics and skills we need to know when we graduate. We also worked with him and PageCloud to develop our own personal brands, and build our own website and blog, using what we learn in class. This course, and Jonathan specifically, truly takes the time to set up marketing students for success in that first big interview, or first big work project.
I also loved Personal Leadership and Development with Matt Archibald. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone, I learned a lot about myself that I didn’t know before, and definitely grew as a person in my everyday life and in a professional setting.
Whom or what inspires you the most?
My parents definitely inspire me the most. They worked hard to get to where they are today and are successful in their careers, they are passionate about what they do everyday, and most importantly, they are happy. I look up to them everyday, they’ve set me up on my path to success and happiness, and I can’t thank them enough!
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
-*Running the club that won Event of the Year, The Entrepreneurs’ Club’s Business Dinner, that was so successful that the Ottawa Business Journal even wrote about us!
-*Being an ADM2381 Presentations TA. Helping students minimize their fears of public speaking, getting them comfortable in front of an audience, and watching their confidence spike in only a few weeks of teaching made me feel great. I’ve had many students thank me and reach out to me privately about how much it positively impacted them.
-Completing my final coop term with Klipfolio as a Digital Marketing Specialist this summer.
-Getting first place for JDC snow volleyball in Moncton, New Brunswick.
What is your favourite Telfer memory/moment?
I have way too many to narrow it down to only one!
What are you most looking forward to after completing your program?
I’m most looking forward to the continued learning and challenges that lie ahead of me. The marketing world, trends, and tools are constantly changing. I’m excited to see what trend I need to learn about next! I’m looking forward to the freedom in choosing a career opportunity that excites me everyday, that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning! I’d also love to travel and volunteer outside of Canada!
Do you have any advice for students considering Telfer?
Get involved. Do coop. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone – you’ll learn that much more! Ask questions. Ask for help, advice or mentoring when you need it – from Telfer faculty members, advisors, ambassadors, club executives, that’s what they’re here for! Telfer is filled with amazing people and amazing opportunities. Telfer has something for anyone.
Are you a Telfer scholarship recipient? If so which one and what was the impact.
Yes, I received the Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award/Scholarship. The money went towards my tuition, and the award went towards continuing my drive and passion for entrepreneurship and making a positive impact at Telfer and in the world.
Also – you can follow Telfer’s LinkedIn activities here!
- Category: Telfer Announcements
Show your school pride and we might send you to the 50th Panda Game between the @uottawageegees and the Carleton Ravens.
Here's how to win:
1. Post a picture of yourself and another Telfer student on Instagram wearing Telfer gear or showing school pride.
2. Use the hashtags #telfernation & #geegeesnation and tag the Telfer friend you would take with you.
Hurry up, contest ends September 25th at 4 pm. *Contest open to all current Telfer students. Student ID required when claiming prize.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
I’ve always been an optimist. Yet even those who look on the bright side can sometimes puzzle over what their futures hold. When I graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Science degree, I was deeply uncertain about the career path I should take. Then I learned about the Telfer Master of Health Administration and my professional life started to fall into place.
The year was 1990 and big changes were afoot in Canadian healthcare. The Canada Health Act had been in place for less than a decade. New funding mechanisms were gaining traction. And politicians were pressuring organizations to merge in an effort to become more efficient. As a result, the sector was growing more complicated, its challenges more daunting, and its place in our national conversation increasingly important.
I loved it all. Yes, healthcare in Canada is a complex business. But it’s a business with a big heart and a generous soul—a business that runs on meaningful relationships and relies on them to make our country a healthier and better place. In short, it’s tailor-made for an eternal optimist like me.
Twenty-eight years later, I’ve not only made a professional home in healthcare, but also stayed connected to the place where it all started for me. I serve as president of the Toronto Regional Council for uOttawa alumni; and the organization I lead—Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital)—confers an award each year to the Telfer MHA student who delivers the best final residency presentation. The students who do their placements at our hospital also make sure my knowledge is current and supply me with fresh ideas. I suggest Telfer grads keep that fact in mind: for every viable new approach you’ll learn in healthcare, you’ll have to unlearn an obsolete one. Take it from an eternal optimist: it’s the best way to operate in this complex, big-hearted business.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Blaze a Trail of Giving
I arrived at the Telfer School almost 30 years ago as a young student, unsure of how I would perform. I needn’t have worried: my professors gave me all the tools I needed to succeed. Best of all, they nurtured in me a confidence I didn’t know I had—the self-assurance to see myself in a top job, to be a leader of a successful organization and to improve my community through giving.
So I made that vision a reality, becoming a top executive at one of Canada’s biggest banks and an active contributor to many charitable organizations. Yet the higher I climbed in my career, the more I realized that there were even fewer women in philanthropy than there were in high leadership positions. Generations of men had looked to other men as mentors and guides in their professional lives, but we women didn’t have that luxury—either as executives or as philanthropists.
I decided to change that. To supply rising career women with the role models they needed, I started acting as a giving mentor. As these younger women became increasingly engaged as philanthropists, they became mentors themselves. We created a community of women that encouraged other women to cultivate generosity alongside their career successes. Steadily but surely, this growing group of women blazed a trail of giving.
Our work is far from done. We must make certain that women continue to have powerful examples of giving that they can emulate. We need to foster a culture of giving and, in doing so, leave a clearer, wider trail of generosity behind us to guide the way for others.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
Philanthropy matters most to me. The importance of giving time, money and knowledge to others is one of the most valuable lessons I learned as a student of the Telfer School. My experiences as a member of our School’s Jeux du Commerce team, the Finance Society and the Entrepreneurs’ Club supplied and reinforced this truth.
My involvement in the Entrepreneurs’ Club was especially instructive. Not only did I come to understand the role philanthropy plays in a rewarding career, but I also discovered the value of a mentor to help steer my career in the right direction. Luckily for me, I’ve since found two advisors who, among other things, have stressed just how essential reconnecting with my alma mater is to being a professional. Simply put, everyone who thrives in business has a duty to share his or her success in meaningful ways.
As someone who has succeeded as a partner and portfolio manager in an investment firm, I give to the Telfer School in several ways—speaking at events, acting as a mentor and funding scholarships that stress academic achievement and community involvement. A few years back, I based my philanthropy on a simple principle: support two students per year and then build from there. I urge young Telfer School alumni and soon-to-be graduates to profit from my example. Find a mentor who is passionate about his or her business. Adopt a giving principle that works best for you. Start sharing your success.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
There are over 250 student associations at the University of Ottawa, which encourage students to work with their peers while discovering their strengths and passions. One of the newest teams, Formula uOttawa, continues to evolve and promote experiential learning opportunities in the STEM fields through a collaboration of multiple faculties, including the Faculty of Engineering and the Telfer School of Management.
Formula uOttawa is the University of Ottawa’s student race car team. Each year, the team is required to design and build a brand new race car, which is judged at various international competitions and scored based on the overall design, cost, and performance of the car. The team’s third season has officially come to an end, after their most successful competition to date at Formula North 2018. The team placed 23rd out of 49 registered teams. By gaining this hands-on experience, the members of the Formula uOttawa team are able to highlight to employers that they can apply the knowledge and skills that they have learned in the classroom. As a result of the hard work of the students on this team, numerous members have secured internships at multinational companies including Tesla, Chrysler, and Continental Tire.
Not only were the racing events at Formula North a success, the talented group of students from the Telfer School of Management were able to capture 2nd place in the business presentation out of 27 teams. These outstanding students made this year’s car possible by securing 26 sponsors who provided over $30 000 in donations. The students from the Telfer School of Management are members of the Formula uOttawa Marketing Team, Accounting Team, and Administration Team.
Formula uOttawa could not have attended the international competition without the hard work and collaboration of students in both faculties.
For more information about Formula uOttawa and to learn how you can get involved, visit their website at www.formulauottawa.com
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Telfer alumnus Cassy Aite (BCom 2015), and his co-founded company Desk Nibbles have landed pre-seed financing to fund U.S. expansion. Desk Nibbles uses Artificial Intelligence to make it easier for Office Managers to manage their office kitchens. With over 65 customers and a growing number of employees, Desk Nibbles is quickly expanding.
Read more about the pre-seed financing to fund U.S. expansion.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
Telfer School of Management is delighted to announce that the recipients of this year’s MBA Student Leadership Award are Emily MacKay, Obinna Eze, Laurine Avallone and Sanane Guy Cédric Behi. These individuals are recognized for their leadership and for making exceptional contributions to the MBASA and/or the MBA program in general.
The award recipients elicited many comments, and the MBA class were effusive in their support for them.
The MBA class spoke to Emily MacKay’s non-stop contribution to the 2018 MBA cohort for all contingents, especially her “beyond expectations” involvement in the MBA Student Association, the MBA gala and the MBA games. Cited as an exemplary leader she elicited respect from classmates and professors, and was admired for her ability to excel in her academics while being highly involved.
Obinna Eze was commended for utilising his vast experience to ask the right questions to stimulate discussion and draw out information that was highly beneficial for the collective learning experience.
Students expressed their admiration for Obinna’s solid leadership and team player skills. He is referred to as a “hard worker with selfless intentions to help and motivate his peers”.
Laurine Avallone was recognized for “her strong will power and temperament to succeed facing lots of odds”. For her peers, she is an example on how a young international student can make the most of the program through her participation in events representing the Telfer School of Management, including at the MBA games and several other case competitions around Ontario and Quebec.
Sanane Guy Cédric Behi was applauded for his leadership as the French cohort representative in the MBASA, a leadership style described as “built on respect, humility and dedication”. His unifying spirit and his respect for his peers inspire everyone who works with him.
We expect great things from these individuals, and extend our warmest congratulations to each of them.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
This year’s recipient for the Robert Wood Johnson Award for the University of Ottawa is Belinda Maciejewski. The criterion for this award is based on the student’s likelihood to make valuable contributions to health services management. The presentation of the Robert Wood Johnson Awards took place during the National Health Leadership Conference presented by HealthCareCAN and the Canadian College of Health Leaders held in St John’s, NL, from June 4-5, 2018.
Since its inception in 1956, the award has been presented to nearly 300 Canadian healthcare professionals. It is supported by Johnson & Johnson Medical Products in partnership with six leading Canadian universities, which offer a Masters’ program in healthcare administration, including: Dalhousie University, Université de Montréal, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta and University of Toronto.
After completing her CPA, CA designation with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Vancouver, Belinda Maciejewski decided to combine her business acumen with her lifelong passion for healthcare by moving to Edmonton to work for the then-newly formed Alberta Health Services. Through over half a decade as a Senior Financial Analyst in advisory services supporting high priority programs, Belinda learned that administrative leadership in Canadian healthcare organizations is dominated by clinicians with limited or no formal training in business concepts. She also observed a divide between administrators and clinicians which often became an obstacle which stalled or stopped progress.
Having enjoyed the role as the bridge between administration and clinicians as an analyst, Belinda desired to expand this bridging role beyond Finance by undertaking the Telfer School of Management Master of Health Administration program at the University of Ottawa. Belinda is a firm believer of the benefits of diverse perspectives and backgrounds which leads to more balanced and robust decision making. Her aspiration is to become an agent for change by marrying business practices and technology with clinical operations as well as breaking through silos which inhibit Canadian healthcare from truly innovating and transforming into a world-class 21st century system.
In December 2017, Belinda was also recognized as an award recipient of the Michael Garron award which recognizes a University of Ottawa MHA student who has demonstrated innovative health solutions to practical problems encountered during their residency placement. Belinda completed her residency at The Ottawa Hospital, and presented her project entitled “Mapping the Operational Process for the New TOH Home Dialysis Program”. Belinda is currently Operations Manager at the Ottawa Hospital.
- Category: Innovation and Entrepreneurship
A new Telfer study, conducted in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada, identifies action strategies to increase federal SME supplier diversity and inclusive innovation. Showcased at the Chatham House International Policy Forum in the UK, the report provides important benchmarks about the progress of women entrepreneurs in Canada, and sets a standard of reporting in examining gender of firm ownership, breadth and types of innovation and federal SME contracting.
The empirical report and action strategies will be of interest to policymakers, small business and innovation organizations, advocates, industry associations, and corporations that support supplier diversity. The research, for example, helped to inform a key Chatham House conference resolution, one that the W20 adopt entrepreneurship, procurement, and trade as one of its three policy priorities.
Telfer report recommendations include:
- Adopting sector-specific strategies to help achieve the Government of Canada's commitment to increase the participation of women business owners from 10 percent to 15 percent in federal contracting. Sector-specific strategies follow from the Telfer finding that gender differences in the likelihood of SMEs being federal contractors varied significantly by industry sector.
- Improving SME procurement data and analytics, including large samples and detailed analyses to move beyond anecdotal evidence and to increase SME contracting opportunities.
- Developing gender-sensitive procurement training in collaboration with industry organizations, such as Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC), WBE Canada, WEConnect International Canada, Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC), among others.
View the 'Action Strategies to Increase the Diversity of SME Suppliers to The Goverment of Canada` report.
View the full 'Benchmarking SME Suppliers to The Government of Canada' English report.
View Related Telfer Publications and Initiatives.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
All our grads would agree: internships and consulting projects are defining moments in their Telfer experience. Help us give the next cohort of students the same opportunity. Telfer is currently seeking organizations to engage MBA talent in real-life challenges.
There is no doubt that the experience will be valuable for both you and our students. All MBA interns and consulting teams are supported by a faculty member and have access to cutting edge data in order to resolve even the most complex problems that your organization may encounter. Equipped with, on average, 7 years of pre-MBA work experience, these future leaders will give you a fresh perspective thus helping you reach your goals. Sample projects include (but are not limited to), market development, process improvement, and strategic process review.
Beyond the scope of a specific project, if you are looking for new talent, this is your chance to find qualified individuals and evaluate their potential fit within your workplace without the hassle of painful interviews!
You think you might have a project for our students? Contact Nathalie Paré by e-mail at
Ready to propose a challenging project? Submit your proposal using the templates available online: MBA Internships or MBA Consulting projects.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
People, planet, and profit. Otherwise better known as the "triple bottom line," this concept distinguishes itself by including certain spheres, namely social and environmental, in assessing the profitability of a business. It's from this same vision that The Unscented Company, a line of unscented home and body care products, was born. The brand was launched in 2016 on two founding principles that greatly inspired founder and CEO Anie Rouleau in her company's creative process. "Firstly, we had to redefine the notion of clean by offering exclusively unscented, all-natural products. Secondly, we had to design our packaging for conscious living, with the goal of significantly reducing our collective plastic footprint."
Anie's philosophy is based on a model combining transparency, inclusiveness and accountability. More specifically, "what inspires me are the men and women who hold on to their vision, while staying true to their own beliefs, even when it's hard."
It's thanks to this same innovative vision that Anie's company was awarded B Corp certification, making The Unscented Company the first Canadian home and body care product company to be certified.
"I find real joy in giving back. I want to contribute to a better world and I enjoy building the business of tomorrow." This same desire to give back is reflected in the Anie Rouleau International Exchange Scholarship. Established in 1999, this scholarship not only gives young people the opportunity to pursue their studies abroad, but also encourages young women to carve their own path to entrepreneurship. "Every thank-you letter I get from recipients reminds me how important it is to give back and be involved in the academic lives of young people."
- Category: Telfer Announcements
For the 5th year in a row, Telfer is proud to sponsor the APEX Award of Excellence in Leadership that was presented at the APEX Leadership Symposium, held May 29-30, 2018 in Ottawa. The Leadership Award recognizes an executive in the Public Service that has demonstrated outstanding leadership and that presents a role model for leadership. This year’s recipient is Mr. Michel Doiron, Assistant Deputy Minister at Veterans Affairs Canada; Mr. Doiron received the award in front of over 800 attendees at the symposium. The award was presented by Mr. Michael Wernick, the Clerk of the Privy Council, Mr. Michel Vermette, CEO of APEX, and Glen Orsak, Director of Telfer Executive Programs.
“We are proud to work with public service executives and welcome over 200 participants from the public service into our leadership programs every year.” says Glen Orsak. “Telfer is mission-focused on providing learning and development that transforms the leadership capacity across the Federal Public Service and we are proud to sponsor an award that recognizes leadership excellence in the FPS”.
About Telfer Executive Programs
Telfer Executive Programs is the premiere provider of executive & leadership development programs across the National Capital Region, with a reach across Canada and internationally. More info: Telfer Executive Programs.
About APEX
Established in 1984, APEX is governed by a board of directors made up of fifteen executives representing the National Capital Region and every other region of Canada. The wide range of APEX activities and initiatives is designed to provide executives with opportunities to develop a strong community of practice, promote their physical and mental well-being, and support excellence in leadership.
To learn more on APEX and the Awards of Excellence visit their website here »
- Category: Telfer Announcements
We are pleased to announce the winners of the very first Telfer International Exchange Video Contest!
The Telfer International Exchange Video Contest was for Telfer students who had participated in an international exchange during the 2017-2018 academic year or before that. The competition’s objective was to promote our exchange destinations and to reward our students’ creative talent.
And the winners are:
First Prize
Amani Couture, City University of Hong Kong
Amani Couture - Concours / Contest - TELFER from Amani Couture on Vimeo.
Second Prize
Erhardt Jansen Jansen Van Rensburg, Auckland University of Technology
We would like to thank all participants for making the contest a great success!
Click here to learn more on the international exchange programs »
- Category: Telferimpact
From left to right: Sarah E Downey, Debbie Fischer, Deanna Monaghan, Gabriel Bouchard-Phillips & Michelle Savoy
Five notable alumni will be recognized by the Telfer School of Management by receiving Trudeau medals, the Young Achiever's Award and the Dean's Philos Award for their outstanding contributions to the world of business, healthcare, community and their alma mater at the 2018 Gala of Excellence. The Gala will be held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, October 20, 2018 and this event also serves as an opportunity to collectively celebrate the Telfer School and highlight the graduation anniversary of the classes of 1968, 1978, 1993 and 2008.
Trudeau Medals
Sarah E Downey, MHA 1992
Sarah Downey joined Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital) as President and CEO in 2015. Prior to joining MGH, Sarah held senior leadership positions at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and at University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Hospital. She has worked in hospitals for 25 years since graduating with a Masters in Health Administration from The Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. Sarah has been fortunate to lead clinical programs, support service operations, and major redevelopment projects in her career. Sarah is also the President of the uOttawa Toronto Regional Alumni Council.
Debbie Fischer, MHA 1979
Debbie Fischer has held senior leadership positions in professional consulting services, in health care and government. She is currently an Executive Associate with KPMG where she consults on organizational change and large-scale system transformation in health care and public sectors. Debbie serves on several boards including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace, North York General Hospital, the Health Care Advisory Council of GS1, Prodemnity as well as Joule, a Canadian Medical Association subsidiary.
Deanna Monaghan, BCom 1983
Deanna Monaghan was admitted to EY’s partnership in 1994 and has served as Ottawa’s Managing Partner for over eleven years. She is also the firm’s National Leader for Government & Public Sector Assurance Services and the Market Leader for the Ottawa Assurance practice. Deanna is highly active in the volunteer community and serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa and is Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Board of Governors for the University of Ottawa. She is also the Chair of the Audit Committee for the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.
The Young Achiever's Award
Gabriel Bouchard-Phillips, BCom 2005
Gabriel Bouchard-Phillips is a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Van Berkom and Associates, a Montreal-based investment firm focused exclusively on managing portfolios of small-capitalization (“small cap”) equities on behalf of large North American pension funds, corporations, foundations and endowment funds. As Portfolio Manager for the Canadian Small-Cap Equities Team he is responsible for conducting fundamental research on a broad spectrum of the Canadian small-cap market. Prior to joining Van Berkom and Associates in 2011, Gabriel was an Analyst, Canadian Equities for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (“CMHC”) Investments and Pension Fund Division (2008-2011)
The Dean's Philos Award
Michelle Savoy, BAdm 1982
Michelle Savoy is President of Quill Ridge Capital. She is an active philanthropist and has served on the Big Brother Big Sisters Council of Champions and on the Board of the Invest in Kids Foundation; she has also co-chaired several events raising money for teen mental health. Michelle is currently supporting Women’s Rights within Human Rights Watch (HRW) and is very active with United Way supporting 'Women United'. Michelle is a SheEO activator and is the founder of GROW (Giving Ring of Women), a group of women dedicated to learning about philanthropy, helping women across Canada gain economic self-sufficiency, and creating a community of givers.
- Category: Appointments and Honours
Once a year, the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) honours professionals for their business achievements by naming them to their Forty Under 40 list. These award recipients represent the economic diversity, entrepreneurial spirit, and dynamism of Ottawa's business community. This year, more than 300 applications were submitted for the 21st edition of the awards and, for the first time ever, the majority of those who made the coveted final cut – 22 out of 40 – are women.
Among this year's recipients, ten are alumni of the University of Ottawa, of which six studied at the Telfer School of Management. The Telfer School would like to congratulate:
Priya Bhaloo, BCom 2003
TAG HR
After graduating from the Telfer School in 2003 with a Bachelor of Commerce with options in Finance and Management Information Systems, Priya joined The Associates Group as an HR assistant. Priya learned about every facet of the business over the next few years and eventually was named Vice-President of the consulting firm in 2013.
Click here to read more on Priya Bhaloo »
Annik Blanchard, BCom 2003
BDO LLP
Annik is a Partner in the Ottawa office at BDO with more than 16 years of experience in the accounting profession. In 2004, she obtained her accounting designation and is a member of CPA Ontario. She is also a member of the assurance and accounting resource team of BDO’s Ottawa group of offices, a member of the task force on not-for-profit organizations in the Ontario Lakeland Region and a quality control reviewer.
Click here to read more on Annik Blanchard »
Nadine Leblanc, BCom 2003
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
Nadine has been a Deputy Chief Risk Officer at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and served as its Vice-President of Audit since 2016.
Scott McLaren, BCom 2006
Festival Promotions
Scott purchased Festival Promotions in 2009 and became Partner and President of the company. He and a fellow Telfer alumnus founded Baron Hockey in 2016, which provides high-end hockey sticks to consumers without the retail mark up.
Click here to read more on Scott McLaren »
Amy Porteous, BCom 2003, MHA 2006
Bruyere Continuing Care
Amy is Vice-President of Public Affairs, Planning and Family Medicine. In this capacity, she provides leadership and oversight for Bruyère’s planning process, partnerships development, cultivation of external relations and communications. She has over 12 years of experience working with senior leadership teams in the Ottawa area, at both Bruyère and the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.
Click here to read more on Amy Porteous »
Taylor Fantin, BCom 2007
Fullscript
Taylor is the Chief Administrative Officer and Vice-President of finance at downtown tech firm Fullscript. Since he joined the online system for prescribing and delivering natural health products in 2012, the company’s headcount has grown from five to 85, and the firm topped OBJ’s list of fastest-growing companies in both 2016 and 2017.
The Telfer School would also like to congratulate Jean-Michel Carrière, Samantha Iturregui, Anna Lambert, Sandra Sbrocchi who all graduated from the University of Ottawa and made it on the list.
This year's Forty Under 40 awards gala will take place at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel on June 15, 2018. The event will feature cocktails, fine food, music and dancing and is sponsored by the Telfer Executive MBA. Click here to register for the 2018 Forty Under 40 Gala »
Click here to view the full Forty Under 40 list on the OBJ website »
- Category: Community Engagement
On May 24, 2018, three speakers delivered powerful presentations on three unique topics at the Telfer School’s collaborative learning alumni event focused on Emerging Trends in Leadership and Management. The three presentations - cybersecurity, emotional intelligence and diversity & inclusion - were followed by a panel discussion and Q&A for all participants.
Here is a recap of some of the lessons learned from each session.
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Justine Hendricks (MBA 2004), Vice-President, Working Capital Solutions Guarantee and Bonding Programs at Export Development Canada
“You can be invited to the party, but not invited to dance”
When understanding the concept of diversity and inclusion, Hendricks is quick to assure us that she is not only talking about gender and ethnicity, but organizational needs to employ a compliment of employees with different professional backgrounds and mindsets which will allow for innovation in the workplace.
Hendricks continued her talk advising that diversity without inclusion is not enough, that inclusion is needed to be successful and that it is tough to achieve within an organization. Companies with inclusion are twice as likely to meet or exceed their goals, six times more likely to be agile and innovative and eight times more likely to achieve a better business outcome.
Throughout her talk, Hendricks repeatedly used the line “You can be invited to the party, but not invited to dance” as a metaphor otherwise saying that there is value in not only listening to employee suggestions but implementing them as well, which a lot of organizations tend not to do. There is value in performing a culture reset, measuring outcomes, setting targets and seeing if change is occurring in key areas.
Cybersecurity and emerging trends: Is someone going to hack my pacemaker?
Mari Teitelbaum (MHA 2010), Vice-President, Tech. & Chief Information Officer, CHEO
Cybersecurity is a very real matter, and public and private organizations consider it to be a priority. Although in the past it was possible to hack a pacemaker, today our knowledge of these possibilities for intrusion makes things much more complicated. Hackers must be more agile and creative and know how to exploit users. After all, as Mari says, the problem is a human one, and it is humans that open the door. Therefore, the solution lies in staff education and awareness.
Although major financial transactions are not occurring at CHEO and in the health sector, the confidentiality of patients and their medical records involves sensitive data that must be protected at all costs. Mari explains that many attempts to access the databases occur every day, but thanks to a prevention and risk management strategy, no intrusion has been possible at her organization.
It is essential to keep the risk in perspective, but the key resides in the concept of shared risk. When she needs to make a decision, Mari says that teamwork is crucial in developing her prevention strategy, and guidelines are made with the board of directors.
Integrating emotional intelligence to navigate through workplace conflict
Manali Haridas Scott, Spiritual Wellness Coach
Emotional intelligence starts with our own self-awareness. That is how Manali begins to explain the difference between intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ). Although both contribute greatly to each person's development, emotional intelligence is what enables us to face multiple challenges each day.
Manali has said multiple times that having continuous negative thoughts will negatively affect a person to the point of inhibiting the brain and its capacity for rational thought. Thus, it is important that we condition ourselves to think positively to maintain a balance and better ability to handle the unexpected and situations that require emotional engagement.
Her advice? Be open and curious, forget old emotional patterns and learn new ones. When facing failure, practise self-discipline and compassion, live in the present moment and move forward, and so on. In short, there are many pieces of advice, but these lessons can be summed up in five factors of success: resolve, record, reconcile, regroup and rejoice.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
With an ever increasing population and an aging workforce, the complexity of our healthcare system becomes all the more apparent. Margins for hospitals are under increasing scrutiny, whereby the incentive to perform at a higher level, to improve efficiencies, and to provide better quality care for patients is of the utmost importance.
Fortunately, the creation of our option in Healthcare Analytics seeks to fill that need, understanding that healthcare systems are undergoing unprecedented transformation fuelled by the digitization of services and investments in health information technologies.
Launching in September 2018, our BCom option in Healthcare Analytics is a field built on the crucial role that data, systems engineering, management, and organizational innovation play in improving the quality and timeliness of service delivery in a high performing healthcare system. This field answers a need to develop expertise to create the research and training capabilities required for transforming healthcare into a system that adheres to the principles of patient-centered care and participatory medicine.
According to Jonathan Patrick, Associate Professor and Program Director of the School’s MSc in Health Systems, this program is the perfect opportunity for high school students to pursue their undergraduate program in business and to forge a path toward making a social impact. While the program focuses on subjects such as quantitative analysis and data management, it introduces the challenges of applying these to the human factor of the healthcare field: patients with will and mind.
With the integration of a 4th year honours project, where students must solve a healthcare systems issue using business analytics tools, graduates of this option are left with a competitive advantage. Career opportunities are boundless, whether with local healthcare integration networks (LHIN), accrediting bodies, hospital administration, or analytics consulting firms. Alternatively, students interested in research can pursue their MSc in Health Systems.
As one of the only institutions in Canada to offer this type of program at the undergraduate level, our option in Healthcare Analytics is a differentiator at the School and one we see growing exponentially over the next few years.
- Category: Telfer Announcements
After a 14 year tenure at the Telfer School of Management, Alain Doucet, Assistant Dean (External Relations), will be leaving his position at the University of Ottawa to pursue new challenges. He was appointed as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian College of Health Leaders.
Alain’s last day at Telfer with be on June 30 and he will commence his role with the College on August 20, 2018.
During his mandate at the Telfer School, Alain had a tremendous impact on marketing, engagement, fundraising and development. Among his many accomplishments, we should highlight the negotiation of Ian Telfer’s transformative gift and 80 other major gifts, over $70 million raised for the school’s priorities, and increased engagement with alumni across Canada and in several global markets.
“His commitment, dedication and outstanding contributions over the past 14 years speak for his passion for his alma mater, as well as his great talent and leadership,” said François Julien, Dean at the Telfer School. “We wish him good luck with his new challenges and look forward to working with him in his new role.”
- Category: Rising Stars
The RBC Training Ground competition recently took place across multiple cities in Ontario in the search for the next Olympic hopefuls. One of the participants, David Ephraim Butumbi, a second year accounting student from Telfer impressed the top coaches and sports officials in the nation with his speed, power, strength and endurance during the competition. He was selected to participate in the RBC Training Ground Ontario finals taking place Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Complex. Set to compete against the top 100 athletes in Ontario, David has been training full-time for the past five weeks and is aiming for nothing other than to win.
“I didn’t aspire to anything at the beginning but found a competitive drive early on during my training. I’m more than ambitious, being selected in the final wasn’t a coincidence. There’s talent to showcase and it’s not too late for me” explains the 21 year-old athlete.
The amateur athlete manages his Instagram page (@Dev_ephr) and offers tips for developing flexibility and mobility, strength and endurance. This passion was the beginning of David’s journey towards the RBC Training Ground final.
“The ad gave me a challenge and pushed me to see if I can measure up”.
Building on past experiences, such as competing in soccer championships and with support from friends and trainers, David is training with much gusto in the Gee-Gees High Performance Centre and is looking forward to the next step. With recruitment offers from varsity Gee-Gees teams, currently, he is focusing all his efforts on the RBC Training Ground competition. “I haven’t decided anything yet but I think everything will take shape after this weekend. All I can think about now is the final.”
Visit the RBC Training Ground website for more details about the competition.
Photo credit: Gabrielle Read
Subcategories
Student Voices
The following article was written by a member of our student community. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Telfer School of Management. For more information or to flag inappropriate content, please