About the Museum

Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World War II veterans. Carleton was chartered as a university by the provincial government in 1952 through The Carleton University Act, which was then amended in 1957, giving the institution its current name. The university is named after the now-dissolved Carleton County, which included the city of Ottawa at the time the university was founded. Carleton is organized into five faculties and with more than 65 degree programs. It has several specialized institutions, including the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, the Carleton School of Journalism, the School of Public Policy and Administration, and the Sprott School of Business. As of 2025, Carleton yearly enrols more than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. Carleton has a 150-acre campus located west of Old Ottawa South, close to The Glebe and Confederation Heights. It is bounded to the North by the Rideau Canal and Dow's Lake and to the South by the Rideau River. Carleton has more than 188,000 alumni worldwide, seven have become Rhodes Scholars, two Pulitzer Prize awardees, two Academy Award winners, eight Killam Prize winners, and several recipients of the Order of Canada. The university is affiliated with over 50 Royal Society Fellows and members and 3 Nobel laureates. Carleton is also home to 32 Canada Research Chairs, one Canada 150 Chair, 14 IEEE Fellows and 11 3M National Teaching Award winners. Carleton competes in the U Sports league as the Carleton Ravens. Over the past 20 seasons, the Ravens basketball program has won 20 national titles.