University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

Transcription

Our school is a wonderful place to study, to learn about the world, to make new friends and to acquire the professional skills that will give you a competitive edge in today's marketplace. So what's so special about GSPIA? Well, firstly, we are a bilingual school. You can study mainly in French, with one or two classes in English, or mainly in English with one or two classes in French. Or half and half with as many classes in French or English. Whatever decision you make, we are here to help you develop your language skills. GSPIA not only offers a top notch academic program but offers a lot of opportunities for extracurricular activities. For example, if you're interested in student politics and organizing social and professional events, then you should run for student council. First summer of being a student at GSPIA, I traveled to Geneva where I took, undertook internships at the World Health Organization as well as the Canadian mission to the World Trade Organization where I represented the government of Canada at the World Trade Organization and the UN, and it was great! Washington D.C. was an extremely dynamic city. I never stopped. I actually worked I think on average 10 hours a day, I slept at the embassy twice, and this was all part of the diplomatic experience. I went on an embassy exchange to Berlin, to the Canadian embassy in Berlin, which is very exciting. It was a great opportunity for me to practice my third language, but to also experience and take place first hand in international diplomacy, and really get a take, an idea, of what it would be like to be a diplomat. And so when I undertook my Master's, literally within a year of joining, I was traveling all around the world. What really makes our school here at GSPIA unique is everything that we've created outside of the classroom, the opportunities for students. Essentially, what we have aimed to do since we established the school, and have been doing, is to provide high caliber academic training, academic excellence of international level and reputation, but to also give students opportunities outside of the classroom. Our school is also unique in the way it combines theory and practical learning. Our students work extremely hard on the academic front, but they're constantly asked to investigate current and real world applications of what they learn. The program has really given me a sense of, you know, what policy making is like in this country. The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is unique to my experience. It combines the theory of public policy and governance with practical experience. Practical experience provided by some 20 senior fellows, who were former, are former senior officials in government, about 10 of them Canadian ambassadors in important posts abroad. I think it's really easy to forget just how important the location is for the University of Ottawa and the fact that you're in the heart of Canada's foreign and domestic policy. So you're able to be exposed to people that are making the decisions and they'll understand the nuances between Canada's interactions with our international partners. It's really the personal side of GSPIA that interests me the most because it has allowed me to meet incredible people equally at the level of professors and senior fellows and at the same time, my colleagues. For me personally, I found the experience to be amazing. It has been approximately 10 years since I left the Canadian public service. I was Canadian ambassador to Washington and before that, the diplomatic advisor to Prime Minister Chrétien. And to be able to share and give back some of this experience to the students of today has been a very valuable and enriching experience. I've taught at many universities and hand on heart, our students are absolutely amazing. They are clever, interested, hardworking, constantly asking questions and challenging us, and perhaps most importantly, they are doers. They really want to learn useful stuff that will help make their mark on the world. Their optimism and impatience gives a real buzz to this place. It's a really wonderful experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.