Learning is a career-long pursuit at Carleton University

When Laura Wilson reflects on her career at Carleton University, she describes it as a journey of learning and growing.

She remembers her first-day-of-school jitters starting her new job 11 years ago, but she didn’t have to worry – she received a warm reception from her new team.

“As soon as I walked in the door, everyone was just so kind that I instantly felt welcome,” recalls Wilson, who recently became director, business operations.

While today she is settling into her new senior role, on that first day she was the supervisor of student accounts.

The journey from supervisor to director included several different positions made possible by the strong support she received from the university and her bosses along the way.

“My boss at the time was just so happy to teach me and share knowledge,” says Wilson. “He taught me so much and really mentored me.”

The unofficial mentorship was indicative of a broader culture of knowledge-sharing that Wilson has experienced at the university.

“In universities, it’s very easy to become siloed,” says Wilson. “But at Carleton, I find that if there’s interest in learning about other departments, people are very open to that.”

The ability to learn and grow within the organization is by design, explains interim president and vice-chancellor Jerry Tomberlin.

“We’re a learning organization, so whenever I’ve had interactions with employees and they would like to follow pursuits of learning, it is always encouraged,” he says.

“We have opportunities for learning in the university both formally and not, including free tuition and also many professional development opportunities that people can pursue.”

One such initiative is Carleton Leader, an initiative that develops a shared sense of leadership through a community of collaborative leaders across the institution.

The program engages leaders and emerging leaders from Carleton’s academic and professional services groups in an interactive and reflective process.

“Taking that dedicated time away from the day-to-day and really taking the time to invest in creating relationships with people was such a huge thing. It was so valuable,” says Wilson. “I learned a lot about myself in terms of what kind of leader I was or could be.”

Another career stepping stone came when she filled a one-year maternity leave in a different department thanks to the university’s Career Development Assignment program.

Under the program, employees can explore a new position while having their permanent role held for them.

“It’s just such an amazing thing that Carleton offers,” says Wilson. “I never would have taken that if my job wasn’t held, because why would you give up a permanent job for a year-long position?”

Free tuition – another perk for employees – also gave Wilson the chance to pursue a personal passion of hers and, with the support of her bosses, she was able to earn a bachelor of arts in English literature.

“That was really great, to have the flexibility to be able to keep taking courses even though they were technically during work hours,” she says.

Beyond career and learning opportunities, the university emphasizes health and wellness through its employee benefits, including its healthy workplace initiative, which encourages physical activity or healthy habits like leaving one’s desk to walk or play a sport during lunch.

Health and wellness are another part of the bigger picture when it comes to employee satisfaction at the university, according to Tomberlin.

“I think the vast majority of our employees really are engaged and love to be here,” he says. “And if you love to be here, you do a better job, which is so important – especially when it comes to students, researchers and education.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 15, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Investing in staff is key to Carleton’s community legacy

Helping people has always been a source of joy for Alicia Poole, and that’s exactly what she’s able to do for the Carleton University community every day. For Poole, however, community safety is a holistic endeavour.

“A healthy workplace isn't just about physical activity, but also mental health awareness and financial awareness,” explains the acting community safety coordinator, who has been at Carleton for more than 20 years.

From community outreach to mental health resources, Poole is passionate about the ways in which she is able to support faculty, staff and students.

When it comes to building a strong community, Poole sees Carleton’s investment in people as the key to success both on and off campus.

“Carleton really invests in its staff through learning and development, but also with healthy workplace initiatives,” she explains. “It creates a positive workplace – a good feeling when you come into work.”

In over two decades with the university, Poole has seen Carleton grow not only in campus size, but also in the amount of resources for faculty and staff. Investing in employees can include internal offerings like the Carleton Leader initiative on leadership, tuition perks and robust health and wellness benefits, all of which have contributed to creating a supportive campus environment for all.

For Poole, that meant having the ability to pursue an emergency management graduate certificate from Algonquin College with her supervisor’s blessing.

“That was big,” says Poole, who was able to work around her schedule to complete the certificate one course at a time.

Having that support went beyond logistics, and Poole felt actively encouraged by her executive director in the endeavour.

“They know that this is for the betterment of the staff,” says Poole. “I am very fortunate that I had a supportive working environment where my executive director saw that this was of value and I could bring it back.”

The benefits of employee satisfaction spill into the larger Ottawa community, where Carleton gives back through many initiatives including, among others, the annual United Way campaign, fundraising for Shepherds of Good Hope and hosting food drives for Minwaashin Lodge.

Working for the university has also inspired Poole’s personal volunteerism, motivating her to donate time to the Red Cross and as a Girl Guides leader.

“By investing in us, the university motivates us to help others, too,” says Poole. “We're energized to give back to the great Carleton community.”

And community has always been at the heart of Carleton’s story, dating back to its founding in 1942 to support veterans returning from the Second World War so they could pursue a higher education.

“Carleton came out of the community,” explains interim president and vice-chancellor Jerry Tomberlin. “It was founded not by a religious organization, not by a government, but by members of the community who saw a need for education.”

Carleton’s mission – to provide opportunity – remains as important today, though its reach has spread globally.

“Working together to start something new and do it in a way that involves the community seems to be imprinted in our DNA,” Tomberlin says. “I don’t think that has changed much.”

As Ottawa continues to grow, he says, maintaining Carleton’s reputation as a quality employer is a way of honouring its legacy within the community.

“Being known in the community as an excellent place to work is really important to us,” says Tomberlin.

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's National Capital Region's Top Employers winners, published March 4, 2025 in the Ottawa Citizen. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.