Message from the President

For 800 years, the great Dominican tradition has rested on the conviction that everyone has a disposition or inclination toward the truth, propensio ad veritatem, which shapes the person and facilitates her understanding of the world. Indeed, when discovering "that which is true", human beings recognize it and this revelation enlightens their intellect as well as their heart. It nurtures their social life.

At the Dominican University College, we aim at fulfilling this deep human aspiration and we strongly believe that in the 21st century, this fundamental feature of the Dominican mission is more relevant than ever.

If, when he founded the Order in the 13th century, Dominic of Guzman, made the decision to send his brothers to the newly established universities, it is because he knew that one must engage in the development of new ideas and visions of the world. This long university tradition explains the importance we attach to academic excellence and intellectual rigor. Our institution also belongs to a dynamic global community of Dominican study houses within prestigious universities such as Blackfriars (Oxford), the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, and the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem.

By offering undergraduate and graduate programs in our two faculties, of Philosophy and Theology, at either our Ottawa or our Montreal campuses, we prepare our students to think critically, offer them keys to the intelligibility of the world, and the understanding of faith.

Our graduates can apply their newly acquired skills to different professional fields such as ethics, law, politics, journalism, education, pastoral and social work, medicine, community care, and other fields of work. Because we empower them to deal with the complexity, diversity, and change in the world, they are able to take into account the challenges of our time, and remain in dialogue with a world in constant transformation.

Our pedagogical approach is one of proximity and free exchange between students and their teachers, which is favored by the size of our campuses, and our Dominican tradition of conversation and openness.

The questions that our students raise inside and outside of class push the boundaries of our own knowledge of the truth. We do not have all the answers. But we are committed to making a progress together in search for a better understanding of the world.

Friends, students, Alumni of the Dominican University College, welcome!

Brigitte Quintal
President, Dominican University College