In the annual Maclean's survey, Guelph has been consistently first in five of the key areas that determine the placements - quality of students, graduation rates, classes taught by tenured faculty, quality of faculty and student services. In the magazine's 2006 graduate survey, Guelph was No. 1 among comprehensive universities in seven of the eight categories for educational excellence.

U of G is also at the top of its class for overall educational quality, reputation and atmosphere in the annual University Report Card published by the Globe and Mail newspaper. This survey represents the opinions of some 32,700 undergraduate students across Canada.

And for the fifth year in a row, the University of Guelph was recognized as Canada's top comprehensive research institution in a Research Infosource report published in the National Post newspaper. The report ranks Canada's "Top 50 Research Universities" based on sponsored research income.

These accolades reflect Guelph's emphasis on the quality of the educational experience, its distinctive programs and the University's innovative research agenda.

At the University of Guelph, our vision is to be Canada's leader in creating, transmitting and applying knowledge to improve the social, cultural and economic quality of life of people in Canada and around the world. We believe we achieve this every day by educating and graduating first-class undergraduate and graduate students for life, careers and citizenship, and by generating world-class research, scholarship and creative work to serve society.

The University of Guelph was established in 1964, when its founding colleges - the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), and the Macdonald Institute ' joined with a new college of arts and science. Today, the institution comprises seven colleges on its main campus with undergraduate and graduate programs that span the natural and physical sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities:

• College of Arts
• College of Biological Science
• College of Management and Economics
• College of Physical and Engineering Science
• College of Social and Applied Human Sciences
• Ontario Agricultural College
• Ontario Veterinary College

Guelph has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary programs, collaboration and the integration of teaching and research. Our traditional strengths are in the life sciences, especially agriculture and veterinary medicine. On our main campus, the fastest-growing programs are in biological and environmental science and the arts and humanities, and we offer professional programs in landscape architecture, engineering and hotel and food administration.

Justice studies, media studies and computing are among the popular programs offered by the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto. Established in 2001, it builds on the combined strengths of the University of Guelph and Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning to offer programs where students earn both a university honours degree and an applied college diploma in only four years.

The University of Guelph has 78,000 alumni scattered around the world and 18,000 current students enrolled in more than 90 undergraduate and 80 graduate degree programs. The Office of Open Learning handles more than 15,500 registrations in over 200 distance courses each year, including an innovative new distance MBA in agribusiness. As well, our independent study programs in agriculture, horticulture and landscaping draw participants from around the world.

For a complete list of academic programs offered at the University of Guelph, visit http://www.uoguelph.ca/academic.html.

The University of Guelph is renowned both for its excellence in teaching and its world-class research strengths in food, biotechnology, communities and families, health and well-being, culture and society, advanced analysis and environment. Our faculty have won more than 100 awards for teaching, including 13 national 3M Teaching Fellowships. More than 20 Guelph faculty have earned a fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada, reflecting outstanding scholarly achievement.

Across all University of Guelph programs, our students are among the best in the country. Among comprehensive universities, Guelph has the highest proportion of entering students with averages of 75 per cent or more. We provide more than $21 million a year in student financial assistance and maintain the country's most aggressive support programs to ensure that first-year students thrive. As a result, our graduation rate is also the highest among Canada's comprehensive universities, and 97 per cent of Guelph undergraduates are employed within two years of graduation.

Guelph has attracted faculty and students from 72 countries. About 350 U of G students participate in study-abroad programs each year, and the University has public- and private-sector partners in 29 countries that provide travel and research opportunities for faculty. The University of Guelph is also one of Canada's most frequent participants in international development projects, including Canadian International Development Agency programs worth $16.5 million.

Guelph's 2,000 graduate students are an international group of scholars who bring a global perspective to the campus. They are consistently above the national average in winning scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and contribute to our reputation as a research-intensive institution.

The University of Guelph receives more than $124 million annually in research support from government, industry and special-interest organizations -- the highest level of research funding among Canada's non-medical universities. While our success is multi-disciplinary, we have a particular research niche in the life sciences.

Our researchers work together to cover the full spectrum of inquiry, delving not only into the biological, but also the physical, economic, historical, cultural, ethical and social impacts of ideas, research and technology that are part of the global revolution in the life sciences.

In the core area of agri-food research, Guelph ranked seventh among universities worldwide for its impact on agricultural sciences in a study by Science Watch, published in 2006 by Thomson Scientific in Philadelphia. U of G was the only Canadian university among the top 25 institutions ranked for agricultural research from 1996 to 2006.

Based on our strengths in plant and animal research, the University of Guelph campus has become the hub of a rapidly-growing cluster of agri-food education, research and laboratory services. Headquarters for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and an OMAF research complex are adjacent to the campus. The University is also responsible for Ontario's agricultural colleges at Ridgetown, Alfred and Kemptville, and for the Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario and OMAF's Laboratory Services.

In addition, the University of Guelph research park houses a growing number of research-intensive industries and agri-food organizations. More than two dozen industry partnerships and spinoff companies increase research opportunities, and the campus is also home to the Guelph Food Technology Centre ' an independent laboratory for food processing research and product development.

An online survey of Canadian university students published by the Globe and Mail newspaper has given a first-place rating to the University of Guelph for campus atmosphere for four consecutive years. More than 5,000 students live on campus in one of the country's largest residence systems, and our student services are second to none. Guelph is well-known as one of the country's most friendly universities, our health-conscious food services are recognized as the best in Canada, and the campus is renowned for its exquisite tree-lined walkways and limestone architecture.

The University's main campus covers more than 400 hectares and includes a 165-hectare arboretum, a 12-hectare research park and the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre.

With its many miles of nature trails, the Arboretum is a favourite spot for walking, running, cross-country skiing and family outings. There are specially designed trails for visitors with disabilities. The Arboretum offers a variety of seasonal programs, runs a complete program of nature studies for children and offers adult workshops and seminars focussed on horticulture, wildlife and the environment.

The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre hosts special exhibits of contemporary Canadian artists and houses a 4,000-piece permanent collection of Canadian art, including a unique outdoor sculpture garden.

The University of Guelph library contains 2.5 million volumes and is renowned for its collections of Canadian theatre archives, Scottish materials, agriculture and North American and European history. The library is part of a tri-university library system that provides access to libraries at two neighbouring universities through a computer-based information system and library catalogue.

The campus community benefits from a wide spectrum of artistic and cultural events and the University's extensive athletics facilities, including a twin-pad arena, two swimming pools, a covered field house and numerous outdoor sports fields.

The University supports varsity teams in men's and women's hockey, football, basketball, field hockey, figure skating, wrestling, soccer and more. A health and performance centre on campus specializes in sports medicine and provides treatment for athletic injuries, as well as offering nutrition and fitness programs for students, staff and faculty.

The University of Guelph is the largest employer in Guelph, a city of 100,000 people that is known for its historic architecture and mix of eclectic shops and restaurants. Guelph is located about an hour's drive west of Toronto, Canada's most culturally diverse city, and only two hours from the U.S. border. Niagara Falls, New York City, Detroit, Chicago, and Buffalo are all within one day's driving distance.

Guelph is surrounded by rural areas and has an eclectic mix of rural and urban amenities. The city hosts internationally recognized folk, jazz and writer's festivals - many initiated by University faculty, staff and students - and offers cycling and hiking trails, a performing arts centre and a new sports and entertainment centre. Employment opportunities in Guelph are growing steadily because of the city's commitment to economic development and the dynamics of its rapidly growing technology sectors. In fact, Guelph and several neighboring communities form an area known as Canada's Technology Triangle, a highly sophisticated community of technology-based companies supported by the business community, educational institutions, associations and the public sector.

To find out more about the University's hometown, visit the City of Guelph website: www.city.guelph.on.ca

Over the next decade, we will strengthen the University of Guelph's already formidable attributes. We need talented faculty and staff to contribute to the University's bold vision, and we plan to support them through the creation of endowed research chairs and professorships. In 2003, we opened a state-of-the-art classroom facility that supports all disciplines on campus. We have invested more than $106 million in research infrastructure since 1998, and we are currently building an extensive science complex to support both research and academic programs. A planned expansion of our veterinary college and other facility upgrades will provide additional space and resources to help us achieve our contribution to Canada's bio-economy.

The University of Guelph will also enhance its human resources, particularly in the faculty complement. Our faculty recruitment office can negotiate start-up funds to launch research programs and offers assistance with the transitional needs of new staff and their families. The Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and the office of Teaching Support Services provides a new faculty orientation program, multi-media workshops and ongoing mentorship of teaching and other scholarly endeavors.

For more information on University of Guelph benefits for faculty and staff, visit these Web sites:

Contact us:
University of Guelph
Office of the Provost, Faculty Relations
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
Tel: 519-824-4120, Ext. 3378
E-mail: facultyjobs@uoguelph.ca