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About the Program
A Short History of the ORA Exchange
As the ORA Exchange heads into its fourteenth year, it's
worth recalling how it all got started.
In 1990, Ontario and the regions of Baden-Württemberg
(Germany), Rhône-Alpes (France), Lombardia
(Italy) and Catalunya (Spain) signed a Declaration of Partnership
with the intent to engage in joint activities in the areas of
technology, industry, environment, advanced education and cultural
exchange.
ORA Exchange Program was initiated in 1992, with Carleton
University as operating institution. The Exchange was sponsored
by the Ministries of higher education in both jurisdictions,
but was operated by the two university systems. In 1998 the Program
moved to the University of Ottawa. Funding came from both
the Ministries. Under
the auspices of the two ministries of higher education,
the universities of the two jurisdictions worked collegially
within their own systems, and between the two states.
When the Ontario government suddenly pulled the plug on
our funding, this history of cooperation and mutual trust came
to the rescue. Twelve of the original seventeen Ontario universities
came together to form a consortium to both fund and administer
the Program.
As of October 31, 2001, the ORA Program and its sister exchange
with Germany (OBW
- Ontario/Baden-Württemberg Student Exchange Program)
began operating a joint Program Office.
This office, housed at the "Canadian
Centre for German and European Studies/Le Centre canadien
d'études allemandes et européennes" (CCGES/CCEAE)
at York University, coordinates both exchanges for the participating
Ontario Universities. The office provides liaison with Ontario's
partner institutions in Ontario
and Rhône-Alpes,
for those steadfast and collegial support we are
grateful. We raised the number of participants from 40 to 50
on each side in 2003. As
the number of applicants increases every year we may raise
the number again in
the near future.
In 2007 a consortium of Ontario universities and a group of universities in two states in India, Maharashtra (maw-haa-raa-straw) and Goa, have initiated a collaborative university student exchange program. The OMG program is similar to the existing "Ontario / Baden-Württemberg" (OBW) and "Ontario / Rhône-Alpes" (ORA) programs, and is named "Ontario-Maharastra-Goa" (OMG) program.
[ Letter to Departments (PDF) ]
[ Portrait of
the Rhône-Alpes
Region  ]
[ Maps of Rhône-Alpes ]
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