Ottawa University Ottawa University Latin: Veritas vos liberabit Rank: 202 worldwide The University of Ottawa, often referred to as UOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma and the American Baptist Churches USA. The origins of Ottawa University date back to the 1860s when Baptist missionaries established the First Baptist Church in the area that would eventually develop into Ottawa, which at the time was occupied by Native Americans. Elsewhere, Kansas Baptists had managed to charter an institute of higher learning that they were planning on calling the "Roger Williams University”. In the early 1860s, they were looking for a place to establish it and at the 1860 Baptist State Convention in Atchison, Kansas," Rev. John Tecumseh "Tauy" Jones made a case for the university coming to Ottawa, he proposed that the Baptists work with the Native Americans in the area, who had land that they might be willing to sell for the purpose of creating a college. On August 20, 1862, the first board of trustees (made up of four Native Americans and two white Baptists) met and decided to purchase 5,000 acres of the land to establish a campus. In 1865, the name "Roger Williams University" was decommissioned, and "Ottawa University" was adopted. Ottawa University is a private Baptist liberal arts university with its main campus in Ottawa, Kansas, a second residential campus in Surprise, Arizona, and adult campuses in the Kansas City, Phoenix and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. The University of Ottawa, together with its affiliated hospital research institutes, are acclaimed innovators. Researchers are world leaders in photonics, vascular and cardiovascular health, brain and mental health, Francophonie, public policy, and social justice. University program also offers include Master of Accountancy, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Arts in Education (MAEd), Master of Arts in Human Resources (MAHR), Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC), Master of Arts in Leadership, Master of Science in Addiction Counseling, and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Some of the notable alumni and well-known people like, Leonard Erickson, researcher of DNA repair, Howard K. Gloyd, herpetologist describing new species of reptiles, Merritt C. Mechem, Territorial Supreme Court Justice and Republican Governor of New Mexico, Marvin Harvey, Basketball coach and Robin Harris, entertainment comedian are graduates of this innovative and prestigious university. The athletic team in Kansas are known as the Braves. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competes in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, powerlifting, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, cross country, flag football, golf, lacrosse, powerlifting, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling. Co-ed teams include competitive cheer, dance and esports. Arizona teams are known as the Spirit where in Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.