“It wasn’t called Telfer then. I graduated in 1990. Going back there to teach and research is a lifelong dream”, she says in an interview reflecting on her term as Vice President. “This is actually the trajectory I had chosen when I pursued my master’s and doctorate, but then a lot of terrific career opportunities came along. So, I’m very much looking forward to being infused with the energy of students and being right back where I started.”
It would take a few decades before the Ottawa native returned to Telfer, having chosen instead to make her mark leading fundraising campaigns at three other universities and leading the United Way Centraide Canada, where she served as President and CEO for six years.
Since joining uOttawa in 2018, Dr Nyman has led the advancement team that built on past successes to grow the University’s donations to record levels with the new reIMAGINE campaign launched in 2021. “In terms of what I’m most proud of, it’s being able to not only sustain the great work that was done before my mandate, but then accelerate things, and we’ve seen some real highs. We’ve accomplished our first 400-million-dollar campaign, so successful that we added another 100-million-dollar stretch goal - we are now completing our first 500-million-dollar campaign. I’m certainly very proud of our team’s work in achieving this unprecedented level of investment for uOttawa. In other areas of External Relations, we have a very strong Marketing, Brand and Communications team with a modernized website and consolidated approaches to building brand and reputation. From alumni relations and ceremonies/events modernization going virtual during the pandemic through to our efficiencies gained in administrative functions, we are poised to make even greater gains in the future. It truly takes a committed and talented team to pull all of this together.”
She attributes uOttawa’s momentum to its growing reputation as a global research university. “The University really took the research focus very seriously and made fundamental investments in that area and what we see now is outstanding growth and recognition in this area, on a global scale. We are now ranked in the top one, two or three in the country in terms of our research in specific areas, and overall, in the top seven or eight. And this recognition is not just local. It’s not just national. It’s having a global impact with our peers around the globe. We have really put ourselves on the map and I think that makes us a strong institution.”
While the search for Dr Nyman’s successor is conducted, President Jacques Frémont has announced that he would take over the interim management of External Relations with the support of former Vice President, Finance and Administration Robert Bourgeois. “I want to express my profound gratitude to Jacline for her leadership over the past five years and the unprecedented success in fundraising she achieved with her team”, says Mr Frémont. “I wish her the best as a professor at Telfer.”
As Dr Nyman looks forward to an administrative leave before moving to Telfer in 2024. She has one piece of advice for her successor: “I wish them the very best, and I’m sure they will succeed as I have because we have such an incredible team. So, the advice that I would give is to continue to invest in that positive culture, continue to invest in the team, continue to recognize competencies, and make sure that you have a positive place, you listen to the team and bring out the very best in them.”