Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Originally founded on rented premises in 1942, Carleton would grow in size to meet the needs of returning World War II veterans and later became Ontario's first private, non-denominational college. It would expand further in the 1960s, consistent with government policy that saw increased access to higher education as a social good and means to economic growth, and is today a public university, offering more than 65 academic programs across a wide range of disciplines. Carleton is reputed for its strength in a variety of fields, such as engineering, industrial design, humanities, international business and many of the disciplines housed in its Faculty of Public Affairs (including international affairs, journalism, political science, political management, public policy and administration, and legal studies).