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Delegation visits Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta
by Alumni Relations.
University of Waterloo faculty and staff have travelled to Asia this week for three global alumni events.
The University of Waterloo Alumni Association (Hong Kong) Annual Alumni Dinner is currently underway at Cordis at Langham Place. Over 300 alumni are reconnecting with their fellow Warriors over a cocktail networking reception and delicious full course Chinese menu. Alumnus Joe C. Lee (MACC '98), is providing the keynote address. Mr. Lee is the Founder of Kuaidi Taxi (now Didi-Kuaidi), a leading innovative technology company that provides mobile transportation services to 100 million users in over 360 cities across China.
The next stop will be the Singapore Alumni Chapter SG50 Reception on November 22, a gathering to celebrate and recognize Singapore’s 50th birthday and update alumni and friends about our University partnerships in Singapore.
The trip will wrap up in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 24 with the Risk Management, Economic Sustainability and Actuarial Science Development in Indonesia (READI) Project kickoff and reception. READI brings together government, education and professional agencies to tackle a significant barrier to sound economic development.
With more than 180,000 Waterloo alumni worldwide, events such as these are imperative as Waterloo continues to strengthen our international presence and engage with our global alumni chapters and networks around the world.
Saturday is make-up day for students
by Kirsty Budd.
A make-up day for the Monday classes missed due to the Thanksgiving long weekend will be held on Saturday, November 21. Students are encouraged to refer to their syllabus or contact their professor for course-specific information.
The on-campus services that are available on Saturday include:
- Student Life Centre:
- Subway – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Tim Hortons – 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
- Brubakers – 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Pizza Pizza only)
- Dana Porter Library:
- Browsers – 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- South Campus Hall:
- Tim Hortons – 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Davis Centre:
- Bon Appetit (Chinese Food & Sushi) – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Tim Hortons – 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Science Teaching Complex
- Starbucks – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Village 1: 7:00 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.
- Ron Eydt Village: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Bookstore: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Waterloo Store: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Write Stuff: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Athletics, Housing and Residences and the Federation of Students commercial services are open with regular weekend hours.
The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open at 8:00 a.m. and research help will be available in both locations from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Ask us service will be available to respond to email questions and Chat will be available from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The Student Success Office, Counselling Services, Health Services and AccessAbility will be closed. Please visit their websites for more information about off-campus support services.
The Registrar’s Office, Student Awards and Financial Aid and Student Accounts will be closed, but the dropbox for submitting forms and documents will be accessible.
IEW spotlight: organizing an international conference
International Education Week runs from November 16 to November 20.
International student Ana Krstanovic is the Secretary General of the upcoming Model G20 Conference, which kicks off today with opening ceremonies open to the public. The guest speaker is Selçuk Ünal, the Turkish Ambassador of Canada.
What has it been like organizing the Model G20?
It has been a difficult challenge. In retrospective, I still remember when the conference was just a concept that I was looking to make real and I feel that having a team of motivated people who were ready to make such a large commitment, was what kept the concept turning into a reality.
This is the first time Waterloo will be hosting a Model G20 conference, and making a conference from scratch is not easy. It does require a lot of work and motivation, and once it is done, the second one will be easier to achieve.
We have spent almost 10 months working on it, of course there were ups and downs and Skype meetings over the summer, but we faced each difficulty together, which made us become more proactive and efficient. At the end I feel it was a fruitful experience for the whole team, both for us as a group and as individuals pursuing their passions.
How have you been able to connect what you learned at UW/university to this event?
I would say there are two aspects to this. The first one is the things that I have learned in the classroom, such as my Global Governance classes where I got a better understanding on the G20, NGOs, and the UN and how they function and interact together, and therefore applying this to substantive aspects of the conference. In other classes I learned different negotiation styles and this has definitely had an impact when looking for sponsors and facing disagreements where we have to find a middle ground.
The second aspect I would say is how many times classes have challenged me to quickly solve problems and prioritize tasks for example, and this goes beyond learning the theory. I believe the University of Waterloo helped me develop skills that I can use in different situations, and the proof is this event.
The University of Waterloo incentivizes students to think outside the box and be innovative, both inside the classroom and beyond.
What would you say to students to get them to participate?
We live in a world that is increasingly interconnected and being aware of what is happening in the world is crucial. In my experience, this type of conferences open your eyes on how diverse countries are around the world, and how challenging it is to come to an agreement sometimes. Exchanging our ideas and widening our horizons play a key role in coming together and achieving creative solutions to the issues the world faces. Take this invitation as a challenge and an opportunity to become a more active global citizen.
If you do not have a chance to participate I encourage you to come to our opening ceremonies, hear from our speakers, and meet the delegations!
Gangnam with Graham and other notes
Eugenia Andersen writes: "St. Paul’s Principal Graham Brown enlisted the help of Stacey Hammond to fulfil his United Way obligation to dance Gangnam Style during a community dinner at the College. Staff, faculty, and students voted with their spare change to choose a winner of this challenge. The dare, along with other contributions by St. Paul's staff, resulted in about $2,000 for the United Way this year. Thanks to Graham and Stacey for being such good sports! Next year: How about a University-wide Dare Challenge?"
On November 18, the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences hosted the Netherlands Health Attaché to the USA and Canada and the Consul General for an introduction to the University’s focus on aging, chronic disease prevention and innovations in healthcare.
Pictured left to right are James Rush, dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Mr. Anne van Leeuwen, Consul General of the Netherlands in Toronto, Ms. Regine Aalders, Netherlands Counselor for Health, Welfare and Sport to Canada and the USA, John Hirdes, School of Public Health and Health Systems and interRAI, and Steven Mock, RBC Retirement Research Centre and Network for Aging Research. Following the visit to AHS, the group toured the new Centre of Excellence for Innovation in Aging.
"The Federation of Students is hosting Wrap-Up Week from November 23 to 27," writes Jacqueline Martinz. "Five days of exciting events, it's a chance for undergraduates to unwind and have fun with friends before exam period. They'll be able to enjoy a visit from therapy dogs, have a quick snooze in a nap room, get a free massage, and much more. Events details are available online."
Finally, here's a reminder to register for the WatITis (Waterloo Information Technology and Information Systems) conference, which is scheduled to take place on December 7 in the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre. This year’s keynote speaker will be Professor Craig S. Kaplan from the Cheriton School of Computer Science. Registration closes on November 25.