Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Waterloo makes a solid CASE for communications excellence

The judges in the CASE District II Accolades Awards program have handed the University of Waterloo several awards for writing, event, and media relations excellence.

In the Platinum Category of Best Articles of the Year, the article “Back Pain Killing Your Sex Life?” received a bronze award.

“The author expertly navigated an intimate subject in an academic context without the result being clinical,” said the CASE judges. “This story meets the considerable challenge of making medical coverage approachable, even fun.”

In the Institutional Media Relations Programs category, the strategic communications plan for “Back Pain Killing Your Sex Life” received a gold award for successfully positioning sensitive and high-impact research in the media.

“The entry submitted by Waterloo was the overwhelming favorite of the committee,” wrote the judges. “Our group universally felt Waterloo displayed originality in concept, and received a great deal of visibility and positive media attention while spending a relatively small amount of money. The panel liked that Waterloo was able to attach a monetary value to the amount of exposure it received as a result of the media campaign. Because the outreach centered on a research study about sex positions and back pain, there was risk that the media would have a field day with the story, and the result would be negative publicity for the institution. However, the school’s worst fears were not confirmed; instead, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive by media and news consumers.”

Community Relations and Events won a silver award in the Individual Special Public Relations Projects category for “Building Our Community: The 2015-2016 University of Waterloo Community Impact Report."

“It achieved what it set out to do in an excellent way,” wrote the judges. “It featured engaging content, well-designed and well-written materials, the integration of media platforms across the campaign and interactive content. It was apparent that the creators understand their audience and understand what they needed to get across to that audience (a hot-button topic for higher ed institutions and their neighboring communities). And it was impressive how they approached the audience from various approaches that would reach various segments, and how they included testimonial from the audience itself in the form of community leaders.”

Alumni Relations’ recent event series GOLD on the Go was also awarded a silver award in the Alumni Relations Programming category.

“GOLD on the Go was a uniquely branded series of five events, designed specifically for those University of Waterloo alumni who received their degree within the last 10 years (GOLD = Grads of the Last Decade),” writes Emily Huxley Osborne. “The series was designed to build the affinity alumni have towards the University by offering an educational and enjoyable evening with the opportunity to connect with other alumni.”

Additionally, the Institute for Quantum Computing won a bronze in the Excellence in News Writing: Research, Medicine and Science News Writing category for sharing quantum with the world.

“IQC’s target audiences generally have an interest in quantum information science and technology; however most do not have a scientific background,” reads the IQC submission. “Writing news stories and press releases that are interesting to those audiences requires sharing accurate, scientific information in a clear, comprehensible manner.”

“Stories draw you in as a reader; stories are easy to follow,” wrote the judges.

The Accolade award winners will be acknowledged at the CASE District II annual conference, which is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia from February 7 to 9, 2016.

CASE is the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, an organization of advancement professionals in the areas of alumni relations, communications, and philanthropy.

Spreading holiday cheer for all

by Yuni Jo.

With the festive season in full-swing, Waterloo continues to support the community with the 28^th annual Holiday Toy Collection event on Friday, December 18. The University has 16 departments participating along with individual sponsors from across campus.

This year, there are over 112 sponsor families with more than 200 children, ranging in ages from four months to 16 years.  To qualify for the program, sponsored families must be working, or upgrading skills for their career. They do not qualify for other assistance, with the exception of Region of Waterloo Home Daycare.

This heartwarming initiative demonstrates the power of giving in our community and allows families to have a happy holiday season. This huge undertaking could not be accomplished without everyone’s generosity.

Thanks to everyone for your support, particularly Janet Metz in Co-operative Education & Career Action!

Remembering Neil Widmeyer

​A message from the Department of Kinesiology.

It is with sadness that the Department of Kinesiology announces the passing of Neil Widmeyer, professor emeritus and a pioneer in the world of sport psychology. Widmeyer died Friday.

“Doc Wid", as he was affectionately known, taught for more than 30 years at Waterloo, inspiring and mentoring countless students. He served as the chair of the Department of Kinesiology from 1974 to 1975.

An expert in team cohesion and in aggression and violence in sports, Widmeyer worked with both amateur and professional athletes in several sports and served as sports psychologist to the Guelph Storm hockey organization for two decades.

Widmeyer was inducted into the University of Waterloo Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995 in recognition of his role in developing the track and field program and for his innovative athlete recruitment and training methods. He retired from Waterloo in 1996.

He is survived by wife Lynn, children Kim, Kelly, and Greg, and grandchildren Zachary, Megan, Madeline, and Emily. Family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, December 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Henry Walser Funeral Home, 507 Frederick Street, Kitchener. The funeral service will take place Friday, December 18 at 1:00 p.m. 

Wednesday's notes

Registration is open for Winterloo, a program that runs during the winter break for students who stay in Waterloo for the holidays. Open to all Waterloo students, the program is an opportunity to meet new friends, experience Canadian culture, and participate in activities in the local community. It runs from December 23 to January 3.

Events this year include winter tubing at Chicopee Ski Hill, a holiday lunch and potluck, shopping on Boxing Day, a ​Kitchener Rangers hockey game, a New Years day potluck and gingerbread decorating session, and a Winterloo wrap-up brunch.

Participants can register through LEADS.