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Update on new financial system initiative
A memo has been circulated to campus that delivers an update on the project to replace the University's core financial and reporting systems.
In February 2015, the University issued an RFP to source a system to replace the current resourcing and financial systems, the aging Oracle E-Business Suite and FORE.
"The vendor evaluation process included demonstrations of several solutions with participation from the Financial Officers in each of the Faculties, as well as individuals from Procurement & Contract Services, the Office of Research, and IST in addition to Finance," the memo reads. "By early Fall, Unit4 and their cloud solution Business World was chosen based on their response to the RFP as well as feedback from those who attended the demonstrations. Unit4 has a specialty in the public sector and offers a full enterprise system with a data centre located in Canada."
Additionally, a privacy and security assessment (PSIA) was successfully conducted by IST in conjunction with the Privacy Officer from the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel to exercise due diligence regarding the selection.
"To enable the project team to make timely decisions and work efficiently, a set of Guiding Principles have been developed."
- Modernize the system to facilitate our future business requirements;
- Adopt the best practices and standard processes built into the system;
- Choose simplicity over complexity;
- Focus on the “rules”, not the “exceptions”; and
- Make timely decisions
In terms of next steps, the project team is currently in the early stages of planning for the transition to the new system, but the anticipated go-live date is May 2017.
"We look forward to your support throughout the project as the new financial system is designed and implemented," concludes the memo.
A Financial System Implementation website has been set up where information on the project will be posted. Questions regarding the project can be directed to Unit4@uwaterloo.ca.
Renison's student council named Chartwells Local Hero
This is an excerpt of an article that was originally published on the Renison University College news site.
Students at Renison University College have been named champions of Chartwells’ “Giving Thanks for Local” competition. Renison beat 25 other schools from all across the province for their work in promoting awareness about the value of local foods. The Renison Academic Student Council (RASC) will receive a $1,000 prize.
Chartwells, the on-campus food partner for Renison, St. Jerome’s University, St. Paul’s University College, and over 45 other campuses nationwide, challenged each of their partners in Canada to build awareness and support for local vendors. Renison took top honours in the Central Canada group.
Mike Masse, Chartwells’ president of food services, said that the contest goals reflect the feedback he receives from the colleges and universities he works with. “Every time I visit a campus and ask, ‘What’s important to you?’, I hear, ‘Local, local, local,’” said Masse.
Throughout the month of October, the Renison Student Life Team worked with Chartwells to promote local foods through events and marketing initiatives. Events included making smoothies with local ingredients on the Chartwells Green Energy Bike, student stress release activities with locally grown apples, and the inclusion of locally grown and purchased ingredients in the daily menu.
Read the rest of the article on the Renison news site.
Notes on a rainy winter solstice day
What better way to represent the University of Waterloo internally, or with regional, national, or international audiences, than with a brand new, approved and accessible institutional PowerPoint template conveniently located on the Brand Guidelines website?
The presentation features a variety of slide styles and image options.
The Federation of Students has published a tribute to Ted Harms, stalwart manager of the Bike Centre who helped get the volunteer-run service rolling back in 1995.
"Ted’s journey began in 1986 when he started as an undergraduate student in Conrad Grebel. In January 1990, he found himself scheduled for a class at 8:30 a.m. and grew to loathe the half hour walk to campus each morning. He switched to a bike, and traded the seemingly endless trek for a quick 10 minute trip on wheels.
“One day, sometime later, I saw a poster for a group of people who wanted to launch a do-it-yourself bike repair service through the Engineering Society,” he says. “The society already had a car repair service, so it was a void that needed to be filled. At the time, the SLC was being expanded and when the assistant manager of the Turnkey Desk heard their plans he approached the students and suggested making it accessible to the entire university community in the new building. The group received funding from the Student Life Endowment Fund, bought tools, had a chain-breaking ceremony with President James Downey, and in October 1995 the Bike Centre was born.”
The Bike Centre is relaunching as a Federation of Students service in the New Year. Harms works at the Library as a resource sharing associate.
Read the full story on the Federation of Students website.
'Tis the season for utility shutdowns: Chemistry 2's heating, A/C, ventilation and fume hood exhaust will be offline on Tuesday, December 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. as repairs to make-up air units and MCC panel are carried out. This may affect building temperatures, and please ensure all fume hoods are closed and chemicals properly stored.