Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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• University Librarian nominating committee seeks feedback
• European university presidents visit for study tour
• Waterloo checks out Shopify as e-commerce solution
• Wednesday's notes

University Librarian nominating committee seeks feedback

"The University is now beginning the process of identifying individuals to hold the position of University Librarian," says a memo from the University Librarian Nominating Committee that was circulated to students, faculty and staff on Monday. "A nominating committee has been formed to support the search for this position. For more information on the committee, position and search, please consult the website of the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel."

The role and duties of the University Librarian are defined as follows:

"Reporting to the Vice‐President, Academic & Provost, the University Librarian provides leadership to a staff of 125, including 36 librarians, in the Dana Porter, Davis Centre and Musagetes Libraries as well as the Witer Learning Resource Centre. The next University Librarian will provide overall management of the library, including the effective and efficient provision of library resources to the university community as well as the ongoing expansion and revitalization of the library’s resources to meet the community’s evolving needs. The next University Librarian will also leverage their experience in leadership within an academic library setting to set the strategic vision of the library, and will apply their administrative and management internally while also fostering relationships with new and prospective external partners to further the mission of the library. More detail on the library can be found on the Library website."

Over the course of the next few weeks, the nominating committee will be consulting with members of the University community on the mandate and responsibilities of the University Librarian, as well as the experience, skills and attributes required for success in the role. To assist the committee in its deliberations, members of the University community are being invited to respond to the following questions:

1. What opportunities and challenges will the University Librarian encounter upon their appointment and over the next few years? What are the implications of these opportunities and challenges?
2. What do you think the mandate and short- and long-term priorities of the new University Librarian should be?
3. What are the most important qualifications for the position in terms of experience, skills and attributes?
4. Are there any individuals you would recommend?

Please send your comments to any member of the committee, or to the committee secretary Mike Grivicic (mgrivicic@uwaterloo.ca), no later than Friday, June 3. Contact information for nominating committee members is provided below, and all comments will be held in confidence within the nominating committee.

University Librarian Nominating Committee members:

European university presidents visit for study tour

President Feridun Hamdullahpur is welcoming vice-chancellors and pro-vice-chancellors from a number of European universities today as the University of Waterloo hosts the CASE Europe Leadership for Advancement Canada Study Tour.

The delegation includes leaders from the University of Dundee, the University of Aberdeen, Keele University, the University of Nottingham, Aberystwyth University, and University College London. 

Waterloo’s Office of Advancement has been a Canadian host of this study tour event for several years. The trip is organized by the Council for the Advancement of Education (CASE) Europe Office and is designed for senior leaders to deepen their knowledge of institutional advancement.

CASE is a global professional organization serving more than 3,670 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in more than 82 countries. CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with their alumni and donors, raise funds for campus projects, produce recruitment materials, market their institutions to prospective students, diversify the profession, and foster public support of education.

Waterloo checks out Shopify as e-commerce solution

A message from Finance.

Shopify has been selected as the centralized e-commerce solution for the University of Waterloo.

This central e-commerce solution will be owned by Finance, supported by IST and will address current gaps in the University’s e-commerce capabilities by providing basic e-commerce services to campus partners on an ongoing basis.

The project implementation team is currently conducting 3 pilot use cases as they work to develop the project governance structure and intake process.  It is expected that a second stage pre-selected limited release will occur in the Fall to validate the proposed processes, followed by a full release.  The timeline of the full release will be determined based on the outcome of the pilots.  Please be patient as we develop our intake documents and process.  A communication will be issued when the team is ready to begin accepting applications.

Stay tuned to the project site for updates.

Wednesday's notes

As CASE presidents embark on a tour of campus, so too do these feathery family units.

Velocity Start and the South Side Marketplace are holding grand opening events today on the second floor of South Campus Hall from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The University of Waterloo Recreation Committee (UWRC) is organizing an event entitled Books for Kids in Cameroon on Wednesday, June 1 from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. in MC 5501.

"Do you have some kids and teen books your children do not need anymore?" says the note from UWRC. "Here is a chance to improve literacy for children in Cameroon, Africa. These learning materials do not need to go to the dumpster…find out how you can give a second life to your kid’s and teen’s used books."

Gwendoline Nubila will be giving a 30 minutes talk on the book drive she is currently running to help start a Children & Youth Library in Cameroon, Africa. Register by sending an e-mail to UWRC@uwaterloo.ca.

Chancellor Emeritus Mike Lazaridis will be talking up the Quantum Valley at a conference in Amsterdam today entitled "Quantum Europe: A New Era of Technology."

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include: PointClickCare, PDT Partners, Altera, RBC, Wattpad, Autodesk, Canon Innovation Lab, Rubikloud, and Facebook. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.