Friday, June 3, 2016

UN Under-Secretary-General to deliver HeForShe anniversary address

A year ago, the University of Waterloo announced its involvement in the United Nation Women’s HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative to achieve our goal of comprehensive, long-term, and sustainable gender equity.

To celebrate this milestone, United Nations Under-Secretary-General Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of UN Women, will visit the University of Waterloo on Wednesday, June 8 and deliver a public address.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka will share remarks on the UN Women’s efforts to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women. As Executive Director of UN Women, Mlambo-Ngcuka, leads the HeForShe initiative globally. She has worked in government and civil society, and with the private sector, and was actively involved in the struggle to end apartheid in her home country of South Africa.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka has spearheaded the 2014 introduction of the HeForShe campaign, a global effort to engage men and boys in removing the social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls from achieving their potential, and together positively reshaping society.

The event takes place in the Needles Hall Senate and Board chamber, NH 3407. Please register as space is limited. If necessary, a waitlist and overflow room will be set up.

The anniversary address is only the latest in a number of recent HeForShe milestones, including the launch of a new dedicated HeForShe website. The site will be a hub for community updates, news items, faculty blogs, and other initiatives relating to Waterloo’s HeForShe campaign.

Additionally, earlier this year the HeForShe campaign announced eight new grants of up to $10,000 to support research that investigates and addresses gender equity with preference to projects that advance the University’s three IMPACT 10x10x10 commitments or that have a demonstrated relevance to Waterloo. Applications are due June 30.

Highlights from the Hagey Hub

by Wendy Philpott. This article was originally posted on the Arts Student Space Project website.

Among the reasons to be grateful for the mild winter we’ve just experienced, top of the list for many in Arts is the fact that construction of the new student Hub in the J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities is on schedule and looking good for an early fall opening. 

I recently toured the Hub interior with Bill Watson, chair of (UWaterloo) Board of Governors, who shares our priority focus on student experience. Yet again, I’m struck by the fantastic sense of space and light the three levels afford. It’s looking like a very exciting transformation of the former courtyard and I’m eagerly anticipating  the Hub’s unveiling for all – especially students -  to use this fall.” 

- Doug Peers, Dean of Arts

The roofing and brickwork is complete, large windows have been installed, concrete floors have been poured, the colour palette has been chosen, furnishings are ordered, and work on interior framing, drywall and lighting continues.

The nearly 6,000 square foot expansion will provide an open-concept space for students to meet, with dedicated treehouses for project and group work on the second floor and a third-floor quiet zone for studying.

It is an exciting time in Arts and I want to thank the alumni, friends, retirees, faculty, staff and Arts students who have supported the Hub fundraising campaign. To date we have raised over $800,000 and continue to reach out to the UW community and beyond to help us achieve our fundraising goal of $2M on the $8.5M project.”  

- Kim Bardwell, Director, Arts Advancement

Read the entire article on the Arts Student Space Project website.

Waterloo recognized for excellence in Extended Learning

by Viktor Karklins

“We’re at an important crossroads in history,” said Aldo Caputo, Director for the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) at the University of Waterloo. “Research and innovative practice are inspiring us to question traditional pedagogies and technologies are both reshaping our everyday lives and providing us with an increasing range of options to forge new learning opportunities and pathways."

These new ways of thinking and new technological opportunities were on full display at this year’s Canadian Association for University Continuing Education - Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (CAUCE-CNIE) Conference. With representatives from Google there to demonstrate how virtual reality is changing the educational landscape to staff from the University of Waterloo, many of whom developed courses and programs that received awards this week. 

Dina Meunier, Associate Director for Online Learning, and her team at CEL assisted Dr. David Mowat, Julie Atkinson, Sheila Datta and others at the Region of Peel Public Health in developing Encore - Encours.ca, a program to enhance the core skills of public health professionals. After receiving the award Meunier noted that “for our team, the CAUCE award was the culmination of a lot of hard work but it was all worth it. It was exciting to be part of such an exciting project that will have an impact on public health not just locally but nationally.”

Meunier's team was not alone in being recognized at this year’s conference. From the University of Waterloo both Tonya Elliott and Felicia Pantazi received awards for courses they helped develop as part of CEL in the field of continuing education. 

“[The program] is designed to provide current and aspiring mathematics teachers with the opportunity to expand their knowledge base” said Elliott about the award given for the development of a Master of Mathematics for Teachers (MMT) program. “It also challenges its students to look for new and innovative ways in which they can bring their newfound knowledge into the classroom.” 

Elliott, along with Ian VanderBurgh, Director of the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing at University of Waterloo accepted the award on behalf of the MMT staff and instructors, along with the large team of CEL designers, developers and QA staff who worked on their 27 courses. 

The conference included learning from others in the field as well as noted keynote speakers Ken Steele and Dr. Marc Rosenberg. “It was a very positive atmosphere, very collegial” said Rosemary Killeen, Director of Distance Education and Continuing Professional Development for the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo. 

Killeen, worked with the course authors Dr. Dannette Beechinor and Marg Alfieri, along with Pantazi from CEL to develop the Drug-Nutrient Interactions Continuing Education Program which also received an award. This was the “first program that I worked with CEL on” Killeen said, noting that it was “such a success… [those taking the course] continue to enjoy and appreciate how the course impacts their practice.”

As the conference came to a close Pantazi was thankful to have worked with "Dr. Dannette Beechinor and Marg Alfieri, without whom [the Drug-Nutrient Interactions] program would not exist as well as my CEL colleagues. The CAUCE-CNIE 2016 Conference has been inspiring and I am looking forward to the one in 2017”

Next year’s CAUCE conference will take place in Vancouver, BC, and next year’s CNIE conference will take place in Banff, AB. For more information about the CAUCE-CNIE 2016 conference visit www.cauce-conference.ca/2016.

Photographs by Viktor Karklins.

Keystone Picnic today and other notes

Faculty, staff and retirees are warmly invited to the 15^th annual Keystone Picnic today. Live entertainment, a fabulous new lunch menu, freshly spun cotton candy, and the ever-popular dunk tank will be part of today's celebration, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the DC quad.

The Keystone Picnic recognizes and celebrates faculty, staff, and retirees for their generous support as donors and volunteers. Everyone is welcome to attend.

There will also be a picnic for the evening staff from 6:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre.

The 32^nd annual University of Waterloo Canada Day Celebration is quickly approaching, and as Waterloo Region’s largest Canada Day celebration, the event relies heavily on the support of event volunteers.

The Community Relations and Events team is currently looking for University staff and their families to assist in day-of field logistics and children’s’ face painting activities. Volunteering is a great opportunity  to meet members of the community and showcase our University pride. Volunteers will receive training, free parking, lunch and a University of Waterloo t-shirt. Volunteering is also a great way for high school students to earn community service hours in an exciting and fast-paced event environment. 

Volunteer roles and responsibilities include:

Face Paint Volunteer: Face Paint Team members are important to increase Canadian pride and give you a chance to interact with Waterloo Region community members. This position requires availability from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 1. All supplies and stencils are provided, and artistic skills are not necessary.

Logistics Volunteer: The Logistics Team will support event day by assisting with the setup of the University of Waterloo Canada Day Celebration. Roles include but are not limited to: vendor organization, stage runners, floaters, crowd control, and site management.  This role requires availability onsite from 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. on July 1, and for clean-up the morning of July 2.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Community Relations and Events volunteer coordinator at cre@uwaterloo.ca.