Tuesday, January 3, 2017

We're back for 2017, Waterloo's anniversary year

It's a new year and a new term for Waterloo, and it will be one to remember as we celebrate the University's 60^th Anniversary.

Today, lectures have begun, and the co-op work term started up this week as well.

Campus operations are getting back up and running, including:

• Food Services locations are back in action. Check the locations and hours page for details.
• Athletics facilities are open from 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Monday to Friday, Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 9:00 to 12:30.
• The Book Store, Waterloo Store, and Write Stuff are open today at 9:00 a.m. Special extended hours will be in effect for the first week of January - check the Retail Services website for more information.
• WatCard, Campus Tech, and Media.Doc also open their doors today at 9:00 a.m. Check the Retail Services hours page for a full listing of their extended hours.
• The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries are back to regular hours for January, with Dana Porter open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekends, and the Davis Centre open from 8:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. to midnight on weekends.
• Feds Used Books is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. today and tomorrow, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 6, and will be open on Saturday, January 7 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. They will return to regular business hours on Monday, January 9.

Winter Orientation is now in full swing for all incoming students, including first years, exchange/study abroad, transfer and graduate students.

Waterloo named a destination for Al Ghurair Scholarships

Waterloo is one of a handful of global universities named as eligible destinations for the Al Ghurair STEM Scholars Program. This program is part of a 10-year, $1.6 billion CAD initiative from the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education to create opportunities for at least 15,000 academically gifted Arab youth from underprivileged backgrounds and help them prepare for university, work and life.   

These scholarships provide support up to and including all tuition, housing, insurance and living costs for a range of undergraduate and graduate STEM programs at Waterloo. In additional to financial assistance, recipients will also be engaged in a network of other supports including mentoring, advising, career services and a dedicated scholars’ network with the Foundation.  

“We welcome this partnership as we continue to attract a diverse and growing group of the best and brightest international students and faculty to our campuses,” said Ian Rowlands, Associate Vice-President, International.  “Waterloo is committed to ensuring access to higher education for eligible students in Canada and around the world. The Al Ghurair Foundation scholarships complement the many merit-based and need-based scholarships already available to international and domestic students.” 

The STEM Scholars must compete for admission just like any other student, however the scholarship means that finances won’t be a barrier to pursuing their goals at Waterloo. Applications to the Foundation for the first round of scholarships and studies commencing in Fall 2017 will close on Sunday, January 15. Interested students apply separately to the foundation for the scholarship and to the University of Waterloo for admission to their chosen program(s).

Joanne Shoveller joins Waterloo as VP Advancement

Joanne Shoveller joins the University of Waterloo today as Vice-President, Advancement.

Shoveller comes to Waterloo from INSEAD, The Business School for the World, where she served as Associate Dean, Advancement and Alumni Relations. Previously, she served as vice-president advancement at the University of Guelph from 2004 to 2012.

“Joanne Shoveller brings to the University of Waterloo a tremendous depth of experience in building relationships and fundraising on a global scale,” wrote Feridun Hamdullahpur in the initial announcement of Shoveller's appointment in August 2016. “I am delighted to welcome her to the University’s leadership team. I’m confident that she will help drive our collective efforts to develop a strategic link between our academic mission, our fundraising goals and the interests of alumni, donors and volunteers.” 

A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and Western University’s Ivey Business School, Shoveller will lead the development, principal gifts, advancement services, faculty advancement and alumni relations teams with responsibility for advancing the University’s goals through strategic fundraising locally, nationally and internationally.

Remembering Michael Sharratt

Michael (Mike) Sharratt, distinguished professor emeritus, former dean of applied health sciences and president of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, died on Friday, December 23, 2016.

He joined the University of Waterloo in 1974 as assistant professor of kinesiology in the recently formed Faculty of Human Kinetics and Leisure Studies. He served as chair of the Department of Kinesiology from 1980 to 1986 and associate dean, graduate studies and research from 1991 to 1995. He was appointed dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences in 1998 and re-appointed through 2005.

An expert in physiology and the plasticity of aging, he built an impressive record of teaching and of service to his profession and the community. He was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2008 and inspired decades of students with his profound knowledge and passion for helping people with heart disease. He was a former president of the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation, and of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, and co-chaired the development of Health Canada’s Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth. Off-campus, Sharratt spent many years as an international wrestling official including two Olympic Games, dozens of world championships and was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994.

Throughout his time at UWaterloo, Sharratt was a visionary, catalyst and collaborator. He excelled at bringing together people with a vision and capacity to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. He was a founding member of the Waterloo Regional Cardiac Rehabilitation Foundation Inc. (Hardy Hearts). He was instrumental in establishing the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion and the Manulife Wellness Centre where he was the major energy behind the development of community and clinical exercise programs including UW Fitness, UW WELL-FIT and Teens in Motion. After more than a decade of planning and lobbying, an innovative partnership spearheaded by Ronald Schlegel led to the creation of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging and Ontario’s (RIA) first purpose-built teaching long-term care home on a university campus. As part of his legacy, these programs have not only changed lives but provide models and lessons to be replicated for years to come.

Sharratt retired from UWaterloo in 2007 but continued his role as executive director and later president of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging until earlier this year.

“Mike was a force of nature, seizing opportunities to build and develop this Faculty that he cared passionately for,” says James Rush, dean of Applied Health Sciences. “His dedicated leadership of AHS was instrumental in assembling and nurturing what is now his legacy of outstanding people, programs and places. As we grieve his passing we are strengthened by his example of dedicated servant leadership.”

The Sharratt family will receive family and friends at Knox Waterloo Presbyterian Church on Saturday, January 14. The visitation is from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life at 3:00 p.m. A reception will follow. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the University of Waterloo Michael T. Sharratt Award, Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging or University of Waterloo WELL-FIT may be arranged online through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home or 519-745-8445.