Wednesday, January 25, 2017

The search is on for the next University Secretary

The University is now launching a process leading to the appointment of the new University Secretary, according to a memo circulated by President Feridun Hamdullahpur on Monday. 

A search committee has been formed to support the search for this position.

"The University Secretary directly supports and guides the governance and deliberative processes of the university by providing timely information and advice on policies, precedents, procedures and protocol for the Board of Governors and its committees, Senate and its committees, senior bodies, task forces and the university community at large," writes the president. "The University Secretary reports to the president and is a member of the university’s Executive Council, maintaining close working relationships with the president, the chair of the Board of Governors, the provost and other senior university officers, providing advice, guidance and support with respect to the execution of their responsibilities."

In addition to leading the Secretariat, the University Secretary has delegated responsibility for decisions relating to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and for overseeing administration of that Act; liaises with the Office of General Counsel, coordinates the internal audit and risk management function and oversees University Police, Conflict Management and Human Rights, the Equity Office, the Safety Office and Records Management. The University Secretary also serves as the university’s chief electoral officer, and is a member of the university’s emergency response group.

The search process will unfold over the next few weeks.

"Please send any comments or suggestions you may have to any member of the committee, to the committee secretary, Andrea Kelman (akkelman@uwaterloo.ca) or to waterloosecretary@odgersberndtson.com. Contact information for search committee members is provided below, and all comments and suggestions will be held in confidence within the search committee."

Search Committee members include:

Kinesiology students make an impact in the workplace

Discover the positive impact Waterloo Kinesiology students can have on an organization! Professor Andrew Laing from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (AHS) explains how Waterloo Kin students are equipped to help employers in areas like physiology, biomechanics or neuroscience. Produced as a collaboration between Co-operative Education & Career Action (CECA) and AHS, this new video aims to highlight the unique skill set that Kin students bring to their co-op work terms. 

Applications open for the World’s Challenge Challenge

​Yes, you read that right.

Do you have a solution to a major global problem? Applications are now being accepted for the World’s Challenge Challenge until Sunday, February 5.

The World’s Challenge Challenge at the University of Waterloo is a competition where teams of three diverse students pick one of the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals, and propose a solution.

Each member of the winning team will win $1,000 to contribute to an international travel experience, and the winning team will move on to compete against other schools at the international level, competing for $45,000 in prizes! Apply now!

The World’s Challenge Challenge is a collaboration between Velocity, Waterloo International, and Western University. 

New director for Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre

St. Paul’s University College is pleased to announce the appointment of Lori Campbell as the new Director of the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre (WAEC).

Ms. Campbell is of Cree/Métis ancestry from Saskatchewan. She holds two undergraduate degrees (Native Studies and Psychology) and a Master’s degree in Adult Education from the University of Regina. 

She joins St. Paul’s from Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Regina, where she was Coordinator of the Indigenous Students’ Centre and counsellor to Indigenous students. Previous to that, she taught Indigenous Studies courses at the University of Regina and the First Nations University of Canada.

“Lori has the experience and the personal qualities to provide strong leadership for the WAEC in this critical period," says Principal of St. Paul's Richard Myers. "Universities Canada has committed all member institutions to adopt strategies for indigenizing our campuses. The role of the WAEC will be increasingly important, and Lori is just the person to lead it.”

Ms. Campbell began her new role as of January 1, 2017.

Bell Let's Talk Day and other notes

It's Bell Let's Talk Day, a program dedicated to the promotion and support of mental health across Canada. The program enhances awareness, understanding, and treatment of mental illness and promotes access to care and research across the country. 

On January 25, Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions at no extra charge to participants:

• Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada and Bell Aliant customers.
• Twitter: Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk
• Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk
• Instagram: Every post using #BellLetsTalk
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk Snapchat geofilter

Raising awareness helps to decrease the stigma associated with mental health. The University of Waterloo offers a wide range of mental health supports across its campuses.

• In addition to individual, group and peer support counselling, Counselling and Psychological Services provides coping skills seminars and workshops.
• Counselling services are covered under student fees.
• Appointments may be made by calling the Counselling Services and Health Services office contact numbers.
• Emergency contacts can be found here.

The social startup PASS Kit (for Panic, Anxiety and Stress Support) provides students at University of Waterloo and other universities with additional mental health support. The PASS kit contains a sleeping mask, earplugs, a stress ball, chewing gum and flash cards with concise counselling advice. This simple but effective tool kit is proven to help students manage stress. Founded by Waterloo students, PASS Kit aims to improve awareness of mental health symptoms and initiate open conversations about mental health.

Human Resources has reported that the following retirees have died:

• Ida Lee Grespan, who joined the University in October 1968, died December 23, 2016. She worked as a Darkroom Technician in Graphics Services and retired in December 1985;
• David Forrest, who started at Waterloo in September 1988, died on January 14, 2017. He retired as Mechanic 1 in Plant Operations in January 2013.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Aviva Canada, NerdWallet, TD – Technology & Data & Analytics, Dropbox (mobile infrastructure demo), Riot Games, CGI, EY, National Instruments, TradeRev, Flipp, Hootsuite, Citadel LLC, Yahoo and Clearbanc. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.