Thursday, May 11, 2017

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• Karen Jack named University Secretary
• Occupational Health moving to the COM next week
• Student Service Transformation project update
• Conrad Grebel hires new music professor
• Thursday's notes

Karen Jack named University Secretary

President and vice-chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur has announced that following an international search, the University Secretary Search Committee, assisted by Odgers Berndtson, unanimously recommended the appointment of Karen Jack to the position of University Secretary.

Jack has worked at the University of Waterloo for 17 years, with 14 of them spent in various roles within the Secretariat. Since 2006, she has served as the University’s privacy officer, ensuring that the University meets its statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Over time, Jack has developed a broad portfolio, which spans both access and privacy work and governance-related responsibilities.

“Over the past several months, Karen has helped lead the Secretariat and I want to recognize her leadership and guidance through this interim period, which has been critical to a smooth transition for the entire Secretariat and the community,” wrote President Hamdullahpur in a memo circulated to faculty and staff yesterday.

The University Secretary is a member of the senior administrative team, providing advice and guidance on effective University governance for the Board of Governors, the Senate, and the executive group. The portfolio of responsibilities also includes liaising with legal counsel, coordinating internal audits and risk management, and overseeing the departments responsible for policing, safety, and records management. In this role, Jack will report directly to the president.

Jack has a bachelor of arts and a master of arts, both in history, from the University of Waterloo and is a very proud alumna.

“The University of Waterloo is home to ground-breaking research and inspired teaching. I look forward to enabling excellent governance to facilitate positive change,” said Jack. “I am privileged and honoured to work at my alma mater.”

Please welcome Karen to her new role.

Occupational Health moving to the COM next week

Occupational Health, currently located in Health Services, is on the move, reports Manager of Occupational Health Linda Brogden. The unit will be relocated to Room 115 of the COM.

To facilitate the move, Occupational Health will be closed on Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19. They will reopen for business on Monday, May 22 at 8:30 a.m.

Email addresses and phone extensions will remain the same:

• Linda Brogden, lbrogden@uwaterloo.ca at extension 36264
• Karen Parkinson, kparkinson@uwaterloo.ca at extension 30338

Occupational Health will join other units located in the COM including Police Services, Parking Services, and the Safety Office.

If you have questions/concerns regarding sick leave during the closure, please contact Nellie Gomes, Disability Advisor in Human Resources EC1 extension 32926.

Student Service Transformation project update

A message from the Student Services Transformation Needles Hall (SSTNH) Project Team.

Chris Read returns this month with the May update on the Student Service Transformation project and to announce the name of the centre’s organizational unit (that your votes helped us choose!) Watch the video below to find out the new name and to see what else the team will be working on as we enter the spring term.

Our video updates will be taking a break in June, but as always project news will continue to be shared here on the Daily Bulletin and on the project website.

Conrad Grebel hires new music professor

Professor Karen Sunabacka will be Conrad Grebel University College’s new Associate Professor of Music at the University of Waterloo. Beginning July 1, she will teach music theory and composition, and continue her active work as a composer, performer, and scholar.

Sunabacka is currently Associate Professor in Music Theory and Composition at Providence University College in Otterburne, Manitoba.

Sunabacka’s music has been performed in Canada, the USA, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Her most recent premiere involved a collectively written five-movement symphony, De Natura Sonorum, performed by the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of Canada. Each movement was inspired by the natural beauty of a different Canadian region. Sunabacka wrote Movement IV, titled “The Prairies.”

“At Grebel, I saw a community that offered academic spaces for research and teaching, spaces for artistic exploration, spaces for music and art, spaces for community worship, spaces for conversations, and spaces for friendship between academics, students, and the greater community,” says Sunabacka, when asked what drew her to the job at Grebel. “I am looking forward to continuing to teach and compose in an interdisciplinary environment, but I am also excited about new creative and collaborative possibilities.”

Photograph by Dave Fretz.

Thursday's notes

The University Club is hosting a Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. "Treat your Mom to brunch at The University Club and give her spirits a French toast and lemon blueberry boost," says a note from the Club. Check out the menu and make your reservation today.

The Canadian Congress on Leisure Research (CCLR) is a triennial conference of the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies (CALS) hosted alternately by various leisure schools across Canada. The fifteenth congress will be hosted by the University of Waterloo's Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies from May 23 to 26 in Kitchener at the Crowne Plaza.

The conference theme is Engaging Legacies, looking at co-creating histories of inclusive communities through research, excellence, knowledge translation, innovation, and action, as well as creating legacies that are engaging and not soon forgotten.

"As part of the ongoing Hallman Lecture series we are pleased to welcome Dave Zirin and Lenore Skenazy as our conference keynote speakers," says a note from Applied Health Sciences. "The program overview is available and registration is open."