Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Go Red day ends, but the campaign is just beginning

Yesterday, the University of Waterloo kicked off the annual United Way campaign by decorating our campus red. Faculty, staff, and students alike came together to show their support for this vital community service – and, as the pictures show, had some fun while they were at it. 

#UWUnitedWay

Although GO RED day has ended, the campaign itself is just beginning. Stay tuned for other fun activities as the University showcases what makes us such an amazing leader in our Regional community.

Not sure how to contribute? The easiest way is to pledge a gift to the United Way through their secure e-Pledge site. Units across campus will be supporting the campaign through amazing bake sales, team activities (such as relays and games), and even a pie-in-the-face contest! Connect with your area rep to learn what your unit is doing this month. Don’t have an area rep? It’s not too late to volunteer for the 2017 campaign.

Thank you for helping us to reach our goal of $270,000 – at a time when community is more important than ever. Through your generosity, we can work to reduce poverty, help children reach their potential, and create a better life for many people in need across our Region.

Highest student turnout for Career Fair in a decade

By Jacqueline Gergal

A record-breaking 3,140 students attended the annual Partnerships for Employment (P4E) Career Fair on Wednesday, September 27. Students from the University of Waterloo made up about half of all attendees, with 1,541 students attending – that’s an increase of 68 percent over last year.

Students networked with 247 employers from across Canada, the United States and around the world, including IBM Canada, BlackBerry, Bell, Toyota, RCMP, Manulife and many more. It’s the largest event of its kind in the country, providing local students with an invaluable opportunity.

“Career fair had a buzz and energy I’ve never experienced before,” said English and Business student, Farah Hassan. “All of the employers were approachable and actively wanting to speak with me. This was my first time attending Career Fair and I was surprised by all of the opportunities available.”

The P4E Career Fair is jointly organized by the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph and Conestoga College. It features organizations from various sectors, including government, financial, healthcare, IT, manufacturing, telecommunications, food and hospitality, oil and gas and many more. Employers at Career Fair are mainly looking to hire students for full-time positions upon graduation.

P4E’s next big event is Job Fair, which takes place February 7, 2018. Job Fair is aimed at current students who are looking for temporary jobs – either co-op or summer employment.

Additional information about P4E’s Career Fair and Job Fair can be found on the P4E website.

Executive actions at OUF and beyond

It's Wednesday, October 4. Do you know where your President is?

Here's a non-exhaustive list of President and Vice-Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur's activities:

President Hamdullahpur visited the University of Waterloo's booth at the Ontario Universities' Fair, held from September 22 to 24 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Feridun met many future students and their families at the event.

On Thursday, September 28, Hamdullahpur also spoke to more than 1,200 high school-age student leaders at the Canadian Student Leadership Conference hosted by Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in north Waterloo.

He also had a full day at Reunion on Saturday, September 30 attending events on campus.

President Hamdullahpur has completed his run of 2017 first-year student lecture visits that started in September. He also delivered opening remarks at the Graduate Studies Mini Town Hall on Monday, October 2.

On Tuesday, October 3, Hamdullahpur attended a Loran Scholars Foundation reception at the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, congratulating current scholarship winners and meeting with foundation staff.

So what's next for the President?

On Wednesday, October 4, President Hamdullahpur will be delivering remarks at the annual Teaching Excellence Celebration hosted by the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University Club at 3:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, October 18, Feridun will help officially open the New Residence Building in the heart of UW Place. 

A full day of wellness activities for employees planned

University of Waterloo employees have a full day of wellness activities to look forward to on October 17.

“Keeping Well at Work” is funded by the Staff Excellence Fund and organized by the UW Staff Association and the University’s Healthy Workplace Committee. 

The event will include a keynote talk on Resilience in the Workplace by Mary Ann Baynton, Program Director for Great West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, in the morning from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM  in the Humanities Theatre. There will also be breakout sessions throughout the day in Federation Hall on topics such as Sustainable Nutrition, Workplace Bullying Awareness, Managing Your Time and Energy, the Art of Relaxation, and the Science of Happiness. Afternoon programming will also include Groove and Chair Yoga, to help get us moving. A small tradeshow will showcase regional charitable associations and University partners including Great-West Life, Homewood Health, Occupational Health and more.

Registration is now open, and registration will be required for all elements of this event individually as space is limited. Registration closes on Tuesday, October 10.

For more information, please contact Jackie Serviss, President of the UW Staff Association, at jackie.serviss@uwaterloo.ca.

6,000 Daily Bulletins and other notes

This week the Daily Bulletin crossed the 6,000 issue mark. That's about 12 million words, give or take, for a publication that averages about 2,000 words an issue and has been produced between 246 and 248 times a year since being introduced in May 1993 by erstwhile editor Chris Redmond.

I've been fortunate enough to serve as editor for 1,435 of those 6,000 issues since taking the helm in November 2011. It starts to add up - to the right is pictured about five years' worth of Daily Bulletins, which were printed out and posted on the wall outside the old Marketing and Strategic Communications office in Needles Hall (a tradition that apparently continues even after the unit moved to East Campus 5 last June).

The Daily Bulletin's back issues are all available in the archive.

Thanks for reading!

The 2017 Optometry Rack Pack team completed the 'CIBC Run for the Cure' on Sunday, October 1 to support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. "The Rack Pack was again honoured with the ‘Post-Secondary Team Challenge Award’ for the institution with the most funds raised to support the cause - the current total is $9,227!" writes Marie Amodeo, undergraduate studies co-ordinator at the School of Optometry & Vision Science. "That brings the team’s five year total to over $50,000! That ties in nicely with the School of Optometry and Vision Science’s 50^th anniversary. The Run for the Cure was inspiring to all who attended – so be ready to tie up your laces for next year’s event. Donations are accept until the end of October. Thanks for supporting a great cause!"

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Ceridian, A9, Ernst & Young, Richter LLP, Tata Consultancy Services, Tribalscale, Toast Inc. and Agriculture and AgriFood Canada. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.