Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
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University, FAUW reach faculty salary settlement
A message from the Vice-President, Academic & Provost.
The University of Waterloo is delighted to announce that the University and the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) have reached an agreement for faculty salaries starting May 1, 2018.
The terms of the memorandum of salary settlement are for three years, until April 30, 2021.
The terms of the agreement regarding scale are: 2.00 percent increase effective May 1, 2018, and 2.15 percent increases in the following two years.
Other terms of the agreement include:
- An across-the-board adjustment of $850 per faculty member applied to base salaries effective May 1, 2018, following the scale increase.
- The establishment of a working group to investigate the existing salary structure (floors and thresholds) and recommend adjustments to the structure to promote equitable influence of the selective increase system on relative career salary progression of lecturers.
- The University will increase its annual contributions to the employee health and dental care benefits plan for the benefit of Faculty by $400,000.
- The president of FAUW and the Vice-President, Academic & Provost will together review the unspent funds in the Faculty Professional Expense Reimbursement (FPER) allocation annually during the settlement period and will develop a process to direct the deployment of these funds to support faculty service, scholarship, research, and teaching.
- The option to exchange one week of vacation allowance for a one-time 2 percent increase in salary when within three years of retirement is extended to April 30, 2027 for retirement on or before May 1, 2030.
We are grateful to the members of the negotiating teams: FAUW – Benoit Charbonneau (Chief Negotiator), Shelley Hulan, and David Vert, and the University: James Rush (Chief Negotiator), Pearl Sullivan, and Stephen Watt.
FAUW has published a story about the faculty salary settlement and the full terms of the salary settlement agreement on its website.
There's still time to have your profile published on myResearch
Faculty members who would like to have their profiles published on myResearch can send their CVs and ORCID (if available) to myResearch@uwaterloo.ca.
myResearch is a web-based, research management, networking, and expertise discovery system that houses research outputs and publications, showcases accomplishments, and promotes collaboration among experts at Waterloo.
By sending in your CV you can be assured your profile will be accurate and up-to-date, and benefit from the features of myResearch once it becomes available. Test results will be shared with you to confirm how well the system has populated your research outputs from various sources.
If you have any questions, please contact myResearch@uwaterloo.ca.
President signs Bordeaux bio-based chemistry agreement
University of Bordeaux President Manuel Tunon de Lara and President Feridun Hamdullahpur sign the memorandum of agreement in Bordeaux, France.
The University of Waterloo and the University of Bordeaux strengthened their partnership on Friday, January 26 with the signing of a Joint Undergraduate Academic Exchange Program in Biobased Chemistry. This new international specialization in biobased chemistry is unique in Canada and aims to prepare students in Chemistry for a world that is running out of easy solutions and is looking for innovative answers.
Waterloo's links with the University of Bordeaux go back many years - the joint bio-based chemistry agreement was first announced in 2014 with the signing of a letter of intent, and a Bordeaux-Waterloo research grant supports research collaborations with funding in two categories. worth up to $50,000 for research projects in priority fields including materials science, water, energy, and aging and up to 15,000 Euros for projects in all fields for emerging research collaborations.
The University of Bordeaux covered the signing of the agreement on its news site.
The Department of Chemistry has more information about the specialization on its website.
World Wetlands day splashes down at Waterloo
Today is World Wetlands Day, which marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971.
World Wetlands Day events are taking place around the world, and events at the University of Waterloo are among them.
World Wetlands Day events at Waterloo are hosted by the Ecohydrology Research Group, the Faculty of Science and the Water Institute. This is the 6th year that World Wetlands Day events will be held at Waterloo.
The two main components of the Waterloo events are:
- A public lecture featuring Professor Jennifer Read, the University of Michigan's Water Center Director entitled "Impactful Science Along Our Coasts," and
- a research symposium, 3-Minute Thesis competition and poster display, with a mix of speakers from Waterloo faculty and other invited guests from a variety of organizations and research areas.
In a new development this year, students will be able to promote their work in a non-competitive 3MT presentation. Each participant will have 3 minutes and one static slide to present their work. 3MT presentation slots will be awarded in the order of registration until filled, so please register early to guarantee a slot. Students may sign up for both a 3MT and a poster presentation.
This weekend will be Fantastic and other promises
The 19th annual Fantastic Alumni, Faculty and Staff Day takes place in the Physical Activities Complex on campus on Saturday, February 3. This year the event features the Warriors men’s and women’s basketball teams playing against teams from Brock University.
As part of the festivities the University is hosting a paper airplane toss, which will take place during half-time of the men’s game. Members of the public will be able to purchase paper airplanes and all proceeds will support Student Wellness at the University of Waterloo. Prizes are set up on the basketball court and spectators toss their airplanes from the stands. The airplane that lands closest to each prize will win the prize. Prizes include a 55” Panasonic TV, a Family stay-cation package, a Bose Soundlink Revolve Speaker and more.
The women’s game begins at 12:00 p.m, followed by the men’s game at 2:00 p.m., with half-time expected at approximately 2:40 p.m.
Get wicked: the latest Knowledge Integration Seminar takes place today and is entitled "Embracing ambiguity to manage wicked problems in the 21st century." Speaking will be KI Assistant Professor Vanessa Schweizer.
"Some of the most important decisions in life -- such as whether to marry, whom to marry, or what career to pursue -- are made under uncertainty," says the seminar's background blurb. "Such decisions are made often 'from the gut'. However, gut decisions are tolerated less for issues of public policy -- especially when homes, habitats, or billions of dollars in investments hang in the balance. This talk will introduce the burgeoning field of decision-making under deep uncertainty and its relationship to design thinking."
The event gets underway at 2:30 p.m. in EV3-1408.
Fourth Year Fine Arts students are looking for the community's support.
The Fourth-Year Fine Arts class has been working on their theses since September to build a body of work and establish their art practice. To commemorate their final year as Fine Arts students, they will be exhibiting their artwork in a group show at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery from March 15 to April 7 2018.
To gain professional experience as artists, the exhibition is organized, planned and fundraised by the students. The students have raised money through fundraising initiatives, but they are now looking for additional support through their GoFundMe page. Help support the 4th year Fine Arts Class of 2018 with a donation today.
Can you improve your contact lens comfort without touching your eyes? Help CORE find out! The Centre for Ocular Research & Education (formerly the CCLR) is currently seeking study participants for a study that investigates the use of a new nasal device in reducing symptoms of contact lens discomfort. Receive up to $165 for 6 hours of your time. All study products will be provided. For more information visit the CORE website. Anyone with a question is invited to email corestudies@uwaterloo.ca or call 519-888-4742 and mention the CORIANDER study.