Thursday, June 7, 2018

Update on fire incident on campus

Earlier this morning, Waterloo Fire Rescue attended a number of buildings on campus to address a number of small fires.

The fires took place in CEIT, STC, Physics, Biology 1 and Biology 2 and ESC and Waterloo Regional Police Service are investigating.

The Fire department successfully extinguished all fires last night. We have inspected the affected areas for damage this morning and assess that the impact is limited. As a matter of precaution, a small area in on the third floor of Biology 1 and the west wing of the Physics building will be closed until further notice.

Some buildings may show evidence of the fire department’s activities or have a residual campfire-type odour. If you have concerns about your workplace or class, you should contact your supervisor or the Safety Office.

We will provide updates if more information becomes available.

Please note: For a complete list of class and midterm relocations, please visit the Registrar's Office website.

You are here: proposed wayfinding designs revealed

A message from the Campus Wayfinding Project.

The University is ready to share a preview of the proposed design theme for the University of Waterloo’s exterior campus wayfinding and signage system. The theme emerged as the preferred option after review by a campus-wide advisory group, and was deemed to meet the project goals of:

• Creating a sense of arrival on campus;
• Improving overall navigation;
• Developing an integrated and scalable system.

To date, the project has undergone a six-month review that included: collection of campus stakeholder perceptions and experiences; pedestrian and vehicle traffic pattern studies; site surveys; a best practice review; and interviews with Waterloo faculty and staff with expertise in wayfinding, accessibility, branding, facilities maintenance, etc.

As the project evolved, the steering and advisory committees were focused on developing an exterior wayfinding design and system that would be durable, sustainable, practical, cost-effective, and uniquely Waterloo.

View the proposed exterior signage system and share your thoughts on the next phase of the project.

AVP Government Relations wins achievement award

GRO Executive Committee chair Alexis Ksiazkiewicz, Associate Vice-President, Government Relations Rob Esselment, and Vice-President, Academic & Provost George Dixon.

Associate Vice-President, Government Relations Rob Esselment was honoured by his peers at a reception on Wednesday, May 30.

Esselment was awarded the Gillian A. Wood award at the opening reception of the annual Government Relations Officers conference. Vice-President, Academic & Provost George Dixon was on hand at the reception, held at the Art Gallery of Guelph, and gave remarks.

The award was established in 2012 by the Government Relations Officer Network for Canadian Universities (GRO Network) to honour the commitment of Gillian A. Wood, assistant vice-president government relations at Dalhousie University, a founding member and stalwart supporter of the GRO Network.

Award recipients must, in the opinion of the GRO Executive Committee, have furthered the standing of the university government relations profession in Canada.

The award is intended to recognized a body of achievement in three categories:

• Demonstrated professional excellence in the practice of university government relations;
• Demonstrated service to Canada's university government relations community; and
• Demonstrated service to the broader community.

“As Chair of the GRO Executive Committee, I nominated Rob to be the 2018 recipient of this award because he exemplifies the achievement noted above,” writes Alexis Ksiazkiewicz, the associate vice-president government & community relations at the University of Alberta. “He has always been and continues to be a leader within our profession's national community. I believe he is the longest serving member of the GRO Executive Committee and has made important contributions to our work - both through individual expertise and the work he has done to advance initiatives within partner advocacy groups, including Universities Canada and the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. Rob is always willing to lend a hand to a government relations colleague and many of us within the GRO Network have benefited from his knowledge, collegiality and partnership.”

Esselment, who joined the University in 2012 as Sr. Director Government Relations, was named Associate Vice-President, Government Relations in 2015. Prior to joining Waterloo, he worked in government relations at Western University.

The award is presented annually at the yearly gathering of the GRO Network, an association of higher education government relations officers from universities across Canada. This year, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Guelph co-hosted the event.

“Congratulations Rob, on being recognized by your colleagues and peers from across Canada, for your leadership and contribution to public affairs in the university sector,” wrote Vice-President, University Relations Sandra Banks in a memo circulated to University Relations staff last week.

Former volleyball coach inducted into OVA hall of fame

This is a version of an article originally published on the Athletics and Recreation website.

Former head coach and volleyball guru of Ontario Chris Lawson received an incredible honour on Saturday, June 2 as he was inducted into the OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) Hall of Fame in the Builders Category.

"We are delighted for Chris as he received this prestigious and well deserved recognition this past weekend," said Director of Athletics and Recreation Roly Webster.

"Chris transformed our men's volleyball program into a perennial OUA and U SPORTS powerhouse and has been a valuable mentor for both Warriors volleyball programs the past two seasons. We are forever grateful for his leadership and the ever-lasting impression he has left on our staff and student-athletes."

Lawson was hired as the men's volleyball coach in 2007, leading one of the most elite programs in the country for nine seasons. At the helm, Lawson led the Warriors to nine straight OUA post-seasons, including five straight OUA Final Four's and two U SPORTS Championships.

Lawson accumulated a regular season record of 109 wins and 71 losses in his nine seasons with the black and gold.

For the past two years, Lawson worked as a mentor and associate coach of both volleyball programs. Both of those two years, the men's and women's teams qualified for the playoffs including another Final Four and U SPORTS Championship for the men's team in 2017 under the guidance of current head coach Shayne White.

Lawson has over 30+ years of coaching, specializing in biomechanics and LTAD (Long-Term Athlete Development) and is currently working with the London Volleyball Club as their Pathway Coordinator. 

Lawson is a NCCP Level 3 coaching facilitator and has mentored hundreds of coaches across Ontario and has forever cemented his legacy with his induction into the OVA Hall of Fame.