The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
President profile kicks off senior leadership video series
As the University of Waterloo grows ever larger and more complex, with new students, faculty and staff joining the community each term, one might be forgiven for wondering whose job it is to keep the organization on track.
Wonder no more. In this weekly series, the Daily Bulletin will profile the University's senior administrators and feature short video interviews with members of Waterloo's senior leadership team.
Committed to raising Waterloo’s international profile and enhancing the learning experience of students, President and Vice-Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur has led the university since 2010.
The President and Vice-Chancellor is responsible for, among other things, administering the affairs of the University; providing strategic leadership within a vibrant and complex culture; providing a visionary approach in all matters internally and externally; and developing a strategic vision for the University, while overseeing related action plans and implementation.
Watch the video to learn more about President Hamdullahpur, his role and responsibilities, and his vision for the University:
Help Waterloo measure campus travel
How do you travel to and from campus? Students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to complete a quick 5 minute travel survey to share details about their trips to Waterloo. Whether you drive, bus, bike, walk, or carpool, and whether you love it or hate it, we’d like to hear from you.
By participating in the survey, Waterloo students and employees can be entered into a prize draw for one of:
- $150 Mountain Equipment Coop Gift Card
- $100 University of Waterloo Retail Services Gift Card
- Two $50 King Street Cycles Gift Cards
The survey is hosted by the Region of Waterloo as part of the TravelWise program, and has been run consecutively since 2012 to benchmark travel patterns at major employers across the region. Data collected from the survey supports regional travel planning and identifies opportunities for municipal and University programs to support efficient, safe, and sustainable travel.
Any questions about the survey can be directed to Mat Thijssen, Sustainability Manager. The survey will be open until November 9.
New conference aims to promote trans-affirming health care
by Anne Galang.
The KW Trans Health Initiative Committee is hosting the inaugural Transgender Health and Wellness Conference on Saturday, November 17 at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Waterloo Regional Campus.
Led by the University of Waterloo, this conference is presented in collaboration with Wilfrid Laurier University, McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine - Waterloo Regional Campus, and other educational and health and wellness sponsors in the community.
Stemming from student and community feedback on interactions with health and wellness practitioners in Waterloo Region, the conference aims to provide health and wellness practitioners, educators and students in the region with resources to deliver trans-affirming health care and education to better serve transgender and non-binary individuals.
"We know that trans people travel all over the province and sometimes leave the country or self-administer care because they cannot find a local affirming provider,” says Washington Silk, an OK2BEME program coordinator at KW Counselling. “We are proud to have an event like this in our community to help offer education and awareness to those providing service to trans clients.”
Members of the campus community who work or attend school within Waterloo Region and fall into at least one of the following categories are invited to register:
- a health and/or wellness practitioner
- an educator with a focus on health and/or wellness education
- a student within a health and/or wellness field
Register on the conference website or Eventbrite page. Registration is open until the day of the conference or until registration reaches capacity.
Follow the conference on Twitter at @TransHealthWR.
TD Walter Bean Lecture is no big fish story
The TD Walter Bean Lecture in Environment is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre.
This year’s TD Walter Bean visiting professor is Dr. Steven Cooke, the Canada Research Chair in Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology at Carleton University and the founding Director of the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation. His lecture is entitled “On the State of Freshwater Fish and Fisheries: Finding a Future for the Forgotten.”
“Freshwater fish provide diverse ecosystem services. Yet, freshwater fish and fisheries are not often a national or regional governance priority and as a result, freshwater fisheries are undervalued and largely overlooked,” says the lecture’s abstract. “Due to a lack of reliable data, freshwater fisheries have never been part of any high-profile global fisheries assessment and are notably absent from the Sustainable Development Goals. Using diverse examples from local to global, Cooke will provide a roadmap for elevating the status of freshwater fish and ensuring that moving forward freshwater fish and fisheries are valued and conserved to ensure that ecosystem services are maximized.”
Cooke is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Fellow of the American Fisheries Society, and Secretary of the College of the Royal Society of Canada. Cooke is a proud Waterloo alumnus (BES ’97, MSc ’99). Cooke is a dynamic speaker known for engaging audiences with his infectious passion for science, evidence-based environmental management, and all things fishy.
Register for the TD Walter Bean Lecture in Environment today.
The visiting professorship was founded in 1992 by the late Walter Bean, who was president of Waterloo Trust until its merger with Canada Trust in 1968. The professorship seeks to promote a legacy of community involvement and commitment to youth, education and community, and involves Waterloo's faculties of Engineering, Environment and Science.
Board of Governors meeting today; other notes
The University of Waterloo's Board of Governors has its fall meeting this afternoon in Needles Hall. Among the agenda items:
- A motion to approve a change to the resolution of the Governance Committee to reflect the requirement of the Province of Ontario’s executive compensation program that oversight be provided with respect to “designated executives”. At Waterloo, this means: the vice-president, academic & provost; the vice-president, university research; the vice-president, administration & finance; the vice-president, university relations; and the vice-president, advancement;
- A motion to amend section 13 of the Memorandum of Agreement between FAUW and the University of Waterloo;
- An update from the President on the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan;
- A motion to approve the allocation of responsibilities for implementing Environmental, Social & Governance-related (“ESG”) investment approaches;
- A motion to to reappoint Ernst & Young as the university’s external auditors for the fiscal year ending 30 April 2019;
- A motion to recommend that the Board the Governors amend the terms of reference of the Finance & Investment Committee to add text that will delegate certain powers and responsibilities of the committee to the Pension Investment Committee;
- A motion to approve an amendment to the healthcare benefit for non-retired faculty, staff and CUPE Local 793 employees to increase the level of reimbursement for basic dental services from 80 percent to 95 percent, and to remove the two year lag in the dental fee guide by adopting the current year fee guide, all effective for eligible expenses incurred on or after 1 January 2019; and
- A motion to approve the 1 November 2018 version of the University of Waterloo Pension Plan (2011) Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures (the “SIPP”), effective 1 November 2018.
The University has produced a recap video of the 117th Convocation ceremonies that took place on October 26 and 27:
The Waterloo Store POP-UP Shop is happening today and tomorrow, October 30 and 31, in the Student Life Centre from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. There will be door crashers, exclusive items and some returning favourites - Print + Retail Solutions hopes to see you there
Find out more about the future of Velocity Programming in Waterloo Residences and tour the exclusive upper-year community at Minota Hagey opening to all students in winter 2019 at today's Minota Hagey Open House, which runs from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Students and campus partners are all welcome to participation. Tours, food, and more information will be available.