Thursday, November 21, 2019

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• Exploring opportunities for international experiences abroad
• Executive actions at the town hall and beyond
• Staff conference issues call for proposals
• Carey Bissonnette memorial event tonight

Exploring opportunities for international experiences abroad

International Education Week (IEW) runs from November 18 to 22.

Have you thought about going abroad for an educational experience? Such experiences can introduce you to new people and cultures, provide you with new skills, languages and knowledge – improving your resilience and marketability - and can even change the way in which you perceive the world.

Educating global citizens, who can succeed in a global economy, is a top priority for the University of Waterloo. Waterloo offers a range of student, staff and faculty - focused international activities that can move you beyond your comfort zone, expand your world view, and teach you what being a global citizen is all about.

Check out Gabbi’s experience during her exchange in Melbourne, Australia.  

Here are just some of the many ways in which you could engage in an international educational experience:

1. Exchange: Spend one or two terms exploring a different country and culture while gaining credits toward your degree at one of Waterloo’s partner schools and experience world-class teaching, training and facilities abroad.
2. Study Abroad: Some Waterloo programs offer a study abroad experience specific to your faculty, department or program with the possibility of receiving transfer credits. Go abroad programs foster global experiential learning outcomes for students, making them more employable and successful in a global economy.
3. Summer and Short-Term programs: Some institutions offer shorter programs that give you a taste of study and travel that can directly complement your degree. This can be a great alternative to a term or year abroad while still gaining relative experience to your program of study or interests while developing international connections.
4. Internships: Gain relevant, hands-on experience in a different country while possibly qualifying for a work-term credit.
5. International co-op experience: Enhance your co-curricular skills, and experience all the rewards that international experiences can bring while working abroad. Your Student Advisor can help you find answers to your questions about finding an approved job, grants and scholarships and pre-departure processes.
6. International Research: The University of Waterloo has more than 150 research-based agreements with institution partners in 42 countries. The International Research Partnerships team can provide support to Waterloo faculty in their international research endeavors.  
7. Sabbaticals: For Faculty members going on a sabbatical, consider the potential for intellectual growth, professional development and enhancement of your knowledge within your field by spending your sabbatical at a Research Institute or University, located abroad.
8. Staff International Experience Fund: The SIEF program allows eligible, and selected staff members to participate in an international experience that serves to advance the University’s strategic objectives. Over the years staff have visited institutions all over the world, including Australia, England, Germany and India, to learn best practices at other institutions in their field of work, creating new professional connections and applying their experiences upon their return home to Waterloo.

A year or even a week abroad experiencing a new culture, a new language or even just the sights and sounds of a new city can have a great impact professionally, academically and personally. We encourage all staff, faculty and students to continue the celebration of international education and experience beyond International Education Week at home, and abroad!

For more information on international educational experiences please visit the Waterloo International webpage.

Executive actions at the town hall and beyond

Sandra Banks, vice-president, university relations and President Feridun Hamdullahpur at the President's Town Hall meeting on November 12.

It’s Thursday, November 21. Do you know what your president is up to?

The Fall has been an active term for President Hamdullahpur with a number of events and meetings taking place on and off campus. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the President’s recent activities and a look ahead at what's on his calendar.

After more than one year of vast consultations, analysis and development, the University of Waterloo’s new 2020-2025 Strategic Plan – Connecting Imagination with Impact – was presented by the President to the Board of Governors and passed at their meeting on Tuesday, October 29.

The President traveled to Istanbul, Turkey from November 1 to 3 to take part in the Tomorrow’s Education Summit as a keynote speaker. President Hamdullahpur spoke on the post-secondary landscape and how students today are receiving an education far different than that of their parents.

Upon returning to Canada, President Hamdullahpur had the honour of speaking at Excellence Canada’s Summit on November 5 where he delivered a keynote speech on innovation. The President was also part of the team who was on hand to accept the University’s Gold-level certification in Excellence, Innovation and Wellness.

Wednesday, November 6 was a very active day for President Hamdullahpur starting with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute and also meeting with a delegation of the University of Essex.  

The day continued with the Student Mental Health Forum at Federation Hall as more than two hundred students and community members listened to President Hamdullahpur and Chair of the Committee for Student Mental Health (CoSMH), Professor John Hirdes, update the campus on the University’s efforts to strengthen its student mental health supports.

Later in the evening of November 6 the President had the pleasure of welcoming a capacity crowd for the annual TD Walter Bean Lecture with guest lecturer Jacqueline McGlade who spoke on the topic of “Together, Building Sustainable Communities”.

President Hamdullahpur met with University alumni at a Toronto Chapter Alumni event on November 7 that was generously hosted by Manulife and featured a diverse, interdisciplinary panel of Waterloo researchers focused on Health Innovation.

The annual President’s Town Hall welcomed more than 350 community members packed into Federation Hall and an additional 300 who viewed the event livestream on Tuesday, November 12. The President discussed some University highlights from the past year, presented on the new Strategic Plan and took part in a lengthy question and answer period.

The University of Waterloo Student Venture Fund met later on November 12 and the President was there to listen to the student-led team as they discussed potential and existing investments to their growing portfolio.

President Hamdullahpur helped launch the University’s new Waterloo Region Alumni Chapter at Catalyst137 later in the evening of November 12, speaking on the importance of staying connected to the University and the deep value of the alumni network. Waterloo Region is has more than 40,000 Waterloo alumni and is now the University’s second largest alumni chapter in the world.

Waterloo is home to countless exceptional researchers and the President met with several up and coming and senior researchers from each faculty for interdisciplinary roundtable meetings to explore the range of ongoing and upcoming research projects across the University landscape.

The President traveled to Ottawa on November 14 for a series of meetings with government officials. The President also had the pleasure of attending the Canadian Science Policy Conference Gala where University of Waterloo researchers Donna Strickland and Avery Broderick both spoke about the importance of continuing to support fundamental science research and literacy.

President Hamdullahpur had the honour of introducing Waterloo professor and Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland in Toronto this past Friday, November 15 at the International Women's Forum as she was inducted into their esteemed Hall of Fame.

What’s coming up?

The President will be attending the School of Accounting and Finance Awards Dinner celebration this evening to honour SAF students, alumni and also thank those who generously support SAF.

President Hamdullahpur will be traveling to Fukuoka, Japan for the QS-APPLE Conference on Industrial Revolution 4.0 and Ageing Societies on November 25 as an invited keynote speaker.

Following his keynote in Japan, President Hamdullahpur will be traveling to Beijing and Shanghai to strengthen ties with local university partners, including Tsinghua University, from November 26 to 28.

Staff conference issues call for proposals

A message from Organizational and Human Development (OHD).

Organizational and Human Development is inviting proposals for workshop sessions for the 13^th annual Waterloo Staff Conference that is taking place on April 6 and 7, 2020.

“Session proposals should be for a stimulating and/or interactive learning experience focused on professional and/or personal development of employees at the University of Waterloo,” says a note from OHD. “The workshop or presentation should include discussion items, can include activities, and/or other methods of engagement, along with clear learning objectives or outcomes. If you have an idea for a workshop or presentation, we would love to hear from you!” 

The event currently accepts internal proposals from UWaterloo and the Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 13.

If you havequestions about proposals or the event, please contact Mark Lisetto-Smith, manager, operations & marketing, Organizational and Human Development.

Carey Bissonnette memorial event tonight

The Department of Chemistry invites the Waterloo community to celebrate the life of Lecturer Carey Bissonnette tonight in a memorial reception that will bring together Carey’s family, friends, students and colleagues. Carey passed away on May 29^th at the age of 53. He was the very first Lecturer in the Faculty of Science, appointed in 1995, and quickly established his reputation as an outstanding instructor and mentor for students and colleagues alike.

He was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005, after several teaching awards within the Chemistry department recognizing his talent and passion for teaching. He was a tireless advocate for students, serving as an Academic Advisor for Chemistry over the last 20 years, as a Teaching Fellow from 2012-2016, and then as the Senior Teaching Fellow for the Faculty of Science.

In 2018, Carey Bissonnette was involved in the creation of Open-Science, free interactive online chemistry content. The Open-Science website provides online lessons in general chemistry at the high school level. Bissonnette and colleague Laura Ingram were awarded a 2018 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s PromoScience grant to expand the program.

Chem13 News Magazine recently published a tribute to Carey Bissonnette. The issue includes a reprint of Carey’s Tough Questions series, a series where he shared difficult chemistry exam questions and the correct way to answer them.

The Carey Bissonnette Memorial Scholarship has been established to honour his legacy. The scholarship will be offered annually to a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in Year Four in the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science.