Friday, June 5, 2020

Susan Tighe appointed as McMaster University's Provost

Susan Tighe, Waterloo’s deputy provost and associate vice-president, integrated planning and budgeting, has been appointed as provost and vice-president, academic at McMaster University, effective July 1, 2020.

The appointment was unanimously approved by McMaster’s Senate and Board of Governors this week and announced yesterday.

“I share this news with mixed emotions as Professor Tighe has been a valued member of the University for more than 20 years and has elevated the important role of Deputy Provost in the last three years,” wrote James Rush, vice-president, academic & provost in a memo circulated to Executive Council yesterday.

A Waterloo alumnus with a MASc in Civil Engineering (’97) and a PhD in Civil Engineering (’00), Tighe has been a faculty member in Civil and Environmental Engineering since January 2000 and is the Norman McLeod Chair in Sustainable Pavement Engineering. During her time at Waterloo, she has been involved in numerous departmental, faculty and University-level initiatives.

As a faculty member, Professor Tighe has gained national and international recognition for her outstanding contributions to the development, design, and management of sustainable concrete and asphalt transportation infrastructure. Susan is a founding member of the Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology (CPATT) at the University. Prior to assuming the CPATT’s director role, which she held from 2010 to 2017, she served as the Associate Director of Research and Technology from 2005 to 2010. She is a past Canada Research Chair in Pavement and Infrastructure Management. She has successfully completed over 80 graduate students since starting at the University in 2000, many of whom are now in academic, public and private sector leadership positions. In 2017, Susan received the University of Waterloo Graduate Supervision Award. 

Most recently, Professor Tighe has served as the Deputy Provost and Associate Vice-President since July 2017, and has been instrumental to the development and implementation of the Waterloo Budget Model and University-wide space planning activities and has advanced communication on important issues amongst key stakeholders across the University. 

Professor Tighe’s reputation as a scholar, educator, and professional engineer is well illustrated by the breadth of her honours and awards including Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, New College of Scholars, Royal Society of Canada, Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Fellow, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Medal for Research and Development. She has also received academic Fellowships including the Erskine Fellowship at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering University of Nottingham in England and the Queensland Pavement Center located at University of the Sunshine Coast Australia. 

Professor Tighe will retain an adjunct appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering so that she can maintain research collaborations at CPATT.

“Please join me in congratulating Professor Susan Tighe on this new opportunity in her academic and administrative career,” the provost writes, noting that further communications regarding covering the Deputy Provost on an interim basis as well as finding a successor will be sent out in the coming weeks.

Math alumni seek to celebrate and inspire the class of 2020

By Robin Morden. This article originally appeared on Waterloo Stories.

This isn’t how the Faculty of Math’s class of 2020 envisioned their graduating year. Instead of walking across the convocation stage to receive their diploma in front of family and friends, students will participate in a virtual ceremony. Then, in the months ahead, these same graduates will seek work in one of the toughest job markets in recent memory.

But there is cause for hope and optimism.

Without diminishing the challenges facing today’s students, the Faculty of Math’s incoming Dean Mark Giesbrecht sees Waterloo graduates playing a key role in articulating what the post-pandemic world will look like.

“These are challenging times, but they are also times that are going to define the future,” Giesbrecht says. “The world is changing and our students’ education in technology and rigorous thinking is going to serve them well. They have the opportunity to think deeply, not just how we can get through the pandemic, but about how we can use the pandemic as an impetus to improve the way we work and live.”

Giesbrecht will be celebrating this year’s graduates and fielding questions at the Alumni Day & Virtual Celebration of the Math Class of 2020 event on Friday, June 5. He will be joined by other University faculty members and prominent Math alumni, including Sam Pasupalak (BCS ’12), co-founder of Maluuba, Dave McKay (BMath ’87, DMath ’18), CEO of RBC, Rudy Karson (BMath ’79), managing partner at Karlani Capital, and Larry Smith, director of Waterloo’s Problem Lab. They will participate in panel discussions on a variety of topics, including “how to achieve success in the face of a recession” and “thriving in your career.”

Alumni tell stories of hardship, offer tips for navigating a recession

Michelle Hung (BMath ’08), author and founder of The Sassy Investor, hopes that by participating as a panelist in Friday’s virtual event, she can help graduates remain resilient and hopeful in the face of adversity.

Like this year’s graduating class, Michelle entered the job market in the midst of the financial crisis of 2007. She still vividly recalls how discouraged and anxious she felt as she struggled to find work.

“I remember being super ambitious and excited to get my career started — but then things weren’t happening the way I planned,” Hung says. “Nobody was hiring. I was frustrated and felt like I was falling behind my peers. I thought I would never get a job in investment banking ever again, even though I completed two co-op terms in that industry.”

She wants to remind today’s students that the crisis is temporary and not to beat themselves up if things don’t go their way initially. Hung stayed patient in her job search and after a year of looking she found a good position on Bay Street. It was the start of a highly successful career, first as an investment banker and then as an author and entrepreneur.

Hung also advises students that the recession could also be a good time to diversify your skillset.

“Things change and to be adaptable is one of the best traits to possess,” Hung says. “Use the time to gain other skills, get creative and most importantly, enjoy your youth.”

Hung will be telling her story and sharing more tips for navigating the recession as part of the “My Crossroad Moment” panel at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 5.

Ian McPhee, co-founder of WATCOM, Waterloo’s first spin-off software company, also confronted a recession upon his graduation in 1973.

“Few companies were hiring and I had no contacts,” Ian recalls. “My wife had just given birth. I only got one job interview at Systemhouse and drove to Ottawa during a blizzard for it.”

The interview went badly. McPhee recalls being a nervous wreck throughout it and did not get hired. But this may have been a blessing in disguise, as it led to the opportunity that would change his life. He took a low-paying, but opportunity-rich, job working with Wes Graham’s legendary Computer Systems Group (CSG), where he worked as a student. Paul Dirksen taught him how to enhance WATFIV and later Ian helped develop compilers for several languages on mainframe and minicomputers systems under contract to IBM and Digital Equipment. When it became evident that microcomputers were going to become powerful enough for real computing, he co-founded WATCOM with Wes Graham.

McPhee believes that many of today’s graduates could follow his lead and become entrepreneurs.

“The opportunities and help for startups in Waterloo have never been better, with Velocity, the Accelerator Centre, Communitech, etc. I’m expecting some of today’s grads will become leaders of some very exciting enterprises in time that begin now as humble startups,” McPhee says. “Every disaster presents opportunities and those who find and act on them can be very successful.”

McPhee looks forward to participating in lively discussions all day on Friday.

Looking ahead

While the event celebrates the 2020 graduating class, it also seeks to raise support for our current students, many of whom are struggling to find work. Organizers are asking that Waterloo alumni make introductions between organizations and Waterloo’s Co-operative Education and Experiential Education (CEE) office.

Currently, there is unprecedented funding available to employers of students. Up to 75 per cent of a student wage may be subsidized, and non-profits may be eligible for complete funding.  The CEE office is hoping to add 2000 jobs in the next three weeks to ensure that all students seeking to complete co-op term this Spring have work-terms.

Members of the class of 2020, parents and math alumni can register for the Alumni Day & Virtual Celebration of the Math Class of 2020 and participate on Zoom. Other students or members of the Waterloo community who are interested in watching the proceedings can do so on Facebook live.

Sharon McKay-Todd retiring from Waterloo after 18 years

A message from the Office of Advancement.

When did you start working at Waterloo?

I came in 2002 when Campaign Waterloo: Building a Talent Trust was in its quiet phase and the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (now the Office of Advancement) needed someone to lead the Planned Giving program.

What did you do in the role?

I’ve spent my entire 18-year tenure in Planned Giving, developing relationships with alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, parents and friends of the university – essentially anyone who is interested in leaving a bequest or other future gift such as life insurance to the university. I also manage these gifts once they are received, as well as gifts made in memory or in honour of someone special.

What do you like best about it?

Meeting with our donors, hearing their stories, their successes and what motivates them to be so incredibly generous to the university.

What is your fondest memory of your time at Waterloo?

I have so many, but essentially, I’ve had the most rewarding job in the world. I got to meet the kindest people you can imagine — people who are sharing the benefits of their life’s work with the Waterloo students of today and tomorrow.

What will you miss most about Waterloo?

The incredibly devoted teams I work with in Advancement, and, of course, the students. 

What are your plans for retirement?

Well, I did have plans that included getting on a plane, and I’m hopeful that can still happen down the road. In the meantime, I’m just going to enjoy an unstructured life. That will take some getting used to, but I’ll manage.

All are invited to a virtual retirement celebration (via Zoom) on June 12 at 1 pm. You can join in here. Sharon’s last day with Waterloo is July 31.

A message about Keystone Picnic 2020

A note from the 2020 Keystone Picnic Committee.

Today marks what would have been the 19^th annual Keystone picnic, and though we wish we were enjoying a barbecue lunch together, that’s not possible right now. Still, we hope you take some time today to relax over the lunch hour, enjoy the sunshine and connect with colleagues virtually.

The picnic has always been an opportunity for us to recognize and thank our faculty, staff and retirees who support the university through charitable gifts. So we would be remiss not to take a moment to say thank you to all of our fabulous Keystone supporters who contributed over $2 million to Waterloo this past year.

Stay healthy and safe!