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Vivek Goel shares vision for Waterloo at 100 at President's Forum
This article was originally published on the President's blog.
More than 650 attendees from the University of Waterloo community participated in the first President’s Forum of the academic year, held on Monday, October 3. President Vivek Goel was joined by Sandra Banks, Vice-President, University Relations on stage at the Theatre of the Arts in front of a live audience, as hundreds more tuned in virtually.
Banks and Goel reflected on the renewed energy felt on the University’s campuses and recent in-person celebrations and events. President Goel called attention in particular to the Indigenous Commitment Ceremony and Truth and Reconciliation Awareness Walk, noting the importance of these events and of the shared responsibility for everyone in the community to commit to personal learning and education about Truth and Reconciliation.
The president shared an overview of Waterloo at 100, a visioning exercise that looks ahead to the University of Waterloo’s 100th anniversary in 2057.
“The purpose of this exercise is to look beyond our usual five-year planning cycles,” President Goel said. “Five-year windows can often narrow our focus, particularly in academia, where it takes a longer time to develop new programs and new research initiatives…It's also a good time for us to take stock of where we've been as an institution and where we're going.”
In his presentation, President Goel discussed the Futures Framework, five areas that will help guide the University in thinking about where we're headed as a society and as an institution. The framework starts with thinking about the future of humanity and asking fundamental questions about where the human race is going.
He also discussed three “forecasts” for the University in 2057 centred on graduates, knowledge and campus.
The presentation was followed by a moderated question and answer period, during which Banks posed questions pre-submitted at registration and from the online chat. Other University Leaders were present in the theatre to help respond. Questions touched on the University’s Indigenization plans; equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism; student housing and food insecurity; the future of virtual learning; and flexible working arrangements for employees, among other topics
A full recording of the forum, transcript, and Q&A from the event can be found on the President’s Forum website.
The University community is also encouraged to visit the Waterloo at 100 website to learn more about the visioning exercise, share feedback on the discussion paper and submit big ideas for the future of the University.
University publishes electronic monitoring guideline
This past April, the Ontario Government passed Bill 88, which amended the Employment Standards Act and requires employers including the University to prepare and implement a written “policy” for all employees on electronic monitoring.
In compliance with the new law, we have developed a guideline that governs the rules with respect to access to electronic monitoring data.
It is important to note that the University is not introducing any new practices with this policy. In 2018, with the introduction of transponder-controlled parking at Waterloo, the Secretariat recognized that every employee leaves a “digital footprint” when accessing facilities and using digital infrastructure. At that time, the Secretariat worked with representatives of FAUW and UWSA to create a guideline which captured best practices related to the use of digital footprint data, mainly that:
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The University does not actively monitor employees using electronic means for the purpose of employee performance management and discipline as a normal course of business; and
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The University does however collect employee digital footprint data for specific purposes, including safety, information security, and physical resource management.
The Electronic Monitoring Guideline builds on and makes transparent the best practices captured in 2018. You can read the new Guideline online on the Provost’s website.
Any questions can be directed to Jason Testart, Director, Information Security Services jason.testart@uwaterloo.ca.
Inspiring a sustainable future for aviation
By Stephanie Longway. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.
“Inspiration, technology, competency, structure and risk.” These are the pillars that Commander Chris Hadfield said are the requirements for advancing the future of aeronautics at the inaugural Sustainable Aeronautics Summit on October 5, 2022.
Hosted by the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), the summit brought together more than 200 researchers and leaders from academia, industry and government at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. Experts discussed solutions to build a sustainable future for air travel and advance the aeronautics industry.
Developing research-based solutions
Suzanne Kearns, the founding director of WISA, opened the event by reflecting on the future of sustainability in air transportation. “Sustainability is about meeting the needs of today without sacrificing future generations’ ability to meet their needs,” Kearns said.
The pandemic had a devasting effect on the aviation industry, and Kearns said, “WISA was created as a catalyst from the pandemic … [I wanted] to mobilize the innovative capacity of the University of Waterloo to hear the challenges of the industry and line up research-based solutions and future talent.”
However, before the pandemic, the industry was facing challenges from environment concerns of air travel, a global personnel shortage and keeping up with the fast pace of technological advancements. Kearns expanded that to have a sustainable future, aeronautics needs long-term solutions and practices that will require social, environmental and economic change.
“We know the climate crisis is the most significant challenge we face as a society,” said Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. He said that the University is undergoing a visioning exercise to reflect on the future in 2057 when Waterloo turns 100 years old. “We’re looking at how we can help address the world’s biggest challenges with the strengths that the University has now. The work that we’re doing in sustainable aeronautics is an example of that strength.”
President Goel noted that the University will face these challenges with the support of community partners — a sentiment strongly echoed by Karen Redman, chair of the Region of Waterloo.
“There are challenges that come with growth and new innovation. Sometimes there is a need to balance key priorities that appear to be in opposition, and that is where the strength of partnerships comes into play. Industry, government and academic partnerships are key to mobilize innovation, and in this case, help move the needle towards a more sustainable future working in aviation,” Redman said.
Building competency and future talent
Hadfield provided the keynote address at the summit and discussed the foundational pillars needed to advance aviation. Hadfield is an honourary advisor to WISA and has deep connections with Waterloo as a former graduate student and adjunct professor in the aviation program.
He said that advancements in aeronautics are “not just about technologies, but also about developing new competencies.” He explained that big advancements need an inspired idea and new technologies, but to see it through and make meaningful change, you need competent talent and supporting structures in place.
Developing and supporting talent was a theme throughout the day. Panellists and speakers made of industry and academic experts discussed topics ranging from building diverse and inclusive workforces and supporting future-ready talent to support the economic growth the sector in experiencing.
As aeronautics moves towards becoming more viable over the long term, the industry will need to not only address the real and important challenges of reducing the harmful environmental impacts, but also look to building inclusive workforces to support growth and innovation in the sector.
“I am really looking forward to what [WISA], applying these ideas, can accomplish here and now in Canada,” Hadfield said.
Want to hear more?
Listen to Suzanne Kearns on the Beyond the Bulletin podcast discussing efforts to make air travel and spaceflight more sustainable.
OUF's vibrant return to an in-person event
A message from Marketing Undergrad Recruitment.
The Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF) returned to an in-person event this past weekend after a 2-year hiatus, and saw impressive participation from both attendees and our Waterloo staff, faculty, and students. Over 78,000 prospective students and their supporters attended the two-day event, with nearly 500 Waterloo “boothers” representing the university by sharing their knowledge, experience, and insights with audiences. 18,000 University of Waterloo viewbooks were distributed, along with thousands more faculty, program, and university college brochures – and of course, our colourful "You + Waterloo" buttons.
Ontario universities’ collective recruitment efforts will continue over the next couple of weeks through the Ontario Universities’ Regional Fairs (OURFs) taking place across Ontario, and the Ontario Universities’ Information Sessions, which serve as a virtual complement to the OUF and OURFs where prospective students can tune into presentations to learn about their universities of choice.
Student Success Office releases Year at a Glance report
The 2021-2022 Student Success Office (SSO) Year at a Glance report is now available.
Spanning May 2021 to April 2022, the report focuses on five areas of strength and leadership the SSO provided during this period, including:
- Supporting international students,
- Preparing students for success,
- Building and maintaining communities during the pandemic,
- Advancing our anti-racism and equity-focused commitments; and
- Achieving excellence and sharing expertise.
Highlights from the report include 19,000 immigration consultations, 86% participant satisfaction with Grad Ready, a record number of advising conference attendees, and more.
“The accomplishments reflected in ‘Year at a Glance’ would not have been possible without our network of caring and compassionate partners paired with the expertise of our staff team,” Pam Charbonneau, director of the SSO shared. “A strong campus community is essential for student success, more so now than ever before. We look forward to continuing our collaborations in the years to come.”
What's open and closed on the extra long weekend
There are a number of overlapping holidays and special events happening this weekend and into the week beyond. Monday, October 10 is the Thankgsiving statutory holiday, which means that most University operations will be closed. In addition, Tuesday, October 11 is an additional University closure as part of the Thank You Day initiative. On top of all of that is the Fall Reading Week, which runs from Saturday, October 8 to Sunday, October 16.
What that means is that things might be a little more quiet than usual next week. Operational changes include:
All W Store, W Store Essentials and W Print locations will be closed on Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 11. All locations will re-open for regular business hours starting Wednesday, October 12.
The Dana Porter and Davis Centre Library locations will be open from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 11.
Athletics facilities will be closed on Monday, October 10 and will reopen with regular hours on Tuesday, October 11.
Most Food Services locations will be closed Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 11, with the exception of The Market at UWP in Claudette Millar Hall, which will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Monday, October 10. Several locations will be open from Wednesday, October 12 to Friday, October 14, including the Subway and Pizza Pizza in Brubakers Food Court, DC Bytes, Starbucks - STC, Tim Hortons - DC, Tim Hortons - SLC, Ev3rgreen Café, and Tim Hortons - SCH. Check the locations and hours page for detailed information about what's open and closed.
The Student Life Centre (SLC) and the Turnkey desk are open 24/7 throughout the Thanksgiving weekend and Reading Week. Turnkey@DC will be closed for the Thanksgiving weekend and Reading Week and will reopen on October 17.
Enjoy the extra long weekend and Happy Thanksgiving. The Daily Bulletin will return on Wednesday, October 12.
Friday's notes
Here's today's Keeping Well at Work Daily Inspiration:
Racism always impacts the well-being of communities and individuals
Be part of the change: Sign up for The Catalyst, UWaterloo's anti-racism newsletter to learn more about the many staff, faculty and students who are engaged in anti-racism work each day on campus and how you can get involved.
Interested in learning and applying the basics of design thinking in the context of evolv1, Canada’s first net-positive, multi-tenant office building? Take part in Transform the Future of Work, a 3-part workshop series exploring how we might foster a culture of sustainability in a hybrid work environment. Participants will collaborate with key stakeholders to share ideas to drive the clean economy. Register for this series by October 14.
"Join us on Sunday, October 16 at 2:00 p.m. in remembering and demanding justice for University of Waterloo alumna, Sarah Inam (MA ’07), who lost her life to intimate partner violence,” says a note from the Faculty of Arts. “A brilliant student, Sarah completed both her undergraduate (2005) and graduate (2007) degrees in Economics from Waterloo and went on to have a successful international career in public policy and economic development.”
Transformative Quantum Technology will host its Quantum Opportunities and Showcase on October 20, 2022. The event will feature a wide range of scientific advances, including quantum sensors and quantum simulators. TQT is excited to have joining this year Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo and Nipun Vats, Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Research Sector, at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Quantum for Health will be featured prominently throughout the day, including a Q4Health Live Pitch session. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the RAC1 and RAC2 research labs of IQC and TQT.