Friday, October 21, 2022

2,636 degrees of Convocation

More than 2,500 graduands will receive more than 2,600 degrees during the University of Waterloo's 125^th Convocation. Degrees and diplomas will be conferred across a total of four ceremonies on October 21 and 22.

There will be two ceremonies happening each day in the Physical Activities Complex, with a morning ceremony at 10:00 a.m. and an afternoon ceremony at 2:30 p.m.

Convocation ceremonies have a long and storied tradition dating back centuries to the earliest institutions of higher learning, and Waterloo has joined in this tradition every year since the institution's first convocation ceremony in 1960 (at right, Ted Batke, the University's first vice-president, academic and Arthur Cowan, founding member of the Physics department prepare to participate in Waterloo's inaugural Convocation ceremony).

The most impressive part of the ceremony may be the academic procession that begins it. The graduating students will come in first, after which faculty members enter walking two by two, followed by University officials, all in their academic finery. Near the end of the procession, a selected faculty member will carry the mace, a traditional symbol of the University’s authority. The final party to arrive is the Chancellor’s party. The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of the University of Waterloo who presides over convocation ceremonies every June and October and awards all degrees, diplomas and certificates, including honorary degrees. The Chancellor addresses graduands and inspires them at these ceremonies.

As the academic procession enters the gymnasium with the key players mounting the stage, the audience will rise and remain standing as they join Michael Klein in the singing of our national anthem.

At each ceremony, Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, will provide a territorial acknowledgment, and introduce the Indigenous opening, which includes traditional drumming and remarks by Myeengun Henry, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper.

At the conclusion of each ceremony, President Goel will provide closing remarks, Myeengun Henry will provide an Indigenous closing, and Chancellor Dominic Barton will adjourn convocation.

The convocation ceremonies will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Faculties of Health, Science and Mathematics take the stage today

Morning ceremony

This morning, the Faculty of Health and Faculty of Science will have a joint ceremony beginning at 10:00 a.m.

For the Faculty of Health, 75 undergraduates, 231 master's and 13 PhD candidates will receive their degrees. For the Faculty of Science, 349 undergraduates, 62 master's and 21 PhD candidates will cross the stage.

Dr. Trevor Charles of the Biology department will bear the mace.

Lili Liu, Dean, Faculty of Health, and Bob Lemieux, Dean, Faculty of Science, will address convocation.

Russell Tupling, Chair, Department of Kinesiology and Health, will present Richard Hughson for conferment of the title Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Hughson was a professor in the Department of Kinesiology from 1977 to 2021 and is currently the Senior Director of Research and a Schlegel Research Chair in Vascular Aging and Brain Health at the Schlegel–UW Research Institute for Aging. He is internationally regarded for pioneering work on human cardiovascular adaptations to exercise and cardiovascular responses to long-term microgravity environments. He has influenced a generation of scholars, publishing over 270 scientific papers and mentoring over 60 graduate students. Dr. Hughson is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and was recently named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2022.

Dr. Hughson will address convocation.

Afternoon ceremony

This afternoon at 2:30 p.m., the Faculty of Mathematics ceremony will take place. 377 undergraduates, 191 master's, and 17 PhD candidates will receive their degrees and diplomas.

Dr. Mu Zhu of Statistics and Actuarial Science will bear the University's mace.

Adam Kolkiewicz, Associate Professor, Statistics and Actuarial Science, will present Claudia Klüppelberg for the admission to the degree of Doctor of Mathematics, honoris causa. Klüppelberg received her doctorate from the University of Mannheim in 1987. She is known for her fundamental contributions to extreme value theory and its applications to real-life problems. Her research interests combine various disciplines of applied probability theory and statistics with applications in biological, economic and technical risks. In addition to more than 150 publications in scientific journals, Dr. Klüppelberg has coauthored the book Modeling Extremal Events for Insurance and Finance, which is currently in its tenth printing. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Springer Finance book series, a Medallion Lecturer, and an elected Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS).

Claudia Klüppelberg will address convocation.

Mark Giesbrecht, Dean, Faculty of Mathematics, will address convocation, followed by the conferment of degrees, after which Ehrin Victoria Turkovich will deliver the valedictory address.

Faculties of Arts, Engineering and Environment will celebrate Saturday

Morning ceremony

On Saturday, October 21, the Faculty of Arts ceremony will commence at 10:00 a.m. 319 undergraduates, 317 master's, and 14 PhD candidates will cross the stage to receive their degrees.

Dr. Anindya Sen of Economics will bear the University's mace.

Sheila Ager, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, will present Katrina Di Gravio for the conferment of the title Honorary Member of the University. In 1980, Katrina Di Gravio joined Human Resources at the University of Waterloo and later became Director of Organizational and Human Development, a new unit providing professional development and learning opportunities for all employees. Di Gravio’s passion, vision, and commitment to training and development are evident through her work on establishing the annual Waterloo Staff Conference and numerous certificate programs and courses. Also, among her key contributions, Di Gravio established Waterloo’s Principles of Inclusivity and developed the award-winning seven-part Principles of Inclusivity certificate program. She retired in April of 2021 after more than 40 years of service to the University of Waterloo.

David DeVidi, Associate Vice-President, Academic, will present Gerry Remers for the admission to the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa. Gerry Remers is the past president and chief operating officer of Christie Digital from 1994 to 2016 – a company synonymous with technological innovation and a leader in inclusion and diversity. Christie Digital was a significant factor behind Waterloo’s preeminence in the digital economy. Remers has served on numerous local, provincial, and national boards, including the Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo (2009–2016), which have benefitted from his commitment to community, innovation, and human capital. In 2015, he was recognized with
the Waterloo Region Record Barnraiser Award.

Gerry Remers will address convocation.

Sheila Ager, Dean, Faculty of Arts, will address convocation before the conferment of degrees.

Upkar Arora, School of Accounting and Finance will receive the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Afternoon ceremony

At 2:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Environment will have a joint ceremony beginning at 2:30 p.m. For the Faculty of Engineering, 93 undergraduates, 306 master's and 41 PhD candidates will receive their degrees. For the Faculty of Environment, 91 undergraduates, 72 master's, and 11 PhD candidates will cross the stage.

Dr. Jean Andrey of Geography and Environmental Management will bear the University's mace.

Carl Haas, Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering, will present Donald Burn for conferment of the title Distinguished Professor Emeritus. For over 35 years, Donald Burn has helped to establish Waterloo as a destination for top engineering talent. His landmark hydrological and water resource models, particularly those related to the impacts of climate change, have had a lasting impact on the field. In addition to his research contributions, Dr. Burn has developed and delivered many new courses in water-related areas and has greatly expanded graduate offerings in civil and environmental engineering. He has also served in several administrative leadership roles, including Acting Chair and Associate Chair, Graduate Studies, where he helped build research capacity, graduate enrollment, and education.

Michael Collins, Chair, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, will present Carolyn Hansson for conferment of the title Distinguished Professor Emerita. Throughout her 25-year career at the University of Waterloo, Carolyn Hansson has dramatically enhanced the University of Waterloo’s reputation. From 1996–2000, she served as Waterloo’s Vice-President, University Research, following thirty years of exemplary academic and industry research in the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Canada, helping to establish Waterloo’s legacy of research excellence and innovation. She has made significant contributions to materials science, specifically our understanding of how various phenomena affect the properties of different structural materials. Dr. Hansson is the recipient of many prestigious awards and distinctions, including induction as a Member of the Order of Canada and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Mario Ioannidis, Chair, Chemical Engineering, will present Raymond Legge for conferment of the title Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Raymond Legge’s exemplary scholarship, teaching, and service to the Department of Chemical Engineering and the University of Waterloo extend over 37 years. He has made ground-breaking contributions to the development of biosensors, environmental monitoring and remediation, green bioprocesses, and water treatment and monitoring. Deeply committed to improving engineering education, Dr. Legge has served on over 50 committees within his department and across the university, including several undergraduate task forces. In his roles as Associate Chair, Associate Dean, and Assistant Vice-President Graduate Studies, he has helped shape the engineering curriculum and elevate Waterloo to one of the most prominent engineering schools in the world. During his career, he taught over 7,000 students and received the Sandford Fleming Foundation Teaching Excellence Award on two occasions.

Paul Fieguth, Associate Dean, Resources and Planning, will introduce Mark Weber, Eyton Director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, to address convocation. Weber is the Eyton Director of the Conrad School and Professor of Management and Organizations. Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Waterloo, Mark served on faculty and taught courses on leadership, negotiations and organizational behavior to students at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, INSEAD and at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. Mark’s research focuses on leadership, cooperation, negotiations, decision-making, and trust. He consults extensively and has provided training to executives and professionals in the automotive, education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, broadcast media, entertainment, telecommunications, professional services, and financial services industries, and in government at all levels.

Mark Weber will address convocation.

Paul Fieguth, Associate Dean, Resources and Planning in the Faculty of Engineering will address convocation and Bruce Frayne, Dean, Faculty of Environment, will address convocation prior to the conferment of degrees in the corresponding faculty.

Paul McKone of the Department of Knowledge Integration will receive the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Jacqueline Noder will be named the University Finalist for the Alumni Gold Medal at the Doctoral Level.

Charbel Azzi will receive the Amit and Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student.

Ashley Ching Chan will receive the departmental Distinguished Academic Achievement award in Geography and Aviation.

Staff Enhancement Experience Canada grant program returns this fall

A message from Human Resources.

After a two-year hiatus,  Human Resources is pleased to announce that the Staff Enhancement Experience (SEE) Canada grant program is back!  The program is a chance for University of Waterloo staff to enhance their professional development through idea-exchange and learning alongside counterparts at other universities, colleges, or research institutions.  The SEE Canada Grant is currently accepting applications for Winter 2023.

If you are interested in exploring this opportunity, Human Resources is hosting two information sessions—one virtual and a second in-person brown bag lunch—on the staff work-travel opportunities available to you using this program. Attendees will learn about the SEE Canada Grant and have an opportunity to hear from a previous grant recipient about their experience. A question-and-answer period will help you identify how this program can be used for your own professional development needs.

To register, select the date with the method (virtual or in-person) that you would prefer:

Visit the SEE Canada Grant for more information about the program and past recipients. If you have questions about the SEE Grant or about the information sessions above, please e-mail seecanada@uwaterloo.ca.

We look forward to connecting with you about this great opportunity. Remember: If you attend the in-person session, don't forget to bring your lunch.

A note about travel: The University strives to provide a safe environment for employees whether they are on campus or travelling. Should any changes occur in the University travel policy due to health restrictions, sponsored travel for this program will be postponed until a later date. University travellers are strongly encouraged to assess risks prior to travel and employ safe practices during travel.

Friday's notes

Human Resources notes that on Wednesday this week, an open job position, Job ID# 2022-9347 - Faculty Financial Officer – Environment, USG 10, was mistakenly listed as a permanent full-time role, when it should have been listed as a secondment/internal temporary opportunity. We regret the error.

Here's today's Keeping Well at Work Daily Inspiration:

Need a good stretch and a way to have fun with your colleagues? 

We all do. Try the Unwind Flow Yoga featured in the link, by UWaterloo's very own Amanda Brown.

Who knows? You may start a healthy workplace habit that adds fun, endurance and wonderful new connections to your workday.