Monday, June 19, 2023

Congratulations to the Class of 2023

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.

Convocation is a time of immense pride and celebration across campus. It is also a day filled with tradition, as family, faculty and friends come together to celebrate the achievements of Waterloo graduates.

It takes many community members to bring this large celebration to life. This spring, more than 170 staff volunteered their time as convocation ambassadors making sure ceremonies ran smoothly, while 127 students served as ushers, wayfinders and accessibility assistants to thousands of Waterloo graduates and their families.

“This past week, I had the privilege of hearing from many of our graduates about the role Waterloo has played in shaping them. Their time here has helped establish their plans and aspirations for making the world a better place. As these graduates have benefited from attending Waterloo, our institution has benefited from having them a part of our community,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel.

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New traditions

For the first time at Waterloo, an Eagle Staff was carried in before the mace by Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, Myeengun Henry. By presenting the Eagle Staff first during the academic procession, the University honours the responsibility to take on Indigenous perspectives in the ways we teach, govern and operate as an institution. The Cedar Hill Singers started the ceremony with a drumming circle. His Excellency Dominic Barton, the University's 11^th chancellor, and Goel were also proud to wear traditional Indigenous beading over their regalia made by Marilyn Sutherland, a Cree master beader from Kitchener.

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo News

Athletics renames Naismith Classic in honour of Coach Don McCrae

Every October for 21 years, legendary men’s basketball head coach Don McCrae patrolled the sidelines at the Warriors’ annual Naismith Classic tournament. He helped grow a modest preseason weekend into a can’t-miss event for many years, the tournament was often the centerpiece of what was then homecoming weekend, and it became an annual collection of some of the nation’s top university basketball programs – including the powerhouse Warriors. So, it’s only fitting that Don McCrae’s beloved Naismith Classic tournament will now bear his name.

Today, the department of athletics and recreation announced that Waterloo’s preseason basketball tournament has been renamed the Don McCrae Naismith Classic, in recognition of the hall-of-fame coach.

“I’m very proud of this honour,” said Coach McCrae. “The Naismith Classic was always such a meaningful tournament for our program, and for the community. It was a highlight to play in front of a full gym, sometimes being the featured event during homecoming weekend, and to face some of the best teams in the country. I’m very humbled and grateful that the tournament will now include my name.”   

McCrae coached the Warriors mens basketball team from 1971-92, where he amassed a 462-252 record. During his tenure, the Warriors won six Ontario University Athletics Association (OUAA) Championships, as well as claiming their only national championship in 1975. From 1977 until 1984, McCrae was also the head coach of the Canadian national women's team, leading them to a fourth-place finish at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  

Don McCrae’s impact on the men’s basketball program was recognized this past February, when the program’s team room was emblazoned with his name. Now, with the renaming of the Don McCrae Naismith Classic, the Warriors hope to acknowledge the coach’s contributions to the larger basketball landscape.

“Along with the honorific naming of the team room, this further celebrates the impact and legacy Don had,” said director of athletics and recreation, Roly Webster. “Full credit to his former players who made this recommendation that will forever recognize this impact to the broader community.”

This fall will mark the 54^th playing of the Don McCrae Naismith Classic, which started as a men’s preseason tournament in 1968. The event first included a women’s division in 2004, and now consists of eight total teams – four each in the men’s and women’s divisions.

This year’s Don McCrae Naismith Classic will take place from October 12-14. The men’s division will feature Waterloo, Toronto Metropolitan University, St. Mary’s, and Concordia, while the Warriors women will play host to York, Humber, and Manitoba. Tournament passes and single-game tickets will be available in August online at www.gowarriorsgo.ca/tickets.

Photo of Don McCrae by Courtney Caird.

Institutional storage for citation manager Zotero now available

A message from the Library.

With changes to RefWorks coming – RefWorks Classic is being phased out as of June 30 – a review of the reference management products currently supported by the Library was completed. While the Library will currently continue to support ProQuest RefWorks, the Library recently launched institutional storage for the citation manager Zotero, allowing Waterloo researchers to easily collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research with unlimited storage space.

You can review the Library’s Zotero guide or reach out to the Zotero support team to schedule a workshop or if you have any questions.

Learn more about this change. 

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in NH 3407. This will be the governance body's final meeting before September 2023. Among the agenda items:

• a motion to change the name of the Department of Management Sciences to the Department of Management Science and Engineering;

• from Senate Graduate & Research Council, a motion to approve revisions to the co-operative education section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC) to include Graduate Work- integrated Learning definitions and content, and to approve and add a new Community and Industry Research Projects (CIR) course component to the GSAC and Quest glossary of terms;

• from the Associate Vice-President, Academic, a motion to approve the Principles and Guidelines for Digital Learning, effective 1 September 2023;

As part of the Consent Agenda:

• a motion to approve proposed academic regulation revision to Admission for the Faculty of Engineering, effective 1 September 2024;
• a motion to approve academic regulation revisions for Admissions Fraud, effective 1 September 2023;
• a motion to approve the academic regulation revisions of Admissions Requirement for Duolingo Component Scores, effective 1 September 2024.

The Senate will also hear PART's Annual Update delivered by Christopher Taylor and Anita Taylor as part of the President's report, and there will be a presentation on the Digital Learning Strategy by Provost Jim Rush, Associate Vice-President, Academic David DeVidi, Johanna Wandel, and Aldo Caputo.

WUSA and the Glow Centre will be hosting a Pride Picnic today from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. on the DC Green. "Enjoy some fun activities and ice cream while connecting with other UWaterloo students from the 2SLGTBQIA+ community as we celebrate Pride month," says a note from Glow. "Do not forget to bring a blanket and some sunscreen as we will be outside in the sunshine!"

Free ice cream will be served from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. courtesy of WUSA.

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) notes that there are two weeks until Speak Like a Scholar Week 2. "Get ready to plan the structure of your presentation with WCC!"