Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Waterloo sets a new goal for the Global Emergency Student Relief Fund

By Megan Vander Woude. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Every day, we see headlines about natural disasters, political unrest, conflict and other difficult circumstances that disrupt lives around the world. For many, those disruptions include impede their education. 

On August 1, 2023, the University of Waterloo embarked on an appeal to help students whose education has been interrupted. Our goal is ambitious: to raise $100,000 to the Global Emergency Student Relief Fund by September 30. Gifts to the fund ensure that students from around the world can continue their education in a safe and supportive environment at UWaterloo. The fund helps to cover costs associated with hosting undergraduate and graduate students, including tuition, accommodation, essential travel and academic activities.

The Global Emergency Student Relief Fund first launched in 2022. With its first fundraising appeal, our donor community generously contributed more than $133,000. Thanks to their support, the University welcomed 34 students from Ukraine, whose studies were interrupted by the ongoing war in their country. 

For graduate student Antonina Rudakova, studying at Waterloo is a dream: "Without donors to this fund, I couldn’t even leave my country. They took care of our flight, our accommodation, they gave us this opportunity, which is unbelievable. It’s like a dream!" 

With the current appeal, we can extend the same opportunity to students across the globe. The University of Waterloo can be more than a school — we can offer a second chance for students to gain the education they need to build fruitful careers.  

We hope you’ll join us.  

Support the Global Emergency Student Relief Fund

Celebrating Dr. Paul Stolee's retirement

A message from the Faculty of Health.

Please join the School of Public Health Sciences in celebrating Dr. Paul Stolee’s successful career and upcoming retirement on September 19 at 3:30 p.m. Stolee was most recently director of the Geriatric Health Systems research group and the Network for Aging Research. He has been a professor in the School since 2008, served as Acting Dean of Applied Health Sciences in 2018-19 and is a University of Waterloo graduate (PhD ‘96).

A presentation and speeches will be held in EXP 1686 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., followed by a reception in the second-floor foyer of EXP from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

We encourage in-person attendance to honour Stolee’s accomplishments and contributions to the School, Faculty of Health and the University of Waterloo, but virtual attendance is also available. Please RSVP to let us know if you will be joining online or in-person.

If you would like to leave Stolee a heartfelt message, you can sign the group card starting your sentence with “I remember when...”