Thursday, September 28, 2023

Michelle Hollis named Chief Human Resources Officer

"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Hollis as the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of the University of Waterloo, effective October 1, 2023," wrote Jacinda Reitsma, Vice-President, Administration and Finance in a memo to employees yesterday. "Michelle is currently Interim Chief Human Resources Officer at Waterloo, while also holding the role of Senior Director, Human Resources."

After moving to Canada from Scotland, Michelle started her career at Waterloo in 2010 and advanced throughout her career in the roles of HR Analyst; Assistant HR Director; and Director, HR Client Services. In 2021, she was promoted to Senior Director, Human Resources. In April 2022, she became the Interim CHRO. Prior to joining Waterloo, Michelle had worked in the manufacturing, publishing, IT consulting, and voluntary housing sectors.

Michelle holds a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University with a concentration in conflict analysis. She is certified in Procsi Change Management (ADKAR model) and Alternative Dispute Resolution, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD).

"As the Interim CHRO, Michelle has used her exceptional relationship management and collaboration skills to effectively lead a team of over 70 HR professionals," the Vice-President's memo continues. "She was a key leader during the institution's pandemic response, and developed the workforce planning model before establishing the workforce planning and analytics team. Michelle is committed to promoting a progressive, inclusive workplace culture that is future-focused with a goal of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce."

"With over 30 years of international HR experience, Michelle is passionate about people and making the University of Waterloo a great place to work."

"Please join me in congratulating Michelle on this important appointment," Reitsma concludes. "I would like to thank the members of the interview search committee for their diligent work throughout this process."

Celebrating 10 years of Hack the North

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

Hack the North, the largest collegiate hackathon in Canada, celebrated its 10^th anniversary at the University of Waterloo with more than 1,000 students from around the world.

Organized by students for students, the annual event involves participants converging on campus to spend 36 intense hours creating innovative technologies through collaboration and mentorship.

Engineering an epic event

Hack the North was founded in 2013 by three Waterloo students Kartik Talwar (BSc ’16, astrophysics), former computer science student Liam Horne and Kevin Lau (BASc ‘17, systems design engineering) from three different faculties – science, mathematics and engineering.

In 2012, the trio attended some of the very first collegiate hackathons in the USA and were enthralled. But, as fun as those events were, they were also far away and disorganized.  

“The Wi-Fi would drop, food would run out, something was always glitching,” says Talwar, partner at a_capital. “Also, the Waterloo students’ hacks would often win. We decided to create our own world-class event in Canada and run it like a startup.”

As any entrepreneur knows, turning an idea into a reality is challenging. Hack the North needed a large physical space, logistical support and industry networks to get off the ground – all of which the then dean of Waterloo Engineering, Dr. Pearl Sullivan, happily provided.

The 2013 Hack the North team with Kartik Talwar (back row, left); Liam Horne (back row, third from right) and Kevin Lau (front row, middle). 

“We leveraged the University’s reputation and connections to convince top-tier sponsors, mentors and speakers to fly to Waterloo for this new kid on the block called Hack the North,” says Lau, founding product manager at Tome. “We had 1,000 student hackers attend that first event and the numbers haven’t waned since.”

Passing the torch

Hack the North owes a lot of its success to being run like a company. There is a very selective hiring process and a strong culture of training and succession planning. Team leaders need to commit to at least two years with organization — the first year they learn the ropes, the second year they teach the next person.

Oana Binder, third year systems design engineering student at Waterloo and co-director of the Hack the North 2023 organizing team, got involved with the event in 2021 and has loved every second. Having worked on the inside, she’s not surprised by the event’s ongoing success.

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo News.

Community members take a ride for refugee resettlement

By Rebecca Wagner.

It was a scene of pure joy as dozens of newly-arrived refugee families and children ran down the hill on the United College campus. Some families had arrived only two days prior.    

On Saturday, September 23, in cities across Canada, from coast to coast to coast, thousands of people came together to walk and bike in support of people seeking safety and hope during the annual Ride for Refuge.

This display of support was possible by the coming together of Waterloo Region community members, United College and University of Waterloo staff, Reception House staff and volunteers, and representatives from all levels of government.

In hosting Ride for Refuge 2023, United College marked the start of an official partnership with Reception House in support of their critical work with local refugee children and youth, helping families build new lives in Waterloo Region.          

Refugee resettlement and breaking down barriers to education is integral to the mission and values of United College. Through the Student Refugee Program, United College joins a network of post-secondary institutions across Canada that help make post-secondary education accessible for refugees.  

In a true cross-campus collaboration, United College works with fellow affiliated and federated institutions and the broader University of Waterloo community to provide tuition, accommodation, and other living expenses for three refugee students a year to achieve their post-secondary degrees.

United College hopes to further integrate opportunities for higher education into the refugee resettlement journey and looks ahead to new ways of providing support on the University of Waterloo campus.    

“United College is humbled by the scale and scope of Reception House’s work. We hope to leverage our university’s resources to inspire a pursuit of higher education and provide the support needed to get there,” said Rick Myers, Principal of United College.

This is critical work that takes a village. Through meaningful partnerships with Reception House and the entire University of Waterloo community, resources and support can be provided that turn dreams into reality.

Workshop series looks at addressing climate complexity with Two-Row Learning

The Anti-Oppression Knowledge Integrators (AOK) working group, members of the Centre for Teaching Excellence, and the Department of Knowledge Integration are hosting a 3-part series of conversations on two-row learning for climate complexity aimed at students and other members of the University community who are interested in transforming their learning environments to better support Indigenous-non-Indigenous relations.

Addressing Climate Complexity with Two-Row Learning: Indigenous & Western Knowledges will take place on Friday, September 29, Friday, October 20, and Friday, November 17 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"Achieving just and sustainable futures includes learning how to work better with Western and Indigenous ways of knowing — what does it mean to create a collaborative and inclusive learning environment on campus to address climate complexity across different knowledge systems?" says a note from the workshop organizers. "You are invited to a three-part series of activities and conversations in which we will explore a two-row learning approach. Two-row learning draws on Indigenous teachings and Western pedagogies to create conditions for new relationships to emerge." 

Registration is required, but all are welcome. Space is limited and preference will be given to students.

Thursday's notes

Black and Gold Fest continues with Supporting Female Leaders: Our Story, Our Future tonight from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre's Black and Gold Room. At this event, the Women’s Centre and Alumni Relations invites students and alumni alike to connect and learn about the financial challenges facing women. The cost is $10 alumni, and free for current UWaterloo students, and the event includes refreshments. Register now.

Raise’s XChanges 2023 Conference will be happening on Saturday, September 30 in the Science Teaching Complex (STC). "Raise is an equity focused WUSA service that works to address racism and xenophobia and embrace equality by providing a space for emerging BIPOC talent," says a statement from WUSA. "Filled with workshops, speakers and artists, we invite you to the XChanges Conference in September. Happening right on the Waterloo campus, the conference will allow you to engage in fun activities and appreciate various talents, while gaining insightful knowledge."

The event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Science Teaching Complex. Tickets are $2.00. Register now. If you want to learn more about Raise, visit their website.