Monday, June 10, 2024

Distinguished Professors Emeriti to be recognized at Convocation

A number of long-serving faculty members who have made an impact on the University and academia as a whole will be honoured with the Distinguished Professor Emeritus distinction at this week’s Convocation ceremonies.

Health (Tuesday, June 11)

Dr. Rhona Hanning completed her BASc (1978) from the University of Guelph and her PhD (1986) from the University of Toronto. She is also a registered dietitian and was appointed a Fellow of Dietitians of Canada (1993). Following an impressive career at Laurentian Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Seneca College, University of Guelph, McMaster University, St. Michael’s Hospital Toronto, and the University of Toronto, she joined the University of Waterloo in 2000 as an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health Sciences. She became a Full Professor in 2013, and she served as Associate Chair of Graduate Studies (2003-2005 & 2009) within the School of Public Health Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies (2015-2020) for the Faculty of Health. Dr. Hanning also served as the Faculty of Health Strategic Plan Implementation Lead for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (2022-2023) shaping Indigenous-specific trainings within the faculty and beyond as part of the goals and objectives in alignment with the faculty’s strategic plan. Dr. Hanning is recognized for her pioneering work and significant impact in community-based participatory food and nutrition research with Indigenous communities, food and nutrition policy and program evaluation and dietary assessment, including development, and the application and evaluation of novel technologies.

Dr. Ron McCarville received his BSc (1977) in Physical Education, BEd (1980) in Education, and MRec (1981) in Physical Education from Acadia University, and PhD (1989) in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. He joined the University of Waterloo in 1989 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. Becoming a full Professor in 2001, he served as the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies (2005- 2007) in his Department and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies (2007-2016) for the Faculty of Health. Professor McCarville contributions to the field of recreation and leisure studies are recognized for their originality and insight. Over a remarkable and influential career, Professor McCarville earned widespread recognition as a leading scholar in leisure marketing and the field’s foremost expert on leisure service pricing in the public sector and service quality. He remains the foremost authority on strategic pricing in the provision of leisure services, including the influence of reference pricing, cost information, and outcome messages on willingness to pay for services. He also established himself as the leading expert in the field on service quality in leisure service delivery.

Mathematics (Wednesday, June 12)

Dr. J. Ian Munro completed his BA (1968) from the University of New Brunswick, his MSc (1969) from the University of British Columbia, and his PhD (1971) from the University of Toronto. He joined the University of Waterloo in 1971 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Analysis and Computer Science which is now the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. Dr. Munro was later promoted to Associate Professor (1975), then Professor (1981), and finally University Professor (2006). He has served as Associate Chairs, Graduate (1976-77) and Undergraduate (1980-82) for Computer Science, and as Director of the Institute for Computer Research (1986-1989). He was also a member of the board for the Faculty of Mathematics’ Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (1995-2015). He retired in 2023 after more than 50 years at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Munro’s research has focused on data structures and algorithms, and he held the Canada Research Chair in Algorithm Design (2001-2022). His work has impacted generations of scientists and scholars and laid the foundation for some of the most exciting work happening in computer science today.

Arts (Thursday, June 13)

Dr. Colin MacLeod completed his BA (1971) from McGill University and PhD (1975) from the University of Washington. He joined the University of Waterloo in the Department of Psychology in 2003 as a Full Professor following a 25-year career at the University of Toronto. He served as Chair of the Department of Psychology (2012-2019) and as interim Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Arts (2019). He also served as Editor-in-chief of two of the major journals in his field, the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology and the international journal Memory & Cognition. Professor MacLeod is recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world on attention, learning, and memory. A Fellow of multiple professional societies including the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Dr. Patricia O’Brien received her AB (1977) from Cornell University, and MBA (1979) and PhD (1985) from the University of Chicago. Having worked at universities such as the University of Rochester, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, the London Business School, and York University, Professor O’Brien began her career at the University of Waterloo’s School of Accounting and Finance as a full Professor in 2000. Professor O’Brien has served as Graduate Officer (2008-2012), as Associate Director of Research (2002- 2011), and as PhD Program Director (2017-2020) within the School, and on the tenure and promotion committee in the Faculty of Arts (2007-2012) and the University (2013-2018). Professor O’Brien is best known for her research related to financial analysts, a field in which she was a pioneer in the 1980’s and which she remains as one of the top cited scholars. She has had a highly impactful career as a scholar, educator, and contributor to the academic and practicing accounting professions, and is one of the most highly reputed accounting scholars in the history of Canadian academia. Professor O’Brien has over 11,000 citations, an h-index of 32, and has been invited as a plenary speaker and to give paper presentations around the globe. As part of her teaching responsibilities, she has taught courses at the undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D. level at the University of Waterloo as well as at a number of leading international universities.

Dr. Alan Webb received his BCom (1985) in Accounting from Mount Allison University, and PhD (2001) in Accounting from the University of Alberta. He became a Chartered Accountant (Nova Scotia) in 1987 and began his academic career at Mount Allison University as an Assistant Professor in 1991. He joined the University of Waterloo in 2000 as an Assistant Professor in what is now the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF). Becoming a Full Professor in 2014, he held the Deloitte Professorship in SAF (2015-2023) and he is the founding Director of the CPA Ontario Centre for Performance Management Research (2017-2023). Professor Webb is one of the most prolific and widely acknowledged scholars in his field. His main areas of research include behavioural consequences of management control system elements such as targets, incentive schemes, and the motivational effects of non-cash rewards. Professor Webb is best known for his research on evaluating and motivating employee performance through the management accounting system of an organization.

Dr. Christine Wiedman received her BA (1987) and MAcc (1988) from the University of Waterloo (1988), her CA (1989) and CPA (1989) from the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Ontario, and her PhD (1994) from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Professor Wiedman began her academic career in 1993 as an Assistant Professor at the School of Business Administration at the College of William and Mary and then as an Associate Professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University (1999). Professor Wiedman joined the University of Waterloo in 2006 as an Associate Professor in the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF). She was promoted to Full Professor in 2011 and held the KPMG Professorship (2009-2021). Professor Wiedman was the SAF PhD Program Director (2007-2010), represented SAF on the PhD Policy Committee (2014), was the coordinator for the faculty mentoring program (2011-2018), and served on Faculty Performance Evaluation Committee (2007- 08), Tenure and Promotion (T&P) Committee (2011-2015 and 2021) and UW T&P Appeal Tribunal (2013 and 2015). Professor Wiedman’s main areas of research include financial reporting and governance issues, including the determinants of firms' financial reporting and disclosure choices, the role of regulation on corporate fraud, and the interpretation of accounting information by capital market participants.

Engineering (Saturday, June 15)

Dr. Neil Thomson received three degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University Waterloo ending with a PhD, which was awarded in 1987. He joined the University of Waterloo as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering the same year, being promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1993 and Full Professor in 2000. He served an Associate Chair, Graduate Studies of his department and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (2008-2016). Professor Thomson has earned a global reputation in research thanks to his significant contributions to soil and groundwater remediation. Recent topics of his research include emerging soil and groundwater remediation technologies, petroleum hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chemical oxidants, functional nanoparticles, electrokinetics, high resolution monitoring, isotopes and biomarkers, delivery methods, site characterization, and physical model and comprehensive pilot-scale studies.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus/Emerita designation is granted either upon or shortly after retirement to a faculty member, regardless of professorial rank, who has had a distinguished record of service in teaching and research at the University, and is a lifetime appointment.

Increase your pedal power at the annual Bike Fair

A message from the Sustainability Office.

Join the Sustainability Office for their annual Bike Fair on Thursday, June 20 between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the Peter Russell Rock Garden. This event brings together campus and community partners to share information and resources to support cycling and sustainable transportation.

Bring your bike for a free tune-up, connect with amazing organizations, and enjoy free ice cream! (Tune-ups, ice cream, and giveaways are all first-come, first-served.)

Local cycling group The Water Cycles will be promoting a special 20-km bike ride on Saturday, June 22 that will begin outside the Ev3rgreen Café at Environment 3 and tour around to visit the "hidden gems of Laurel Creek." The ride will be led by Waterloo alumnus Steve Shikaze.

Optometry celebrates career of "Low Vision Linda"

This article was originally published on the School of Optometry & Vision Science website.

Sometime during her 20 years at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, Linda Jackson earned the nickname “Low Vision Linda,” a playful nod to the service to which she dedicated most of her career.  

Jackson spent the first three years of her time at the School as a cashier before transitioning to the patient care coordinator for the Low Vision Service. It was here that she discovered one of her favourite parts of the job: getting to know the patients. In the last six months of her time at the School, she switched to the Primary Care service, but her most cherished memories will always be from her time in Low Vision.  

Once a supervisor at the Shoppers Drug Mart in Elmira, it was a friend who told Jackson about a job opening at the School – to which she applied.  Over the years since then, she’s made wonderful friendships and witnessed the evolution and growth of the School.  

As a person who enjoys her routine, “I’m glad to be missing a lot of the big changes coming up,” she says with a sheepish smile, referring to the impending construction of the Waterloo Eye Institute.  

Among the things she will miss are the connections she built with colleagues, whom she now considers friends. With them, Jackson fondly recalls potlucks, dressing up for Halloween, and her favourite activity, going for lunch with coworkers. Although sad about leaving them, she finds comfort in knowing she can keep in touch, even after she leaves the School. 

This summer is slated to be a busy one for Jackson as she commences her retirement. First, she looks forward to her daughter’s wedding in July.  

“I just love the person that she’s marrying,” Jackson says. She’s preparing a special surprise mother-of-the-bride speech, which she’s very excited about. In August, she’ll welcome her second grandbaby - an event that will be especially delighting for Jackson, since she’s no longer working full time. 

With her newly available schedule, Jackson is eager to spend more of her days with family and friends. She looks forward to scheduling appointments at any time she wants and going grocery shopping whenever she feels like it. She doesn’t want her days to be too quiet, though. She also wants to find a part-time job to fill up some of her time. 

Moving on from the School is bittersweet for Jackson, but she feels ready to transition into a new phase of life and explore new avenues.  

“Thank you to everyone who knew me,” says Jackson. “I’m so appreciative of them. For the friendships. And for the patients that I built rapport with in Low Vision”.  

Strategic International Experience Grant winners named

A message from Waterloo International.

Waterloo International is pleased to announce the recipients of Strategic International Experience Grants (SIEG) for the academic year 2024-2025. The SIEG award is designed to provide an opportunity for both Waterloo and University of Twente staff members to travel between the two institutions to share best practices and provide international experiences to staff who are collaborating with units of interest within the partner institution, fostering interaction and leveraging the synergies between the research, education, and community environments.

This year, we had an outstanding pool of applicants, making the selection process quite competitive.

With great enthusiasm, we introduce this year's distinguished awardees:

• Ellen Zhiyu Gong, Department of Chemical Engineering;
• Laura Maple, Organizational and Human Development, Human Resources;
• Monica Vesely, Centre for Work-Integrated Learning; and
• Spencer Small, Counselling Services.

We extend our warmest congratulations to the recipients. Their proposed projects and initiatives were selected based on their potential to bring significant contributions to our institution. We are confident that their work will not only serve to advance the University's strategic objectives, but it will also equip them with invaluable skills and insights that can be directly applied to their roles at the University of Waterloo.

Please join us in celebrating the announcement of our SIEG awardees.

If you would like more information about the SIEG program, please contact Aisha Shibli.

Special Senate meeting to be held today ahead of regular meeting

Today, the University's senate will be meeting not once, but twice. Here's what's on the agenda for the two meetings.

According to Senate Bylaw 1, a special meeting of Senate can be called when 20 senators endorse a request, which is then sent to the Senate Executive Committee for consideration as per its powers under Senate Bylaw 2. The special meeting will take place at 3:00 p.m. today. On the agenda:

• A written report from the Senate Executive Committee on the handling of the special request, with detail on the points of consideration that were facilitated to the committee to provide sufficient context for Senate’s consideration of the items; 
• The Report from the President as planned for the regular Senate meeting, given it is germane to the purpose of the meeting as requested; and
• Motions amended from those put forth by the signatories to the request for the special meeting, with the amendments to be congruent with Senate’s mandate.

And what are those motions, you might ask?

• That Senate recommend that the Board of Governors annually disclose a comprehensive report of all investments and holdings in an open session of the Board of Governors or one of its committees as appropriate, with the first report being issued no later than the first quarter of 2025;
• That the Senate formally express support for the establishment of a defined set of principles and framework to guide approaches to institutional partnerships which are reflective of University of Waterloo values; and
• That Senate recommend that the Board of Governors consider the inclusion and implementation of social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, nonviolence, and international human rights as priority areas in the Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") factors, and that Senate recommend an annual update report be provided on progress towards said inclusion and implementation within the University's investment portfolios, in an open session of either the Board of Governors or one of its committees as appropriate, with the first update to be brought forward no later than one year from the date of passage of this motion.

In considering these motions, Senate will hear communications to Senate from the Southwest Ontario Chapter of the Jewish Faculty Network and from the University's Department of Communication Arts, to name a few.

The regular meeting of Senate has been pushed to 4:45 p.m. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to approve major modifications to the MSc in Physics, MSc in Physics – Quantum Information, and MSc in Physics – Nanotechnology programs, effective September 1, 2024;
• A motion to approve the proposed academic regulation revisions to the Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisors (ADDS) section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC), effective September 1, 2024;
• A motion to approve the proposed major modifications to Honours Recreation and Leisure Studies, and Honours Recreation and Sport Business, effective September 1, 2025;
• A motion to approve revisions to the Distinguished Professor Emeritus/a Guidelines; and
• A motion to approve the revisions to the Criteria for Honorary Member of the University.

The full meeting agendas can be found online.