Friday, December 13, 2024

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• Waterloo among top campuses globally for sustainability
• Waterloo Centre for German Studies announces book prize shortlist
• Faculty association running childcare survey
• Waterloo wins four CASE Best of District II Awards
• Legal Studies seminar wrestles with antisemitism definition and other notes

Waterloo among top campuses globally for sustainability

A message from the Sustainability Office.

Waterloo has recently been named in the top 3 per cent of sustainable institutions as part of the QS Sustainability rankings.

On the 2025 ranking, Waterloo placed 60^th globally out of more than 1,700 participating campuses. This is an improvement from 68^th in the 2024 ranking. It placed 6^th in Canada out of 32 participating institutions.

The QS ranking was piloted in 2022 and has seen increasing participation from around the world. It measures sustainability across 50 environmental, social, and governance indicators and data points, including teaching, research, and operational practices. 

“It is encouraging to see Waterloo placing among the top universities in the world for sustainability,” says Mat Thijssen, Director of Sustainability. “The University has articulated a long-term vision for the campus through Waterloo at 100 that has Sustainable Futures as part of its core. The continued emphasis on sustainability among global rankings such as QS reinforces its importance to Waterloo’s impact and success.”

Waterloo’s rank also improved significantly across many indicators within the QS ranking in addition to the overall ranking, such as increasing from 42^nd to 20^th for environmental research, and from 280^th to 106^th for environmental sustainability of campus practices and operations. Waterloo’s social impact rank –covering topics such as knowledge exchange, employability, health and wellbeing, and equality – also increased from 57^th to 27^thglobally, and 4^th in Canada.

These reflect continued efforts to improve the efficiency and performance of Waterloo’s buildings and infrastructure, as well as expanded investments in new sustainability teaching and research activities across policy, technology solutions, foundational science, and societal changes.

For more information about the ranking and results, visit the QS Sustainability website. To learn more about Waterloo’s sustainability efforts and progress, read the latest Environmental Sustainability Report.

Waterloo Centre for German Studies announces book prize shortlist

A message from the Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS).

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS) is pleased to announce the shortlist for its annual Book Prize.     

Faculty association running childcare survey

A message from the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW).

You are invited to participate in a survey about your experiences accessing childcare in Waterloo Region. 

This survey is open to all University of Waterloo employees and students. The results will help assess the issues and impacts surrounding childcare access, and support informing long-term solutions for accessible, affordable childcare options for UWaterloo caregivers. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete and isopen until January 10, 2025.

Complete the survey.

Participation in this survey is confidential and voluntary, and you may decline to answer any question. Reports will not include any identifiable information, though you will have the option to provide your name and contact information if you would like a member of FAUW’s Childcare Working Group to follow up with you directly. If you have difficulty logging in or completing the survey, please contact Nasser Moheiddein Abukhdeir. 

We look forward to your responses. Thank you in advance for your participation! 

Waterloo wins four CASE Best of District II Awards

A message from WatSPEED.

The University of Waterloo has been recognized with four 2024 CASE Best of District II Awards.  

These awards celebrate excellence in communications, marketing, events, and program development. CASE District II, the largest of CASE’s eight districts and inclusive of international institutions, connects professionals working in alumni engagement, communication strategies, and fundraising, fostering ongoing innovation in education. 

WatSPEED, Waterloo’s professional, executive, and corporate education arm, has received three awards in the following categories: 

• Best in Special Events: In-Person (Single-Day) – Tech Horizons Executive Forum 

• Gold in Marketing: Advertising (Online) – Promoting Legacy Programs for Increased Registration and Revenue Growth 

• Bronze in Special Events: Online (One-time events) – ChatGPT: What Executives Really Need to Know 

The Faculty of Engineering has also been recognized with one award: 

• Gold in Engagement: Targeted Constituency Engagement –Travelling STEM: Go where the students go 

Adding to Waterloo’s past CASE awards, this year’s initiatives highlight the ingenuity and creativity of our campus community, setting new benchmarks in post-secondary education across Canada and North America. 

Legal Studies seminar wrestles with antisemitism definition and other notes

The Department of Sociology and Legal Studies is inviting members of the University community to the Fall 2024 Joint University of Waterloo–St. Jerome’s University Legal Studies Seminar, which will be held on Monday, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. on Zoom.

"Defending Jews from the Definition of Antisemitism" will feature Dr. Itamar Mann and Dr. Lihi Yona from the University of Haifa.

"This article, forthcoming in UCLA Law Review, examines the legal debate surrounding antisemitism in the context of Israel criticism, challenging definitions that equate such criticism with antisemitic speech," says the talk's abstract. "It argues that current legal definitions impose a narrow, Zionist-centric view of Jewish identity, harming both Palestinian advocacy and Jewish pluralism. Jewish identity is inherently diverse and contested, with this ongoing debate viewed as a vital feature of Jewish tradition."

The antisemitism definition in question is the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition.

Lihi Yona is an Assistant Professor at the University of Haifa, holding joint appointments in the Faculty of Law and the Department of Criminology.

Itamar Mann is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Haifa and a Humboldt Fellow Humboldt University, Berlin.

Register for the seminar. The Joint Legal Studies Seminar Series features biannual seminars showcasing a range of legal studies scholarship.  The series is hosted by the Departments of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome’s University.

The School of Accounting and Finance will be holding virtual information sessions about the Master of Taxation program on Tuesday, December 17, at 9:00 a.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. Students interested in finding out of the Master of Taxation program is for them will have the opportunity to explore admissions requirements, discover flexible program options, and see a sample course schedule.

Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest in the Atlassian blog series entitled How to Customize Project and Issue Notifications in Atlassian.