Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Help shape Waterloo’s future – participate in the Campus Plan Survey
“The University of Waterloo has embarked on an exciting initiative to shape the future of our campus,” wrote Jacinda Reitsma, Vice-President, Administration and Finance in a memo to employees circulated this morning. “Just as cities have urban plans, universities have Campus Plans. The new University of Waterloo Campus Plan will serve as a roadmap for how we invest in our buildings, public spaces, sustainability, transportation, and overall campus experience. Now is your opportunity to share your voice.”
“We invite all students, faculty, and staff to take the Campus Plan Survey and provide input on what matters most,” Reitsma writes. “Your feedback will help ensure that our campus supports learning, collaboration, and community life in a way that reflects the needs of our diverse community.”
Take the survey and have your say today
Why your input matters
“Your feedback will be reviewed by the University’s planning team and Brook McIlroy, the prime consultant, to help shape a more sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant Waterloo,” Reitsma’s memo continues. ”The last Campus Plan update was in 2009. Now, we have a unique opportunity to plan for a future-ready Waterloo—one that balances today’s priorities with long-term investments that will strengthen our University for years to come.”
How the survey works
Your participation is completely optional and shouldn’t take more than five to ten minutes. You can answer what questions you want, skip what you don’t, or exit the survey whenever you choose. All responses will be summarized to ensure individual identities will remain protected.
If you’d like to stay informed on the Campus Plan and future engagement opportunities, please sign up.
“Thank you for taking a few minutes to contribute to this important process,” Reitsma writes. “Your voice will help shape the future of our campus.”
Here's what happened at the April Board of Governors meeting
A message from the Secretariat.
The University of Waterloo Board of Governors is comprised of 36 voting members, including external members (mayors, community at large, and Lieutenant Governor in Council appointments) in addition to faculty, staff and students. This governing body of the institution is the highest authority on corporate matters and meets regularly to discuss topics such as financial well-being, institutional reputation, building and properties and human resource matters.
At the April 15, 2025 meeting, the following items were approved:
- The 2025-26 UW Operating Budget
- Filing of the actuarial valuation as of January 1, 2025 for the University of Waterloo Pension Plan
- The establishment of a new health care spending account (HCSA) benefit for members of the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) effective May 1, 2025, in accordance with the May 1, 2024 FAUW arbitration award
- On the recommendation of Senate, the removal of the Department of Knowledge Integration (“KI”) from the organizational structure of the Faculty of Environment
- KI programs will now be part of the School of Environmental Resources and Sustainability (“SERS”)
- The annual report on Forced Labour in Canadian Supply Chains, as legislatively required by the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, 2023
Additionally, the Board received updates for information:
- Update from the President on a range of matters, including community event highlights and post-secondary education sector developments
- The Annual Research Report, presented by the Vice-President, Research & International
- Update on 2025 recipients of the University Professor Designation:
- Anita Layton (Applied Mathematics)
- Daniel Scott (Geography and Environmental Management)
- Donna Strickland (Physics and Astronomy)
- Annual Co-op and Experiential Education Report
Please refer to the open session Board meeting agenda package for related material and complete information.. The meeting minutes form the official record of the meeting, and will be available following approval at the Board’s next meeting on June 17, 2025.
A historic finish for Waterloo as team places second at VCIC global finals
This article was originally published on the School of Accounting and Finance website.
After six consecutive wins at the Canadian Finals, School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) team has achieved a new milestone—placing second at the 2025 VCIC Global Finals in North Carolina.
In a fierce global showdown, the SAF team outperformed elite schools including Berkeley, Georgetown, Miami University, the US Air Force Academy and Trinity College Dublin, ultimately finishing just behind Dartmouth in a close final round. This marks the highest placement ever by an international team in the VCIC’s 27-year history.
This year’s team, composed of AFM students Ansh, Joel, John, and Nolan, Biotech/CPA student Quynh-Anh, and CFM student Rachel demonstrated exceptional skill and resilience throughout every round of the competition.
With this historic finish, the team continues to put the University of Waterloo and the School of Accounting and Finance on the map as a global leader in venture capital education and experiential learning.
Congratulations to the 2025 VCIC team on an incredible achievement!
What's open and closed over the Easter long weekend
Easter weekend is upon us, with the Good Friday statutory holiday set for tomorrow. Good Friday is part of the Easter observance (also known as Pascha outside the English-speaking world), when Christians around the world mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Other celebratory traditions have become part of the broader cultural landscape such as the Easter Bunny, egg-painting and the associated hunts, and, you guessed it, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!
There will be a number of closings and service modifications to note for the long weekend, including:
Food Services operations will largely be closed from Friday, April 18 to Sunday, April 20, including Brubaker's, Starbucks STC, Tim Hortons DC, Browser's Café, while others will be closed until April 30. Locations with long weekend hours include The Market at UWP, open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19, Tim Hortons SLC, open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Mudie's in Village 1, open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and REVelation in Ron Eydt Village, open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. all weekend. Check the Locations and Hours pages for more details.
The Dana Porter Library will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the Davis Centre Library open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
All Print + Retail Solutions locations will be closed on Friday, April 18.
The PAC and CIF will be closed on Friday, April 18 and Sunday, April 20, but will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 19.
Student Life Centre (SLC) and the Turnkey Desk will be open throughout the long weekend.
Enjoy the long weekend, everyone.
Link of the day
When and where
The Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey is now open. Graduate students should check their @uwaterloo email for a link to participate. Students who submit their responses will receive $5 on their WatCard as well as a chance to win one of ten $150 shopping sprees. The survey is open until April 25.
The Campus Wellness Student Medical Clinic offers healthcare visits with Physicians and Nurse Practitioners to current undergraduate and graduate students. Services include: vaccinations, immunity testing, naturopathic services and more. Counselling Services offers appointments with counsellors in person as well as via phone and video. Students can book appointments for these services by calling Campus Wellness at 519-888-4096.
The privately-run Student Health Pharmacy (located in the lower level of the Student Life Centre) is now offering new COVID booster shots and flu shots. Call for appointments to register for the vaccination at 519-746-4500 or dial extension 33784. Walk-ins are welcome.
Winter 2025 examination period, Wednesday, April 9 to Friday, April 25.
MobilizeU pre-registration begins, Monday, April 14 to Sunday, April 27. Contact Nadine Quehl for details.
WIN Seminar with Dr. Jonathan Fan, "Algorithm driven approaches to metasurface systems design," Thursday, April 17, 11:00 a.m., QNC 1501.
UW Fine Arts MFA Thesis One: Jordan MacDonald and Cree Tylee opening reception, Thursday, April 17, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., University of Waterloo Art Gallery.
Good Friday holiday, Friday, April 18, most University operations closed.
QES-funded Beyond Borders: Field School in Ghana has re-opened applications for a 2nd round closing Sunday, April 20, 11:59 p.m.
Social Capital as a Catalyst for Place Transformation: Theoretical Frameworks and Practical Implications, Tuesday, April 22, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., AHS EXP 1686 and hybrid.
Roundtable Discussion: Bots & Fraudulent Data in Survey Research, Tuesday, April 22, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Microsoft Teams.
Earth Day Tree Planting, Tuesday, April 22, 12 noon to 2:00 p.m., Village 1 South 3 building near the forest.
AIMday Materials Workshop, Wednesday, April 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Science Teaching Complex Room 2001.
NEW - W3+ presents Listening Session: UW Budget, Wednesday, April 23, 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Table Talk Series: Collecting and Understanding Queer, Trans and Non-Binary Data, Wednesday, April 23, 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., EC5 2nd floor - Office of EDI-R.
WIN & CENIDE Seminar Series on 2D-MATURE with Dr. Zakaria (Zak) Al Balushi, "Direct Integration of 2D Materials for Next Generation Electronic Devices," Thursday, April 24, 10:00 a.m., QNC 0101.
WIN Innovation Seminar Series with Dr. Carlos Gutierrez, "Improving early detection of breast cancer through infrared imaging and inverse bioheat transfer," Thursday, April 24, 11:00 a.m., QNC 1501.
SEE Canada virtual brown-bag lunch and learn, Thursday, April 24, 12 noon.
Master of Taxation Virtual Information Session, Thursday, April 24, 12 noon.
Science in the City - Tackling the global climate crisis, Thursday, April 24, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Catalyst Commons, 137 Glasgow St Unit 210, Kitchener.
WISE Public Lecture, “Six Nations participation in the energy transition” by Matt Jamieson, CEO, Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC)., Friday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., William G. Davis Computer Research Centre (DC), 1304, in-person and on Zoom. Register today.
Vision Science Graduate Student Conference 2025, Monday, April 28, 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and Tuesday, April 29, 8:40 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Optometry Room 1129. Please register.
NEW - Employer Impact Conference, Tuesday, April 29, 12 noon to 4:30 p.m.
NEW - University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference, Wednesday, April 30 (online) and Thursday, May 1, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Science Teaching Complex.
NEW - Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) Day, Thursday, May 1, 9:00 a.m., QNC 0101.
NEW - Office of Indigenous Relations and SVPRO presents “Red Dress Reflections - Transforming Tomorrow,” Monday, May 5, 10:30 a.m., EXP 1686.
PhD oral defences
Statistics & Actuarial Science. Michael Boyuan Zhu, "Efficiency and Equilibria in Centralized and Decentralized Insurance Markets." Supervisor, Dr. Mario Ghossoub. Thesis available from MGO - mgo@uwaterloo.ca. Oral defence Wednesday, April 16, 9:00 a.m., M3 4206.
Civil and Environmental Engineering. Ce Zhang, "Real-Time Short-Term Intersection Turning Movement Flows Forecasting using Deep Learning Models for Advanced Traffic Management and Information Systems." Supervisor, Dr. Liping Fu. Thesis available via Sharepoint - email eng.phd@uwaterloo.ca to request a viewing link. Oral defence Thursday, April 24, 1:00 p.m., E2 2350.
School of Public Health Sciences. Gustavo Betini, "Extreme weather events and the health of older adults." Supervisor, Dr. John Hirdes. Email Health graduate administration for a copy. Oral defence Friday, April 25, 1:00 p.m., HLTH EXP 1686.
Psychology. Shirley Ong, "Contextual and Individual Factors Associated with the Interpretation and Usage of Prosocial Lies." Supervisor, Dr. Elizabeth Nilsen. Available upon request from the Faculty of Arts, Graduate Studies and Research Officer. Oral defence Monday, April 28, 10:00 a.m., PAS 2464.
Systems Design Engineering. Kyle Gao, "Towards Urban Digital Twins With Gaussian Splatting, Large-Language-Models, and Cloud Mapping Services." Supervisors, Dr. Jonathan Li, Dr. Linlin Xu. Thesis available via Sharepoint - email eng.phd@uwaterloo.ca to request a viewing link. Oral defence Tuesday, April 29, 9:30 a.m., remote.
Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Shima Akbarian, "Advance Laser Weld Brazing of Zinc-Coated Automotive Steels: Process Optimization of AI-Enhanced Inspection,Tailored Intermetallic Formation, and the Evolution of Mechanical Behaviour." Supervisor, Dr. Elliot Biro. This thesis is restricted but on display in the Engineering graduate office. Anyone wishing to review the thesis must sign a non-disclosure agreement. Oral defence Wednesday, April 30, 1:00 p.m., E5 3052.
History. Jamie Zettle, "Evidence of an Emerging Homosexual Subculture during World War II in Case Studies of Queer Clandestine Agents." Supervisors, Dr. Steven Bednarski, Dr. Jacqueline Murray. Available upon request from the Faculty of Arts, Graduate Studies and Research Officer. Oral defence Wednesday, April 30, 1:00 p.m., PAS 2464.
Upcoming service interruptions
Stay up to date on service interruptions, campus construction, and other operational changes on the Plant Operations website. Upcoming service interruptions include:
- School of Architecture fire alarm testing, Friday, April 18, 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
- Digital Media Stratford fire alarm, Friday, April 18, 12 noon to 3:00 p.m.
- QNC crane lift for strobic fan replacement, Saturday, April 19 from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Ring Road will be limited to one lane of travel and only one sidewalk in the area, QNC loading dock will be inaccessible, no use of fume hoods or exhausts in these areas, offices and general lobby areas are still accessible as well as access into and out of the building with the exception of the loading dock.
- Douglas Wright Engineering Building electrical and domestic cold water shutdown, Friday, April 25, 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., domestic hot water will still be available during this time.
- Student Life Centre, Health Services electrical shutdown, Saturday, April 26, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., both buildings will be without power but will have emergency lighting.