Thursday, June 5, 2025

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• An update on the University Values

• Enabling pronouns in Teams and Outlook on the web

• Inuit Identity: Who Is Resilient Inuk

An update on the University Values

By Michael Dorr and Melanie Will. 

When the Waterloo at 100 vision was published in 2023, “evolving our values” was identified as an immediate goal. From that point, we undertook a campus-wide initiative to update and articulate our core values. The result: at the University of Waterloo, we think differently, act with purpose, and work together. Combined with our values imperatives, our Values underpin and reflect what it means to be part of the University of Waterloo community.

The next important stage is to integrate our values into the incredible work that is taking place across our campuses. To help support this, we have updated the Values website with more information, resources and ways to engage.

The updated website includes several downloadable assets which help you to incorporate values into presentations, share via social media and in your spaces. Plus, information sessions and workshops are also available for teams. You can learn more about the consultation process and how we arrived at the values. Please peruse the website and reach out to the values working team with any queries.

“I am excited to see our values continue to come to life and drive the ambitious goals outlined in Waterloo at 100," says Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor. "These values are rooted in our community’s feedback and input – they reflect core truths about who we are and what we value. We now have a simple and memorable depiction of our values that will be effective at creating a common set of language and tools for us all.”

Students at the Capstone Symposium. Photo courtesy of Futures Cities Institute

Bringing these values to life requires much more than posters and decals; it requires everyone at Waterloo to model Thinking Differently, Acting with Purpose, and Working Together in our daily lives on campus. A fantastic and recent example of this is the Waterloo Capstone Symposium where the values were on display both physically (in the background) and throughout the collaborative, impactful and innovative ideas on display.

Lastly, a special thanks to the talented Creative Studio who designed the vibrant, creative, and impactful graphics.

Enabling pronouns in Teams and Outlook on the web

A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST) and the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-R).

What is happening? As of Monday, June 2, University of Waterloo students and employees have the option to set or add pronouns (i.e., words we use to replace someone’s name in a sentence, such as “he”, “she”, or “they”) to their Microsoft 365 profile card (the card with your picture or initials in the circle). It may take up to 24 hours before this feature is visible on your Microsoft 365 profile card.

Inuit Identity: Who Is Resilient Inuk

A message from the Libraries.

In honour of National Indigenous History Month and Indigenous Peoples Day, the UWaterloo Libraries present a hybrid event on the afternoon of June 19 exploring the key aspects of Inuit identity, including the structure and importance of Inuit family trees, the cultural significance of the ulu, and the lasting trauma caused by derogatory terms, tuberculosis treatment policies and forced relocations.

Vanessa Brousseau, also known as Resilient Inuk, will share both heartfelt storytelling and historical context to foster understanding and support reconciliation through education.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Registration is appreciated, particularly to facilitate online attendance. Full details are available on the Libraries website.