Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Ending the year with bold predictions for Waterloo's future
This pronouncement from Jenna Madelyn Protacio is just one of the many bold predictions about the University’s 100th anniversary. See you in 2057, President Protacio!
A message from the President's Office.
As we approach the winter break, President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel shares a special end-of-year message with the University of Waterloo community.
In the spirit of Waterloo at 100, members of our community were invited to look ahead and imagine what Waterloo will be most known for at its 100th anniversary in 2057. Their reflections speak to what makes Waterloo extraordinary: a community driven by ambition, optimism, and a shared commitment to thinking differently, acting with purpose, and working together.
Watch the President’s End of Year Video and hear how our collective hopes for the future are shaping the impact we are making today.
Thank you to all members of our community for your contributions this year and best wishes for a peaceful and restorative winter break.
Oh, the humanities! Faculty of Arts celebrates 65 years
A Sculptured Environment: Artist Ron Baird's "pickle fork" installations at the Hagey Hall courtyard in the 1970s and in their present configuration outside the PAS building in 2019.
This article was originally published on the Faculty of Arts website.
Once upon a time, the sugar cube looked more like a layer cake, there was plenty of parking and green space on campus, and Waterloo didn't have a website, let alone all the digital systems we use today. We've seen a lot in the past 65 years, and Arts has always been a crucial part of Waterloo's story.
Along with marking the 65th anniversary of the Faculty of Arts, this fall term marked the launch of a significant transformation for one of the University’s largest faculties.
Looking back
Arts was founded as the third faculty at the three-year-old University of Waterloo in the fall of 1960 – joining the faculties of Engineering and Science. The university’s Quarterly Report that September quoted President J. G. Hagey speaking about the new Faculty:
“… the provision of arts courses fulfills an urgent need in this progressive section of the province. In addition, we are in a unique position as a new University to plan curricula in keeping with the challenge of living in a changing world."
In those early years, the Faculty of Arts included classical studies, English, French, history, German and Russian, math, philosophy, and Spanish (all of which exist and thrive today). Math was the largest department until it left Arts to become North America’s first Faculty of Mathematics in 1967.
The first decade of Arts at Waterloo saw the addition of social sciences and studio arts. Psychology was established by 1963 and would go on to specialize in six major subdivisions of psychology and become a research and teaching powerhouse. At the same time, the first courses in Fine Arts were introduced, eventually growing into a widely subscribed department by creative students from across the university.
Circa 1965, Political Science became a department whose future members played a lead role in the launch of the Balsillie School of International Affairs in 2007. By 1969 the brand new PAS building provided a brain-inspired home for Psychology, Anthropology (globally noted in the last decade for Franklin Expedition discoveries), Sociology (expanding significantly in the 2010s with Legal Studies), as well as Religious Studies (a department enriched with the faculty from across the creek).
The Faculty’s 10th anniversary saw the birth of Economics as a department – renowned today, along with Political Science, for public policy contributions. A late 70s English breakaway group formed what is today’s dynamic and interdisciplinary Department of Communication Arts.
At 20 years old, Accounting was established and steadily grew into the School of Accounting and Finance, Canada’s leading school for burgeoning accounting and finance professionals. Last, but not least, in 2018, the already booming Stratford Campus became the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, which is bursting at the seams today with 690 students.
At sixty-five years old, Arts has graduated a total of 72,169 students!
Looking forward
We’ve come a long way, and we’re still moving forward. Echoing President Hagey’s 1960 sentiment, Arts is restructuring to meet the challenges of today’s changing world. The recently approved Faculty of Arts Reorganization into six schools will enable more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations to support new programming and research that respond to emerging and future educational, societal and economic priorities.
“I am inspired by the tremendous commitment and work toward the reorganization, and I’m confident in our collective capacity to meet the future as a revitalized, energized and vigorous Faculty of Arts,” says Dr. Alexie Tcheuyap, Dean of Arts.
A lot has changed in the past 65 years, but one of the things that remains constant in Waterloo Arts is the commitment of students, alumni, faculty and staff to making the world a better place for all.
Check out the anniversary photo gallery on the Faculty of Arts website
Remembering Distinguished Professor Emeritus Warren Ober
Dr. Warren Ober circa 1970.
Dr. Warren Ober in his office in 1982.
Mary and Warren Ober in 2015.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Warren Ober passed away on November 5, 2025 at 100 years of age.
Born in Smackover, Arkansas in 1925, Warren Ober enlisted in the US Navy in 1943 after high school and was on active duty from 1943 to 1946. He finished his undergraduate degree in English at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, graduating in 1948. He taught at Kentucky Military Institute, Southern Arkansas State College, and Northern Illinois University and earned a PhD in English Literature from Indiana University in 1958.
After nearly a decade at Northern Illinois University, Dr. Ober joined the University of Waterloo on September 1, 1965 as professor and Chair of the Department of English.
His areas of research focus included English Romantic poets, reading improvement, English language and linguistics, and the background to World War II in the Pacific theatre.
Dr. Ober served as Chair of the English department from 1965 to 1969 and was Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1969 to 1970. In 1970 he was appointed the Director of the Inter-Faculty Programme Board, which was created to coordinate interdisciplinary, non-specialist academic. courses and programs that centered on contemporary problems and broad themes rather than on discipline-specific subject matter. He served a second term as department chair from 1973 to 1979.
A 1992 recipient of the University of Waterloo's Distinguished Teacher Awards, Dr. Ober established the Warren Ober Awards for Outstanding Teaching by a Graduate Student using the stipend he received from his DTA.
He taught a course on Arthurian Legend that was popular with students for years.
After a four-decade career as teacher, researcher, and author, Dr. Ober retired in 1995. In May 1995, he was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Convocation. In retirement, Dr. Ober continued with his research projects, including a facsimile reproduction of the nineteenth-century Irish antiquarian Thomas Crofton Croker’s Legends of the Lakes: or, Sayings and Doings at Killarney co-edited with fellow Waterloo retiree Neil Hultin, and research on the events surrounding the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941 with colleague Paul Burtness.
He and his wife Mary were regular donors to the Keystone Campaign, the University's long-running faculty, staff and retiree giving program. Their philanthropic contributions on campus were recognized with the naming of the Warren and Mary Ober Group Study Rooms in the Dana Porter Library and the Mary and Warren Ober Urgent Care Room at Health Services, which opened in 2012.
Dr. Ober's research papers on WWII’s Pacific theatre are housed in the Library’s Special Collections & Archives, including letters written to him in 1962 by General Douglas MacArthur, and he contributed pulp magazines and novels to SCA's 2018 exhibition of paperback genre fiction.
He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Mary, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Wednesday's notes
Friends and colleagues of University Registrar Cathy Newell Kelly are invited to celebrate her nearly thirty-year career at Waterloo today from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the second-floor event space of Pearl Sullivan Engineering (formerly Engineering 7). Light refreshments will be provided and speeches will begin at 4:00 p.m.
Research Impact Canada's latest Dr. RIC session will be held virtually tomorrow from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
"Join us for the December Dr. RIC call - the last gathering of the year!" says a note from organizers. "We'll dedicate some time to discussing the next phase of the RIC evaluation for our Network and then wrap up with a fun virtual game. Wear your most festive gear and bring some hot chocolate (or another drink of your choice) to sip!"
Contact Nadine Quehl to receive the Zoom link.
Upcoming office closure
The Science Undergraduate Office will be closed today from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Link of the day
When and where
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. Covid booster shots are available by appointment only – please call ext. 33784 or 519-746-4500. The Student Health Pharmacy’s summer hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Naloxone kits are still available – pick them up in the pharmacy at no charge.
The Waterloo Eye Institute optometry clinics in Waterloo and downtown Kitchener offer comprehensive eye exams and eyewear, including glasses and contact lenses, with the Waterloo location offering various specialized services including urgent eye care. Discounts apply for University of Waterloo students and employees. The Waterloo Clinic is at a nearby interim location, 419C Phillip St, during construction at the School of Optometry and Vision Science. The Kitchener Clinic remains at the Health Sciences Campus, 10B Victoria St. S. Book online or by phone at 519-888-4062.
Warriors Winter Youth Camps, registration is now open for multi-sport and games, baseball, basketball, eSports, football and hockey camps for boys and girls ages 5 to 18. Register today!
Final examination period, Friday, December 5 to Thursday, December 18.
Master of Taxation virtual information session, Wednesday, December 17, 12 noon,
Retirement celebration for Cathy Newell Kelly, Wednesday, December 17, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pearl Sullivan Engineering building (E7) event space, room 2472.
Research Impact Canada December Dr. RIC: Thursday, December 18, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., online. Contact Nadine Quehl to receive the Zoom link.
Co-operative work term ends, Friday, December 19.
NEW - Final examination emergency day, Friday, December 19.
Faculty of Arts AI Forum, Friday, December 19, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., NH 3407.
Nominations open: WUSA General Elections, Monday, December 22.
University holiday break, Wednesday, December 24 to Friday, January 2, 2026.
NEW - Lectures and classes begin, Monday, January 5, 2026.
NEW - Co-operative work term begins, Monday, January 5, 2026.
NEW - WUSA Welcome Week Brunch, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., SLC Great Hall.
Positions available
This week's list from the human resources department is viewable through the Careers website or through Workday's new recruitment module. To access Workday Recruiting, login to Workday, and navigate to the Jobs Hub from the left side menu.
- Job ID# 2025-01026 - Electronics Technologist - Faculty of Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering, USG 8
- Job ID# 2025-01036 - Senior Lead Scientist, WaterFEL - Faculty of Science – Chemistry, USG 11
- Job ID# 2025-01054 - Inventory Coordinator - Print and Retail Solutions, USG 5
- Job ID# 2025-01059 - Vision Rehabilitation Specialist, High Technology - Faculty of Science - School of Optometry and Vision Science, USG 7
Secondments and internal temporary opportunities
- Job ID# 2025-01042 - Intake Specialist - Campus Wellness, USG 8
Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo opportunities
Visit the Affiliated and Federated Institutions current opportunities page
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:
- North parking lot at RAC-1 shoring activity, Monday, November 10 to January 1, 2026, shoring, pile driving, lagging and tie-backs will take place between November 10 to the end of December 2025 as part of WaterFEL construction, traffic restrictions and limited access to be in place, excessive noise and vibration may occur in the work area.
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Carl Pollock Hall, Douglas Wright Engineering, South Campus Hall, Rod Coutts Hall, Grad House fire alarm testing, Wednesday, December 17, 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
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General Services Complex, Commissary, Central Plant fire alarm testing, Wednesday, December 17, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
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Optometry elevator shutdown, Thursday, December 18, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., south elevator will be out of service.
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South campus replacement of 4 main backflow preventers, Friday, December 19, 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all soft water on campus will be affected, some locations will not have the use of hot water, or soft water.
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School of Architecture fire alarm testing, Friday, December 19, 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
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Digital Media Stratford fire alarm testing, Friday, December 19, 12 noon to 3:00 p.m.
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Burt Matthews Hall (original section) domestic hot water shutdown, Friday, December 19, 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., no water available to building for the duration to accommodate metering installation.
- South campus replacement of 4 main backflow preventers, Saturday, December 20, 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all soft water on campus will be affected, some locations will not have the use of hot water, or soft water.
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Modern Languages domestic cold water shutdown, Saturday, December 20, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., no cold water available to the building for a period of one hour during the shutdown window, toilets and sinks will not have water at this time.
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Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology (PAS) domestic cold water shutdown, Saturday, December 20, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., no cold water available for a period of one hour during the shutdown window, no water to toilets and sinks during this time.
Needles Hall addition domestic cold water shutdown, Saturday, December 20, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., no cold water will be available for an hour during the shutdown window, toilets and sinks will not have water during this time.
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South Campus Hall domestic cold water shutdown, Saturday, December 20, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will be no water available to the building for the duration of shutdown, no water to sinks or toilets.
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Quantum Nano Centre, Biology 1 and 2, Health Services, Science Teaching Complex fire alarm testing, Monday, December 22, 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
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UWP (Beck Hall, Eby Hall, Grand Commons) electrical shutdown, Monday, December 22, 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon, an electrical shutdown will affect all normal power within the listed buildings due to a high-voltage feed connection, the building will be without normal power for 4 hours, and elevators will not function. Emergency power will be active.
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Central Services Building domestic cold water (potable) shutdown, Monday, December 22, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., during this time the 8" potable line will be shut down to accommodate metering installation.
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MKV-East temporary electrical shutdown, Tuesday, December 23, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., there will be an electrical shutdown that will affect all normal power and lighting due to ongoing electrical work, the east wing of the building (mostly bedrooms and hallways on the 1st floor) will be without normal power for approximately 1 hour, emergency power will be active.
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Energy Research Centre, Math 3, Burt Matthews Hall fire alarm testing, Friday, January 2, 2026, 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
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Minota Hagey, Mackenzie King Village, Ron Edyt Village fire alarm testing, Friday, January 2, 2026, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.