Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
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New multidisciplinary school directors appointed in the Faculty of Arts
This article was originally published on the Faculty of Arts website.
Dean Alexie Tcheuyap is very pleased to announce the inaugural directors of the two new multidisciplinary schools in the Faculty of Arts.
- Dr. Jay Dolmage will serve as the Director of the School of Critical and Creative Humanities, effective July 1, 2026 for a four-year term.
- Dr. Ian Milligan will serve as Director of the School of Social, Political and Historical Research, effective July 1, 2026 for a four-year term
“These appointments mark an important and exciting milestone toward the restructuring of Arts as six schools,” said Dean Tcheuyap. “Arts is ready to shine even more brightly and embrace new opportunities for our students.”
Dolmage and Milligan were elected in accordance with Policy 40 (The Department Chair or School Director) process. Following strong support shown in the ballots completed by faculty and staff in each of the new schools, the director nominating committees made their recommendation to the Provost for approval.
Jay Dolmage has served as Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature since July 2022 and previously held Associate Chair, Undergraduate and Associate Chair, UCR in English. His scholarship brings together rhetoric, writing, disability studies, and critical pedagogy. He is the founding editor of Canadian Journal of Disability Studies and is committed to disability rights in his scholarship, service, and teaching. Domage’s books include Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education (2017) and Disability Rhetoric (2014).
Ian Milligan has served as Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Analysis in the Office of Research since January 2022. His primary research focus is on how historians can use web archives, as well as the impact of digital sources on historical practice more generally. His books include Averting the Digital Dark Age (2024), The Transformation of Historical Research in the Digital Age (2022), History in the Age of Abundance (2019), and Rebel Youth (2014). Milligan was principal investigator of the Archives Unleashed project between 2017 and 2023, developing sustainable open-source infrastructure for the Internet Archive.
The role of director in the new schools is a significant and challenging endeavour in leading multiple disciplines and programs, notes the Dean. “But there are also exciting intersections and collaborations across each school’s research and teaching activities. I see these intersections — existing and potential — as a vital part of our Faculty’s evolution in response to the needs of our students and society.”
The School of Critical and Creative Humanities will include six current departments: Communication Arts, English Language & Literature, Fine Arts, French Studies, Germanic & Slavic Studies, and Spanish & Latin American Studies.
The School of Social, Political, and Historical Research will include seven current departments: Anthropology, Classical Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Sociology & Legal Studies.
"I have strong confidence in the commitment of Dr. Milligan and Dr. Dolmage to collegial governance, exercised in close collaboration with members of their respective schools," said the Dean. "In their final presentations as candidates, each articulated a leadership approach grounded in transparency and consultation.
"Both candidates also underscored the importance of respecting the distinct disciplinary strengths within their schools, while expressing a clear intention to advance interdisciplinary engagement. This balanced approach aligns closely with a key priority of both the Faculty and the University."
The current chairs of Psychology and Economics will become directors, effective July 1, 2026: Lutz Bosch, Director of the School of Economics; Evan Risko, Director of the School of Psychology.
The existing schools will continue to be led by current directors: Blake Phillips, Director of the School of Accounting and Finance; Jessica Thompson, Director of the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.
You made UWaterloo Giving Day a success!
A message from the Office of Advancement.
Thank you to our faculty, staff and retirees for the many ways you contributed to the success of our second annual UWaterloo Giving Day.
Your participation, whether you made a gift, joined on‑campus events, played the Giving Day game, purchased cookies, or shared the message with colleagues and friends, helped create a day full of energy and connection. It was a powerful reminder of what our campus community can achieve when we come together in support of Waterloo students and priorities.
Final results are still being tallied and will be shared soon — watch your inbox for more to come.
Announcing the winners of the 2025 Online Teaching Awards
A message from the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital learning, the University of Waterloo remains committed to delivering an exceptional online learning experience for our online students. The success of our online learning services is driven by the commitment of our instructors, who spend time innovating their pedagogy to connect with their students and to author and deliver online courses that are engaging, accessible, and rigorous. Today, we are proud to celebrate this commitment by announcing the recipients of the 2025 Online Teaching Awards. This year’s winners include Dr. Megan McCarthy (Excellence in Online Course Design awardee) and Dr. Michael MacDonald (Excellence in Online Teaching awardee).
Selected by the Online Awards Evaluation Committee on April 27, 2026, Dr. McCarthy and Dr. MacDonald were chosen from a highly competitive pool of candidates, including 141 nominations for the Excellence in Online Teaching award and 75 for Excellence in Online Course Design.
Excellence in Online Course Design: Redefining the virtual classroom
Designing an online course that is both flexible and personal is a challenging undertaking. Yet, students who nominated Dr. McCarthy’s ARTS 140-Topic 54 for the 2025 Excellence in Online Course Design award indicated that her course achieved exactly that. The evaluation committee was particularly impressed by how her course design successfully balanced student flexibility with a meaningful instructor presence, facilitated through weekly video announcements and one-on-one consultations with students.
Beyond the human touch of her course design, the committee found several aspects of her pedagogical design noteworthy: McCarthy successfully aligns learning outcomes with content and assessments, integrates diverse modalities, applies universal design principles, and uses scaffolded assessments that remain resilient in the era of GenAI. Dr. McCarthy’s dedication to continuous improvement—seeking peer feedback to refine her craft—truly exemplifies the spirit of this honour.
Excellence in Online Teaching: Cultivating a community of scholars
While a well-crafted course design provides the essential groundwork for learning, it is the quality of instruction that truly defines the student experience. In recognition of his significant contributions to the student online learning experience. Dr. Michael MacDonald has been named the recipient of the 2025 Excellence in Online Teaching award. As nominations for this honour are submitted exclusively by students and Teaching Assistants, this award serves as a direct reflection of the professional impact he has made in the digital classroom.
Dr. MacDonald’s nomination package demonstrated an instructional approach that is rooted in maintaining regular, respectful communication and a proactive commitment to individual student growth. His practice of providing commentary on weekly reading responses, responding to his students’ insights and promoting opportunities for reflective engagement helped to foster a supportive environment that encouraged academic growth. The committee noted how his dedication helped build a "community of scholars," empowering his students to see themselves as researchers and peers who are well-prepared to contribute meaningfully to the field of study.
Celebrating Excellence in Online Teaching
Each recipient will receive a Certificate of Recognition and an invitation to the 2026 Celebration of Teaching Excellence and Innovation ceremony sponsored by the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic. We are very proud of Dr. McCarthy and Dr. MacDonald for their leadership in digital education.
Join us in identifying and celebrating our 2026 nominees
Do you know an instructor or a course that has redefined the online experience? Nominations for the 2026 Online Teaching Awards are now open and are due by August 31, 2026. For full details on the nomination process, please visit the CEL website.
Knowledge Exchange round 4 now open
Photo by Leiliane Dutra courtesy of pexels.com
A message from the Office of Research.
The Knowledge Exchange (KE) program provides funding to support biomanufacturing-focused research placements across academic, hospital, and government laboratories. The program is open to graduate students and staff scientists and is designed to facilitate collaborative academic placements within Canadian institutions. A core objective is to provide meaningful, hands-on training experiences while fostering interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. KE creates opportunities to build practical expertise in biomanufacturing, strengthen research partnerships, and catalyze new collaborative research initiatives.
What is BioHubNet?
BioHubNet is a federally funded talent development program based at the University of Toronto. The Knowledge Exchange (KE) program is one of BioHubNet’s core initiatives, providing funding for biomanufacturing-focused inter-institutional research placements across Canada. KE is open to graduate students and staff scientists, and is designed to build hands-on biomanufacturing expertise, foster cross-sector collaboration, and strengthen Canada’s highly qualified personnel pipeline for the biomanufacturing and broader life sciences industries.
Why apply for KE?
Trainees at Mount Sinai working in stem cell biology, genomics, and systems biology can use KE to access specialized biomanufacturing platforms at partner institutions and build the applied competencies needed to translate discovery research into advanced therapeutic products. KE provides direct funding to support those inter-institutional placements and the cross-sector collaborations they generate.
Placement requirements
- Must be inter-institutional
- Must be within Canada
Duration and funding
- Short term (1 month): Up to $2,500
- Long term (4 or 6 months): Up to $30,000 with an optional mobility award up to $10,000
Award categories
- Cross-disciplinary Collaboration: Supports interdisciplinary projects that integrate biomanufacturing with other scientific disciplines, including engineering, data science, materials science, or computer science.
- New Skills Development: Supports projects focused on training in new skills and gaining proficiency with new equipment relevant to biomanufacturing.
Required documents
- Short-term: KE Short-term placement application (attached)
- Long-term: KE Long-term placement application (attached)
- Mobility Award application (attached)
- Support letter from the home supervisor
- Invitation letter from the host supervisor
The deadline for Round 4 is Friday, May 29 at 12 noon.
For more information, check out the announcement page, the BioHubNet website, or the BioHubNet LinkedIn page.
Research Ethics System maintenance notice
The Research Ethics System will be unavailable on Wednesday, May 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon due to scheduled maintenance. During this time, researchers and staff will not be able to access the system.
If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Research Ethics team. We appreciate your patience and understanding as this essential maintenance is completed.
Link of the day
Stand up and be counted, nerds: it's Geek Pride 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 Summer 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!
Turtle Island Indigenous Science Conference 2026, Sunday, May 24 to Tuesday, May 26.
Project 529 Bike Registry Registration Rallies, Tuesday, May 26 and Thursday, May 28, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., outside UWP. Bring your bike!
Integrating GenAI in Assessments - In Person (CTE7551) Wednesday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., MC 2036.
Neuron e-scooter employee demo day, Wednesday, May 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on the Laurel Trail near Engineering 5.
CareNext Collective: What actually works in AI-enabled care, Wednesday, May 27, 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., online.
Fruits and Veg Market, Wednesday, May 27, 12 noon to 4:00 p.m., PSE 1st floor; Student Life Centre Marketplace; Environment 3. Open to all members of the University community, $12.99 for a bag of assorted produce while supplies last.
Cornerstone, Thursday, May 28 to Thursday, June 11.
A Rhetoricon Symposium: Figuring Constructions, Constructing Figures, Thursday, May 28 and Friday, May 29, DC 1301 and 1302.
Accessible Teaching Support for Instructors Part 1: Making the Most of the Accessible Teaching Website - Online (CTE7051), Thursday, May 28, 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., online.
Gen Z Decoded and Employer Impact Awards, Thursday, May 28, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., online.
Why Founders Waste Months on the Wrong Decisions and How to Avoid It, Thursday, May 28, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., University of Waterloo, Pearl Sullivan Engineering, 2nd Floor, Rooms 2357/2317.
University of Waterloo Campus Community Survey closes Friday, May 29. The survey is open to all students, who can enter a draw to win prizes.
Pride flag re-raising event, Monday, June 1, 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., H Lot, remarks at noon.
Accessibility Ally Network, Wednesday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., virtually on MS Teams.
Bike Fair 2026, Wednesday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Peter Russell Rock Garden.
Shaping Futures: Celebrating Vivek Goel, Wednesday, June 3, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., BMH Green and Indigenous Gathering Space.
From Research to Policy: A Panel Session on Enhancing Research Impact in the Policy Arena, Thursday, June 4, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., online. Open to Waterloo faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Please register.
Earth's Greatest Enemy: Film Screening & Talk on war and the environment marking World Environment Day, Friday, June 5, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Arts Lecture Hall Room 113.
NEW - Walk to End ALS, Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon, meet at the Indigenous Gathering Space in BMH Green.
NEW - Soapbox Science 2026, Sunday, June 7, 12 noon to 3:00 p.m., Victoria Park, Kitchener.
NEW - Future Cities Innovation Challenge, Monday, June 8 to Friday, June 19.
NEW - Future Cities Innovation Challenge kick-off event, Monday, June 8, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Black and Gold Room (SLC 2144).
NEW - Climate pedagogy across the curriculum: approaches for higher education, Wednesday June 10, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Learning Lab (323), Dana Porter Library.
Adrian Smith 2026 Lecture: Sasha Wilson, Wednesday, June 10, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., QNC 2502.
Open House celebrating Dr. Richard Myers, Wednesday, June 10, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., United College patio.
NEW - Celebrating Indigenous Authorship: Ojistoh publishing author event, Thursday, June 11, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Dana Porter Library main floor (in front of Indigenous mural).
NEW - Knowledge Mobilization Networking Mixer, formembers or future members of the Waterloo Wellington Knowledge Mobilization Communityor theWaterloo Knowledge Mobilization Community of Practice,Tuesday, June 16, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., ENV 1 Courtyard; Please bring a bagged lunch, and register as soon as possible as space is limited.
PhD oral defences
School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED). Naima Samuel, "Exploring Structure, Agency and Equity in Cross-Sector Partnerships for Advancing Sustainability and Climate Goals." Supervisor, Dr. Amelia Clarke. Oral defence Wednesday, May 27, 2:00 p.m., remote.
Psychology. Jolie Ho, “Keeping Others at Arm’s Length: Examining the Contribution of Fears of Receiving Compassion to Safety Behaviour Use and Positivity Deficits in Social Anxiety.” Supervisor, Dr. David Moscovitch. Available upon request from the Faculty of Arts, Graduate Studies and Research Officer. Oral defence Monday, June 15, 12 noon, PAS 2464 and hybrid.
Recreation and Leisure Studies. Taylor Kurta, "Challenging Stigma and Enacting Citizenship Through Liberatory-Relational Songwriting with People Living with Dementia.", Supervisor, Dr. Sherry Dupuis. Email Health Graduate Administration for a copy. Oral defence Wednesday June 17, 12 noon, EXP 1686 and hybrid.
Physics and Astronomy. Harish Murali, “Huge Operators in Holography: BPS Sectors, Matrix Models, and Black Holes.” Supervisors, Dr. Jaume Gomis, Dr. Pedro Vieira. Visit the Faculty of Science Thesis Submission Notices website for details on requesting a copy to review. Oral Defence Friday, June 19, 9:30 a.m., remote via MS Teams.
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:
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REV South-East Quads water tank replacement, Wednesday, May 6 to Friday, August 14, hot water will not be available in the south-east quad affecting washrooms.
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REV South corridor temporary corridor closure, Monday, May 25, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., access to the REV South corridor outside Mechanical Room 101 will be closed for the day. Alternate route signage will be posted.
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Optometry plumbing repairs, Monday, May 25, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., installation of isolation valves in plumbing system requires water shutoff in washrooms 3021, 3022, 4010, 4017, and any areas in the south/east corner of the 3rd and 4th floors that may have a sink. Washrooms on other floors will not be affected.
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ESC fume hood exhaust fan outages, Monday, May 25, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., strobic fans will cycle on and off during installation of software, please avoid activities requiring fume hood exhaust service because outages will be random and intermittent.
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Optometry air handler shutdown, Tuesday, May 26, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., during the shutdown airflow throughout older areas of the building will be reduced, the 2009 addition will be operating normally.
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Crane operation, Tuesday, May 26, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., parking lot between DC loading dock and C2 will be closed as crane delivers roof materials.
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Bright Starts daycare, Toby Jenkins Building, Optometry, Columbia Ice Field fire alarm testing, Wednesday, May 27, 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
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UWP - Waterloo South, Woolwich South, Beck Hall fire alarm testing, Wednesday, May 27, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.