Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Nenone Donaldson named Vice-President, Advancement

The University of Waterloo has named Nenone Donaldson as Vice-President, Advancement, effective January 1, 2022. Donaldson is currently Senior Director, Engineering Advancement in the Faculty of Engineering.

“Nenone brings with her a wealth of experience as a successful fundraiser for Waterloo Engineering and a deep understanding of our institution as a long-time employee,” said Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor and chair of the nomination committee in a memo circulated to campus yesterday. “The nomination committee was inspired by her vision to take Waterloo’s advancement activities to the next level, supporting the achievement of the University’s bold and ambitious Strategic Plan.”

A professional fundraiser since 1998, Nenone Donaldson joined the University in the Faculty of Engineering in 2004 during Campaign Waterloo as one of the institution’s first Faculty-based fundraisers. With an expansive track record of building successful relationships, developing key connections, and strengthening the alumni network, she has built several strategic corporate alliances that have allowed Waterloo Engineering to pursue ambitious plans.

In 2013, she added the role of campaign director for the highly successful Educating the Engineer of the Future campaign, which raised over $100 million. In 2017, she assumed leadership of the advancement team in Engineering, a portfolio which includes marketing, communications, recruitment, events, alumni relations, and fundraising. She has also served in a volunteer capacity on not-for-profit boards in the youth sector and advised technology start-ups on leadership, communications, and people.

A nine-member nomination committee worked over the course of this year to identify the skills and criteria necessary for the next vice-president, advancement at Waterloo. They sought someone who shares Waterloo’s unmatched commitment to innovation and industry engagement, an appreciation for Waterloo’s unique alumni base, and an experienced advancement leader to champion the development and implementation of the University’s fundraising and advancement activities. Donaldson’s appointment follows an international search.

“It’s a thrilling time to be leading fundraising at Waterloo,” says Donaldson. “Guided by our strategic plan, the University is charting an ambitious and bold future where we will be solving some of society’s most challenging problems. I look forward to working with the entire advancement team to engage alumni and donors to re-imagine their role in supporting higher education.”

In his memo to campus, President Goel thanked the nominating committee for their work as well as Sandra Banks for serving as interim vice-president advancement until Nenone’s appointment goes into effect in January 2022.

Three generations of support for Waterloo students

This is the third in a series of stories in support of National Philanthropy Day.

To wrap up our National Philanthropy Day stories, learn about a family with ties to Waterloo’s earliest days.

Murray Wiegand is preserving the legacy of his mother and grandfather through scholarships that support Waterloo students. Learn how this Science student benefited from the Wiegand family’s generosity.

Are you free on November 30?

A note from the Office of Advancement.

If you said “yes”, we want you to join us for the most excitement we can pack into 24 hours. Giving Tuesday is a one-day celebration of generosity, when thousands of people will come together in support of Waterloo students.

With 35 challenges and the potential to unlock an additional $139,000 in charitable support for Waterloo, it’s a chance to make your gift the most powerful it can be all year.

Watch your inbox and social media for more details, and get ready to celebrate with Waterloo and the world.

Last day to purchase #Purple4Prevention t-shirts

A message from the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

To pick up your #Purple4Prevention t-shirt on campus on November 25, you must order today through Kitchener Screen Printing. #Purple4Prevention invites students and employees to take a stand against sexual and gender-based violence, and to show solidarity by purchasing and wearing the new custom tee on November 25, 2021. 

Here is what you need to know: 

• T-shirt pick-ups will be at the Fishbowl in the Davis Centre (DC 1301) on November 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Along with the with Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC), the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office will be there giving out cool swag, including your t-shirt.
• A tee costs only $10, and $3 of each sale goes directly to SASC. If you buy your tee shirt now you will have it to wear on November 25, and you can also continue to show your solidarity during other important times of the year like Consent Week, which takes place in January each year, and Take Back the Night, a march of solidarity that occurs in the Fall. 
• Some extra t-shirts will be available on November 25 for purchase the day-of, but sizes and quantities will be limited, so order yours today. 

As part of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25 to December 10), the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office at Waterloo is partnering with SASC, and Conestoga College’s and Wilfrid Laurier University's SVPR Offices to address sexual violence on campus through a new campaign: #Purple4Prevention. 

By purchasing and wearing these t-shirts, it shows how many of us in our communities stand in solidarity on an issue that often feels very solitary and isolating. Wearing these shirts and sharing messages online also creates opportunity for discussion and learning about the role we all play in creating safer campuses and communities. 

On November 25, 2021 - the beginning the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global initiative supported by the UN, wear your tee, post a selfie, and show your support. 

Learn more about 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. 

Remembering Farhad Mavaddat

This article was originally published on the Chertion School of Computer Science website.

We are saddened to announce that our colleague and friend Farhad Mavaddat, retired Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, passed away peacefully on November 3, 2021 at the age of 80. 

Professor Mavaddat was born on May 13, 1941 in Tehran. He received a BS in electrical engineering in 1963 from Tehran University, a Diploma of Graduate Studies in 1964 from Philips International Institute of Technological Studies in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and his DIC and PhD degrees in computing in 1968 from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London. 

While at Philips Institute, he was a member of a group of researchers who designed and built a prototype computer using pre-fabricated electronic circuit modules produced by a pre-IC technology developed at Philips.

From 1968 to 1979, he was an Assistant then Associate Professor at Aryamehr University of Technology in Tehran (now Sharif University of Technology), where he also served as chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department from 1975 to 1977. As a graduate of computer and engineering programs from Tehran University and Imperial College, he was one of the pioneers studying and teaching computer science in Iran.

Professor Mavaddat loved Iran, its people, and its culture. He had beautiful Persian handwriting, and cherished Persian poetry and music. After his studies, he returned to Iran and worked briefly at IBM in Tehran, before joining the faculty of the then-just-established Aryamehr University of Technology. He was instrumental in promoting and establishing computer science as a bona fide field of science, rather than an area of specialization in mathematics or electrical engineering, at Aryamehr and in Iran. 

While in Iran, Professor Mavaddat was a mentor to many junior faculty members starting their careers. Friendships with former colleagues and students that began there continued long after he left Iran despite the geographical distance. Friends remember him as an intellectual in every sense and a great academic. He cultivated fresh, free thinking in his students beyond textbooks and syllabus. A member of the Baháʼí faith, he is remembered for gracefully overcoming hardships and for treatment of his students as equals that was rare and refreshing.

Recognizing the political uncertainty in Iran, he and his wife Sima left in 1979 to provide their children a better future. They spent some time in Spain and Italy before settling in Canada. He joined the University of Waterloo as an Associate Professor in 1979 in what was then the Department of Computer Science. He was a Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science for more than three decades until his retirement in 2015.

Professor Mavaddat’s research interests spanned many areas of computer science from the design of large-scale information systems, software systems and hardware and software verification, to system specification and codesign. He also worked on component-based software design and software-reuse, and was particularly interested in models of software components and computation models used in software composition. Over his career he authored and co-authored more than 70 publications.

Professor Mavaddat mentored many students and colleagues in both Iran and Canada, some of whom have assumed research positions in industry and academic appointments in universities across the globe. He enjoyed long walks and was especially fond of coffee with his friends, students and colleagues.

Professor Mavaddat was predeceased by his beloved wife Sima Zand in 2011, his brother Farhang Mavaddat, and his sister Farideh Amirnejad. He is survived by his son Marc (Mehrdad), daughter Nicole (Mitra), and sister Furouz.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Professor Mavaddat’s family.

For reflections from Professor Mavaddat's colleagues, please visit the School of Computer Science website.

Wednesday's notes

The Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business invites you to attend their Work-in-Progress Seminar series. This series is an informal occasion for faculty to present their current multidisciplinary projects and research in a friendly atmosphere. All are welcome. The next seminar is taking place on Monday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m. and will feature Greg Smith's presentation, "Purple A-U-T-O-matic: Prince, Virtuosity, and the LM-1 Drum Computer,” which is an analysis of Prince’s use of the LM-1 Drum Computer 1981-4, reconsidering musical virtuosity through the lens of platform studies and interaction design. 

They're making a list and checking it twice: Parking Services' Gifts For Tickets 2021 campaign starts Monday, November 22. "Do you have a parking ticket outstanding with a fee of $25 or less?" asks Parking Services. "You can clear them with a $10 donation to one of our charities by providing proof of receipt. This year there are two ways to donate: We will still accept donations in kind like every year and we will also accept online monetary donations to select registered charities."

For detailed instructions on how this program works, visit https://uwaterloo.ca/parking/tickets. Each eligible ticket will require a $10 value donation. A receipt dated between November 22, 2021 and December 23, 2021 is required to validate donation and clear tickets.

The final entry in the Waterloo School of Architecture's Arriscraft Lecture Series, Praxes of Care, is set for November 25 at 6:00 p.m. Delineating nation state capital will feature presentations from Bonnie Devine, Artist and Associate Professor Emerita at OCAD University and Luis Jacob Visiting Professor, University of Toronto, followed by a discussion moderated by David Fortin, McEwen School of Architecture and Adrian Blackwell of the University of Waterloo.

This event is presented alongside the launch of Scapegoat: Architecture/Landscape/Political Economy 12 - c\a\n\a\d\a.

Register for this event.