Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Keystone Spotlight: James Skidmore

by Natasha Jennings

James Skidmore (Skid) is the type of person who welcomes any opportunity to get involved, give back, and make a tangible difference in all that he does.

These values were instilled in him early on. Encouraged by his parents, James was taught that volunteering and actively participating in the community was the norm — it was just what you did. His term as Faculty Co-Chair for the Keystone Campaign was no different. Skid embraced the role from day one, working closely with other campaign members to explore the culture of giving on campus (among faculty), and raise awareness of the value of contributing.

“It’s important for faculty to support the campus outside of an academic setting,” says Skidmore. “One worthwhile way of doing so is by donating to the Keystone Campaign.” Such contributions help the University achieve its aims and goals, and provide a way for donors to “stand up for the University, helping to ensure it’s as good as it can be.”

When Skid took on the role of Faculty Co-Chair three years ago, he didn’t expect many to notice. But his colleagues did, and when they mentioned that they saw his name on this communication or that event poster, it gave him the opportunity to open a dialogue and encourage them to “think less about what the University can do for you, and more about what you can do for the University.”

Challenging common thought and skepticism around giving is just that — a challenge. But perhaps what any of us not yet supporting the University’s Keystone Campaign can do is challenge ourselves to get involved. Skid advises starting small and “making it a habit. Even $10 a month. Donating provides a way for us to connect with the institution, or a faculty or unit. It’s the first step towards a lifetime of involvement with the institution.”

To Skid, the Keystone Campaign is about more than just asking for money: it’s about providing fun activities and events and celebrating being here together, as employees of the University. When asked for his fondest memory as Faculty Co-Chair, he cited working with the staff in the Office of Advancement and getting to know more about “advancement” in general. But what impressed him the most, not having realized it before actively getting involved with Keystone, was the number of volunteers and the significant role they play behind the scenes.

“Volunteers keep Keystone present for us,” says Skidmore. “Events take effort, so it’s good to lend a hand and support these worthy causes.” Skid will be doing just that with the upcoming Treat-a-Gram event, for which he uses a spreadsheet to track and organize the goodies he anonymously sends out across campus. His favourite treat to send (and receive)? Cake pops.

Having passed the baton to his Faculty Co-Chair successor, Sheila Ager, whom he describes as smart, dedicated, and knowledgeable of the campus and its community, Skid would like to extend “big thanks to the staff of Keystone, who have always been extremely supportive and willing to listen to my crazy ideas, as well as the other co-chairs, whom I appreciate and enjoyed working with.”

For more information on supporting the Keystone Campaign, please visit Keystone's web page.

Waterloo, Conestoga explore biology, biotech transfer agreements

The University of Waterloo and Conestoga College have developed a pair of articulation agreements that will encourage educational mobility and transfer of students in specialized programs between the two institutions.

These agreements received Senate’s approval at its Monday night meeting.

The University’s Faculty of Science and Conestoga College’s School of Health & Life Sciences and Community Services have inked agreements outlining how students will have an “articulated transfer pathway” between the Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology and Honours Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences programs at Waterloo and the Biotechnology Technician Diploma (Fast-track) and Biotechnology Technician Diploma (2-Year) programs at Conestoga.

The agreements provide opportunities for Waterloo students to gain practical applied skills to complement their university studies, while enhancing the classroom “mix” in Conestoga’s program. Waterloo students will graduate with their Waterloo Science degree and the Conestoga diploma.

“After four academic terms at Waterloo, students will go to Conestoga for two terms,” explained Mario Coniglio, associate vice-president, academic. “Conestoga students, after two years, would come here to Waterloo to finish their degrees.”

Both agreements set out academic progressions for Waterloo regular and co-op stream students. Admission will be competitive.

The degree and diploma would be presented at Waterloo’s convocation ceremony after all requirements of both the student’s Waterloo program and Conestoga diploma are completed.

These agreements, which outline the admission, progression and transfer credit requirements between the two institutions, view Waterloo and Conestoga as co-operating, equal partners, and upon signing, would be in effect until June 30, 2018, with the potential for further extension upon mutual agreement.

(Update to readers: the articulation agreements referenced in this article still require approval from the academic partners listed, and the implementation date is still to-be-determined.)

Alumni now have access to more than 6,000 e-journals - off campus!

The Library is very pleased to announce that University of Waterloo alumni now have access to a variety of electronic resources from off campus. Previously, alumni had to visit campus to access electronic resources, such as databases, e-journals, and e-books. Thanks to changes to vendor agreements, alumni can now remotely access many electronic resources on or off campus. To access these resources, alumni will need an active Alumni Watcard, registered with the Library, and Internet access.

Alumni now have access to the following 32 full-text databases and five e-journal collections containing:

• 6,159 e-journals
• 15,340 e-books
• 3,402 plays
• 1,000 scripts
• 500 hours of filmed theatre
• 766,000 tracks of classical music
• 600,000 plus pages of classical music scores
• 850,000 plus pages of historical material
• 400 colour images of paintings, maps, and drawings
• two reference e-books

For more information about alumni borrowing and access to electronic resources, visit the Alumni and community members page.

If you have questions about alumni access or any other library service or resource, just Ask us.