Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Waterloo prepares to welcome students back to campus

This is the latest post from President Feridun Hamdullahpur's blog.

The Fall is one of my favourite times to be on campus.

We all enjoy a fresh start.

The season is marked by the enthusiasm of new students, as well as renewed comradery for those returning and refreshed commitment from faculty and staff.

In September we understand why we all chose Waterloo. This is Canada’s most innovative university. Our institution is built on three strategic pillars: experiential education, transformational research and entrepreneurship.

As we strive for academic excellence, across all six Faculties, these three pillars differentiate Waterloo in offering students unique experiences and opportunities.

Our university has a real impact, both locally and globally. That impact is the result of our commitment to being international, innovative and interdisciplinary:

Waterloo has an international approach to research and education. We recruit students and faculty from around the world with international partners — in business, education and government. This is making our university an agent of technological and social change on a global scale. 

We define innovation as tackling tough challenges, applying original ways of thinking and developing new approaches. We look at big questions and come up with disruptive innovations as solutions. As well, solid interaction between UWaterloo and the business community in Waterloo Region provides a robust ecosystem for innovative start-ups.

Interdisciplinarity works at the intersection of arts, science and technology to unlock the creativity of the entire university. We believe that all six faculties have contributions to make in developing disruptive solutions.

Over the course of the next term, I hope you will find ways to take advantage of our innovative, international and interdiciplinary University. Whether you learn more about one of the many international cultures represented on campus, collaborate with some innovative thinkers or leverage our interdisciplinarity to gain a new perspective, the Fall is a time to take on fresh challenges.

Government announces plan to create 10,000 paid work terms

Surrounded by co-op students, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour makes a funding announcement at Synaptive Medical during an event hosted by BioTalent Canada.

By Kari Pasick Stewart

Yesterday, the Government of Canada officially announced its plan to create 60,000 student work terms over the next five years. Part of that includes a $73-million investment in the Student Work-Integrated Learning Program (SWILP) to create 10,000 paid work terms over the next four years. The announcement was made at Synaptive Medical (a proud Waterloo employer) during an event hosted by BioTalent Canada – one of the organizations administering SWILP funding.

There are five confirmed partners for the SWILP program; these partners will distribute the SWILP funding:

• BioTalent Canada will distribute approximately $5.6 million in funding, and it’s expected that over 1,000 paid work terms will be made through the partnership for STEM students in the bio-economy sector.
• Eco Canada will distribute funding to support the creation of work terms for students in the environmental sector. 
• Aerospace & Aviation Canada, Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) and Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) are also confirmed SWILP partners, but details of their funding programs have not been released yet

“Giving students the opportunity to get hands-on experience while finishing their studies will strengthen Canada’s bio-economy by bridging the gap between industry and academia.”

- Rob Henderson, President and CEO, BioTalent Canada.

This announcement creates a lucrative opportunity for eligible employers to hire co-op students over the next four years. Employers who have already hired for the fall 2017 term may be eligible for retroactive funding via BioTalent and Eco Canada. Employers based in Ontario can also receive the Ontario co-op tax credit in addition to SWILP funding.

More information about the SWILP program including application details, deadlines, and eligibility can be found on the UWaterloo Hire website.

Congratulating new retirees

Human Resources has announced the following recent employee retirements:

Effective July 1, 2017:

• Ginny Dybenko, who joined the University in October 2011, retires as Senior Advisor - Stratford Programs.

Effective August 1, 2017:

• Betty Slowinski, who started at Waterloo in May 2007 and retires as Research Financial Co-ordinator in Electrical and Computer Engineering;
• Sandra Hayes, who joined the University in June 1978, retires as HR Partner in Human Resources;
• Luiza Coelho, who began working at Waterloo in March 2003, retires as Custodian I in Plant Operations;
• Fred Widall, who started at the University in January 1980, retires as Information Systems Specialist in IST;
• Wolfgang Rautenberg, who joined Waterloo in July 1991, retires as Stationary Engineer in Plant Operations;
• Ingrid Schugardt, who started at the University in July 1970, retires as Interuniversity Resources – Athletics and Recreation; and
• Frances Westley, who began working at Waterloo in July 1970, retires as Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development