Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Canada Day 2018 was a Sunday Funday

More than 55,000 people enjoyed the sunshine and sounds of Sloan and Fred Penner at the 34^th annual Canada Day Celebrations at Columbia Lake on Sunday, July 1.

It was an afternoon and evening filled with interactive family fun, delicious local foods, community and cultural performances, live entertainment featuring outstanding Canadian talent, and of course a spectacular fireworks display.

Stay tuned for a video recap of the festivities to be published in the Daily Bulletin later this week.

Terms of office begin for new Chancellor, Provost

As of the first of July, the University of Waterloo has a new Chancellor and a new Vice-President, Academic & Provost.

Dominic Barton was named the University of Waterloo's 11^th Chancellor in June and his three-year term began July 1. Barton recently ended his third three-year term as the global leader of McKinsey. In addition to leading McKinsey since 2008, Barton also chairs the Government of Canada’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth.

Elected by the University’s Senate to a three-year term, the chancellor presides over convocation ceremonies, conferring degrees, diplomas and certificates on graduating students. He also serves as a leading ambassador for the University. He official installation as Chancellor will take place during the fall 2018 Convocation ceremonies in October.

James Rush takes the reins as Vice-President, Academic & Provost, succeeding interim provost George Dixon for a five-year term ending June 30, 2023. Rush, who joined the University in 2000, most recently served as the dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and has held a number of other posts, including associate dean of graduate studies and research, associate chair of graduate studies, and chair of the Department of Kinesiology.

“In addition to his strong record of academic leadership and scholarship, Jim will bring vigour, vision, and a steady hand to the role of vice-president, academic & provost,” said President Feridun Hamdullahpur when Rush's appointment was announced in February. “Jim has been an exceptional colleague and dean and is well placed to continue to serve the Waterloo community."

Other academic and administrative appointees as of July 1 include:

• Daniel Brown begins an appointment as Acting Director, Computer Science in the Faculty of Mathematics until December 31, 2018;
• Rhona Hanning is re-appointed Associate Dean, Graduate Studies in Applied Health Sciences;
• Elizabeth Nilsen is appointed Interim Associate Dean, Graduate Studies in Arts; and
• Christina Vester is appointed as Interim Chair, Classical Studies, Faculty of Arts.

Ira Needles honoured at the Boardwalk

University Historian Ken McLaughlin speaks at the unveiling of Ira Needles' statue at the Boardwalk.

University of Waterloo founder Ira Needles has been permanently honoured with a statue hosted at The Boardwalk in Kitchener.

The statue was revealed at an installation ceremony on Thursday, June 21. Waterloo Professor Emeritus and historian Ken McLaughlin provided remarks about Needles and his historical contributions to the region. 

Vice-Dean of Engineering Richard Culham was also in attendance, alongside community leaders and family, including several grandchildren of Mr. Needles.

"Ira George Needles was an outstanding community leader who became the foremost spokesman in Canada for creating a new university in Waterloo that would include Co-operative learning as the basis for its engineering program," writes Ken McLaughlin. "In August 1956, Needles’ announcement of what he described as “The Waterloo Plan” challenged Ontario’s university system and against formidable opposition led to the creation of the University of Waterloo. Needles’ passion for experiential learning and his role as a Canadian and community business leader has re-shaped this community and the university landscape across Canada and was recognized with the installation of a statue of Ira Needles at the Boardwalk proximate to the exact spot where University Avenue and Ira Needles Boulevard intersect."

Recent issues of the WATTimes retiree newsletter cover Ira Needles' vision for Waterloo, including the Winter 2017 issue, which prints the text of the speech that started it all.

Notes as the heatwave continues

Whew, hot enough for you? The University of Waterloo Weather Station has reported that June 2018 was both hot and dry, with temperatures one degree above average for the month. The month, of course, went out on a warm note with 33.2° Celsius on Saturday, June 30, but the weather station notes that the hottest day of the month was actually on June 17, when the mercury reached 33.4°C. There were four days in June where the temperature exceeded 30 degrees. Check out the full June 2018 report on the UW Weather Station's blog.

Registration is open for the 5^th Annual UWSA Golf Social Tournament. The tournament is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 19 with a 3:30 p.m. shotgun start at the Foxwood Country Club.

The deadline to register is Friday, July 6.

Tickets for University of Waterloo Staff Association or University of Waterloo Retirees Association members will be $60.00 and guests will pay $65.00. Payments are accepted through Eventastic. The ticket price includes 9 holes of golf, a golf cart, dinner, prizes and loads of fun. The $10,000 Hole-in-One contest is sponsored by Johnson Insurance. Register today!

On June 25, the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, gave a video welcome to delegates at the start of a 3-day workshop for the IPRG project on “Bioengineering innovations for biotechnology and biomanufacturing” at the University, hosted by Professor Murray Moo-Young of Chemical Engineering and Professor Trevor Charles of Biology, under the auspices of the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering of the University of Chile and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research. VIP industry representatives included GE Healthcare, Sanofi, PnuVax and Lallelmand. The delegation from the University of Chile was led by Professor Juan Asenjo.