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Provost issues statement on new tuition framework
Vice-President, Academic & Provost James Rush has circulated a memo to University faculty and staff that outlines the impact of the provincial government's new tuition framework, announced yesterday.
“The Government of Ontario announced that it will reduce the cost of domestic tuition for university students by 10 per cent for the 2019/2020 fiscal year and will freeze domestic tuition for 2020/2021,” the provost writes. “The announcement includes changes to OSAP and some ancillary fees.”
“It is too early to predict the total impact of the government’s announcement, but it is clear that this represents a significant reduction in our operating income in the coming years.”
“We have planned for a period of uncertainty and we will take time to assess and consult on the actions we need to take in the short, medium and longer term so we can continue to deliver on our mission at the highest quality standards possible under the circumstances we face.”
“In the meantime, I reiterate the prudence of restraint where possible in University spending throughout the remainder of the current budget year. Savings from the current year will help us all to buffer the reality of reduced revenues in the next fiscal year.”
“Our work to build the 2019/2020 budget will continue with the new reality of reduced tuition in mind. We expect to receive further updates and clarifications from the government in the coming weeks and I will provide, through regular channels, more specific direction on restrained spending and other updates for 2019/2020 as part of the budget planning process.”
“The excellence and resilience of this Institution is a reflection of the faculty and staff dedicated to our shared mission,” the provost’s memo concludes. “Thank you for your valued contributions to our University.”
Collaborative Water program kicks off with largest cohort to date
WATER 601 instructors, William Annable and Sarah Wolfe, open the first lecture for graduate students in the Collaborative Water Program.
This is an excerpt of an article that was originally published on the Water Institute's website.
On Friday, January 11, 2019, 67 graduate students from all six University of Waterloo faculties stepped into a classroom and began their journey in the Collaborative Water Program (CWP). This program is jointly offered by 11 University of Waterloo departments and schools, making it the most interdisciplinary graduate program focusing on water in Canada.
“We need people with deep disciplinary expertise to tackle our water problems, but we also need people who can work with specialists from other fields, and who can see the ways in which water problems cut across those disciplines,” said Rob de Loë, Water Institute member and professor in Waterloo’s School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, and director of the CWP. “That’s what the Collaborative Water Program offers Waterloo students – a truly interdisciplinary experience.”
Since the launch of the CWP in 2013-14, 255 graduate students have enrolled in the University of Waterloo’s most academically diverse graduate program. This year’s cohort is the largest ever, with students from a variety of disciplines including public health and health systems, geography and environmental management, applied mathematics, economics, and civil and environmental engineering.
“This is the first class I’ve been a part of at Waterloo where there are so many students from different academic disciplines in one lecture hall,” said current CWP student, Tyler Hampton, PhD student from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. “I’m looking forward to learning how to solve real-world water problems from my new peers who can bring different perspectives to these issues, while offering my expertise to those outside of my field.”
Students in WATER 602, getting hands-on experience in the Grand River Watershed.
Collaborative Water Program students complete their specialist training in their respective home departments or schools, while working with students from a variety of disciplines in two interdisciplinary courses: WATER 601, a classroom-based course, and WATER 602 which takes place in the Grand River Watershed. These courses capture both theoretical and practical components, including in-class lectures, field-work, interdisciplinary group work and individual research seminars.
Read the rest of the article and view more pictures on the Water Institute's website.
Library researcher survey now open
The University of Waterloo Library, in association with the Office of Research, is looking at how they can improve the services that support academic research.
"We want to hear from faculty, graduate and postdoc researchers to learn more about the research services you use, or would like to see at the University," says a Library news item. "An online survey will be available until January 30, 2019 and will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Participants have the option of being included in a draw for 1 of 5 $100 Indigo gift cards."
Researchers are invited to take the survey
Survey details:
- Participation is confidential and voluntary
- You may skip any question you do not wish to answer
- Survey results will include no identifiable information
Contest details:
- Odds of winning one of the prizes depends on the number of participants
- Information collected for the prize draw will not be linked to survey data in any way
- Any identifying information will be stored separately, then destroyed after the prizes have been provided
- Selected winners must accurately answer a skill-testing question to be declared the winner of the prize
For more information about privacy and contest rules, please read the Library's Survey Privacy Policy and Contest Rules.
For more information about the survey, please contact User Experience Specialist Emily Christofides.
Friday's notes
Feds Winter Welcome Week continues today with Clubs and Societies Day taking place in the Student Life Centre Great Hall from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Welcome Week wraps tomorrow with Cider & Sweets + Dear Future Me in the Student Life Centre from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Look for free hot apple cider to ward off the extreme cold, and the annual "Dear Future Me!" initiative, where students can fill out an inspirational message to themselves, which the Feds will then mail to them prior to final exams.
The BRIDGE Centre for Architecture + Design at the University of Waterloo and Cambridge Art Galleries are seeking proposals for a three-month series of community art, events, and conversations about our common waters in the historic centre of Cambridge.
The theme of “Common Waters” is about finding new ways and voices that open and spark diverse discussions on the future of community and our changing relationship with water. Common Waters is a platform to connect with each other and with our environment: from the origins, significance, and stories we tell about water, to the use, pollution, and degradation of it.
All students, faculty and staff are welcome to submit a proposal. For more details and to submit a proposal, visit www.common-waters.com. The deadline is Monday, February 4 at 5:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, contact bridge@waterlooarchitecture.com.