Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs is pleased to welcome two Assistant Vice-Presidents Dr. Clarence Woudsma from the School of Planning began his two-year tenure on June 1; Dr. Justin Wan from the Cheriton School of Computer Science will begin his two-year tenure on September 1. The two roles are replacing the outgoing Assistant Vice-Presidents: Dr. Shawn Wettig, who joined GSPA on February 1, 2021, and ended his term in winter 2023, along with Dr. Liz Nilsen, who began her role in July 2020 and will be ending her term June 30, 2023.
About Dr. Clarence Woudsma
Clarence is an Associate Professor in the School of Planning and is a Registered Professional Planner with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. He has been a faculty member at the University of Waterloo since 2004. Prior to joining Waterloo, he was a faculty member at the University of Calgary where his first administrative role was as Associate Chair, Graduate Studies. Within the School of Planning, he has held various administrative roles including Director (Chair) from 2008 to 2020. At the University and faculty levels, he has contributed to a range of initiatives including a number of student-centered efforts around teaching innovation. As Director, he led the introduction of new graduate degrees and the significant revision of all graduate degrees in the face of evolving accreditation standards. The comprehensive integration of grad students in all facets of the academic and professional community has been a central theme of his work at the University.
About Dr. Justin Wan
Justin is a Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. He has been a faculty member at the University of Waterloo since 2001. From 2010-2015, Justin was Director of the Centre for Computational Mathematics in Industry and Commerce. From 2015-2018, he served as Associate Director of the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. Justin also led a cross-unit committee to develop a new Master of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (MDSAI) program. Most recently, he was the Director of Graduate Studies in Computer Science, where he led the graduate office team during the turbulent pandemic times, ensuring that graduate students and their needs were at the forefront of the work of the team. During his most recent directorship tenure, Justin worked to support the financial needs of grad students and created opportunities for efficiencies for staff & faculty within the faculty.
The Assistant VP (GSPA) is part of the senior leadership team that supports excellence in graduate education, thriving communities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and related initiatives that align with the University’s Strategic Plan and the vision for graduate studies. The activities of the Assistant Vice President are varied but fall within broader GSPA goals, including: enhancing the experience of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, strengthening relationships and providing leadership to academic partners, facilitating graduate experiential learning and interdisciplinary activities, cultivating a strong and diverse graduate community, ensure proficiency within internal graduate processes
A number of Assistant Vice-President activities support the ongoing processes within GSPA, such as adjudicating graduate awards and scholarships, coordinating (and providing consultation on) the graduate student petition process, providing of academic oversight to admissions, and identifying ways to streamline or innovate current procedures.
Both Clarence and Justin will work alongside Jeff Casello, Associate Vice-President, GSPA, and Marianne Simm, Director, GSPA, to provide academic leadership and oversight on graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs at the University of Waterloo.