Dear faculty, staff and graduate students,
The University of Waterloo is one of the few, if not the only, Canadian academic institutions with the category of Professor, Teaching Stream, and we are updating guidelines to include this promotion process.
New appointments in both Tenure and Teaching Streams typically begin as probationary. At the time of consideration for promotion to Associate Professor, the Teaching Stream candidate would be considered for “permanence,” which is equivalent to “tenure” in the other stream. The ranks for Teaching Stream are Assistant, Associate and Professor, Teaching Stream.
In preparation for the 2026 Annual Performance Review (APR) cycle, the Faculty of Health approved an updated APR Guideline at our October Faculty Council that now includes terminologies consistent with the new Teaching Stream, in effect for review of performance during the 2025 calendar year.
In the meantime, the Faculty Relations Committee (FRC) and Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) are in the process of establishing guidelines for promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream, beyond the criteria described in Section 4: Timing and Criteria in Policy 77 (Tenure and Promotion of Faculty Members). When this is finalized, we will re-open our APR Guideline to include reference to this work in preparation for the first applications for promotion to Professor, Teaching Stream.
Also, the updated Policy 76 (Faculty Appointments) includes the concept of a “one-in-six” term (see 4B: Issues Particular to Teaching Stream). This refers to the entitlement of full-time faculty members in the Teaching Stream to at least one term out of six in which they are not assigned a course to teach. During this time, teaching stream faculty can develop leadership in teaching or teaching scholarship. The “Application for Earned Course Reduction to Pursue Education Leadership Project” has been finalized and will soon be available for use by Teaching Stream faculty members with permanent status. For more details, please consult the Policy 76/77 Frequently Asked Questions.
Best,
Lili Liu
News I Events I Did you know?
NEWS
Newly selected International Science Council experts
From thousands of applicants, Drs. Zahid Butt and Karla Boluk were selected to be experts on the International Science Council (ISC)'s Global Roster of Experts. The ISC is a non-governmental organization that advises on United Nations global policy work.
Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick named in Highly Cited Researchers
Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick is one of 12 University of Waterloo researchers who were named on the annual Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers™ 2024 list. These researchers rank in the top 1 per cent of citations globally. Kirkpatrick also recently placed in the ScholarGPS top 0.05 per cent of all nutrition scholars worldwide over the past five years.
High rankings for public health, hospitality and tourism
According to the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) Subject Rankings, the University of Waterloo ranked among the top five universities in Canada for public health, and number 1 in Canada and number 13 in the world for subjects related to hospitality and tourism management. The rankings evaluated 55 subject areas across 1,900 universities in 96 countries.
2024 SPHS Teaching and Mentorship Award recipients
Congratulations to Dr. Mark Oremus on receiving the 2024 School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS) Teaching Award for his exceptional commitment to students and excellence in teaching, and to Dr. John Mielke for the 2024 SPHS Mentorship Award. Mielke received nominations from multiple students who appreciated that he was always there when needed. Oremus' students described him as an instructor who goes above and beyond to ensure that each student grasps complex epidemiological concepts.
Funding spotlight: Dr. Lora Giangregorio
A team led by Dr. Lora Giangregorio has received a subgrant of $76,000 from the Canadian National Bone Health Research Network (OsNET), which is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded network of bone health researchers, clinicians, partners and patients. The funds will help lead a national consensus process on research priorities for bone disease.
Grad students participate in Sustainable Aeronautics summit
Three Health graduate students were featured in the 3-minute thesis competition at a recent Sustainable Aeronautics summit, hosted by the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA). Alexandra Blandford, Wasim Merchant and Mino Park presented their projects with support from supervisors Michael Barnett-Cowan and Clark Dickerson. Ewa Niechwiej-Swedo also co-chaired and participated in an expert panel titled Workforce Sustainability: Innovation and Emerging Technologies for Pilot Training.
United Way 2024 campaign recap
Thank you to all who supported the 2024 United Way campaign. The Faculty of Health book sale was a great success, selling nearly 150 books and raising almost $300. Thank you to all who donated books, and to those who shared the details and contributed to the sale. During the month of October, the University as a whole raised more than $215,000.
Fall Open House recap
More than 1,000 guests attended a Health program info session and more than 550 guests took a tour of the Faculty of Health spaces during Fall Open House this month. There was plenty of positive feedback from our guests. Thank you to the 100 students, staff and faculty volunteers that helped make this event happen and who were part of this success!
Call for Teaching Award nominations
If you have a Faculty of Health instructor who has inspired you, please consider nominating them for a Faculty of Health Teaching Award. Eligible instructors include full-time faculty or instructional staff, lecturers, clinical teachers and demonstrators. To fill out a nomination form and for details on criteria, please visit the Faculty of Health Teaching Award web page. The University of Waterloo is also accepting Distinguished Teacher Award nominations until December 31. Nominate your colleague or favourite instructor who has a record of excellent teaching for an extended period at Waterloo.
University budget town hall
In case you missed it, the University operating budget town hall that took place on November 18 is now posted on the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Provost website. The web page also includes a drop-down question-and-answer section to address some common concerns.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Stock the Bank: November 29
The last day to drop-off donations for the Stock the Bank food drive is November 29. Hosted by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), food donations help students facing food insecurity on campus. Drop off your items in the Dean's Office, the departments (KHS in BMH 3048, RLS in BMH 2nd floor lounge and SPHS in LHI 1728), and in the Toby Jenkins Applied Health Research Building next to CCCARE, in the second floor mail area. Please deliver monetary donations to Mustafa Ezzy at the Dean's Office reception, or contact Hanako Hellinga.
New Instructor Foundations Program: December 4 - 6
The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is offering a New Instructor Foundations Program for graduate and postdoctoral instructors from December 4 to 6, at an in-person location to be determined. For details, program schedule and registration information, please visit the CTE New Instructor Foundations Program webpage.
Kin Lab Days: December 4 - 6 and 9 - 13
The annual Kinesiology Lab Days is taking place December 4 to 6 and again from December 9 to 13 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. Expect a busy campus and give a warm welcome to the Ontario high school students who will be partaking in introductory labs relating to physiology, biology, neuroscience, human anatomy and more.
Katherine Marshall retirement celebration: December 4
A reminder that the by-invitation retirement celebration for Executive Officer Katherine Marshall will take place December 4 in the Expasion foyer at 4 p.m. Everyone is invited to add best wishes on Katherine's Kudoboard. Please contact Kirstie Slaney if you have any questions.
Integrated Accessibility Retreat: December 9
The Integrated Accessibility Retreat, offered by the CTE, is a one-day retreat held at MC 2036 for instructors to learn how to incorporate accessible education practices into their courses. The retreat is part of the Accessible Education Project within the Teaching Innovation Incubator. Coffee and lunch will be provided. Please note that the December 11 offering is now cancelled.
Getting started in LEARN: December 11 and 16
Getting started in LEARN is a workshop intended for instructors that will be using LEARN in the upcoming term. The workshop is offered by the CTE in-person on December 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. in MC 2036 and also online on December 16 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Getting started with peerScholar: December 12
The CTE is offering a two-hour in-person workshop, Getting started with peerScholar, for instructors who will be using peerScholar in the upcoming term. peerScholaris a peer review and group member evaluation tool that allows customization in how students review one another’s work. The workshop will be held in MC 2036 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on December 12.
Teaching Innovation Incubator Projects due: December 13
The Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) is seeking new project submissions. Selected projects will gain access to funding ($20,000 for project-specific expenses), project coordination support and a suite of resources. Submissions are due by December 13, end of day. For details, visit the TII 2025 Open Call for Teaching Innovation Incubator Projects.
Facilitator Development Workshop: December 16 - 20
The Facilitator Development Workshop, offered by the CTE, is open to all instructors who have completed the Instructional Skills Workshop. This workshop will be held December 16 to 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day at Conrad Grebel University College. It is an intensive 40-hour workshop that prepares participants to deliver the Instructional Skills Workshop to others. For details, visit the CTE Facilitator Development Workshop webpage.
DID YOU KNOW?
Fall issue of Health Hub is here
The fall issue of Health Hub, the Faculty’s online alumni magazine, has launched! The theme is Preventive Health Futures and features three stories of alumni who work to prevent diseases, injuries and mental health issues through education and research. It also announces the 2024 Alumni Award recipients in addition to class notes, upcoming events and connection opportunities. Feel free to share this issue with your friends and on your social channels.
You can still donate blood through the Faculty of Health
The Faculty of Health November blood drive resulted in six donations, most of which were students and first-time donors. Though the next blood drive will be in June next year, anyone can join the Faculty of Health team and donate at any time. To join the team, sign in or create an account at blood.ca or use the GiveBlood app. Select ‘partners’ from the menu, then ‘join an existing team.’ Search for: University of Waterloo – Faculty of Health. Thank you to all who have made a donation so far!
Shaw-Mannell lecture postponed
The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies' Shaw-Mannell Leisure Research Award Lecture has been postponed until the new year. The lecture titled Tourism is Drive: A Psychoanalytical, Philosophical and Mythical Exploration will feature award recipient Dr. Ana María Munar from the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. Stay tuned for details.
Open research in a changing geo-political landscape
For those who didn't attend, Waterloo's Office of Research, in collaboration with the UWaterloo Library, University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University and University of Ottawa, held a conference in October to discuss open access to research data and how researchers can balance open science with security. For a summary of the topics and ideas covered, check out the overview, published on the Office of Research website.
Do you have a news item to share? Please email it to Eugenia Xenos Anderson.