Today is Giving Tuesday, the annual celebration of generosity, designated for organizations in the non-profit, education and charitable sectors to make a broad appeal to donors. And the Faculty of Mathematics is on board!
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This year, we are gearing up to meet a Giving Tuesday challenge. When our faculty reaches a total of 25 donors who make a gift, an extra $5,000 will be unlocked.
The donations to the Faculty of Mathematics this year will go toward the Mathematics Experiential Student Success Fund, which supports co-op students who are interested in entrepreneurship, innovation and social enterprise, rather than more-typical co-op work placements. This may include working for a non-profit, joining an early-stage startup or launching a new venture.
Join us today and help students realize their full potential through a unique co-op experience.
The Faculty of Math's special challenge donor is one of our graduates, Steven Woods (MMath ‘91, PhD ‘96). Woods is CTO and partner with the venture capital firm Inovia. He was a co-founder of Quack.com and is a former head engineer at Google Canada.
His PhD research at the University of Waterloo was with the Cheriton School of Computer Science, where he worked on software reverse engineering under the supervision of former-professor Qiang Yang.
“I have had a wonderful experience over the years as an employer of Waterloo’s exceptional co-op students, who bring so much value to their workplaces," Woods said. "The Faculty of Mathematics Experiential Student Success Fund will give students the opportunity to benefit from an even wider range of experiences, including working for start-ups and non-profits, and launching their own ventures.”
The Mathematics Experiential Student Success Fund is a strategic initiative of the Math Co-op Office and supported by the associate dean, Lori Case, as a means of bridging the gap that many undergraduates face when looking for co-op placements.
“As first work term and international students require higher levels of support, and a growing number of students aspire to make an impact through less traditional co-op jobs, we are redoubling our efforts to make their time in the co-op program as productive and enriching as possible,” said Case.
“We envision this fund as a prominent source of funding for math co-op students, one that will create infinite possibilities and blaze a trail for generations to come,” she continued.
Faculty members, staff and students are encouraged to participate in Giving Tuesday events. There are many ways to get involved, including making a donation, sharing information about Giving Tuesday with family and friends or simply by checking in throughout the day to see our progress.