Current students

Friday, November 19, 2021

New funding provides Waterloo students the ability to power change through international experiences

by Namish Modi, Co-operative and Experiential Education Services

Students can now apply to ear-marked opportunities with scholarships attached, to help overcome the barriers they may face to participating in international work-integrated learning (iWIL) experiences.

The University of Waterloo’s new Powering Change program will offer 65+ transformational iWIL experiences in more than 20 non-traditional locations. From January 2022 to March 2025, the program will benefit students who are Indigenous, have accessibility needs, or face income barriers.

Friday, November 19, 2021

Waterloo alumni shine on the Deloitte 2021 Technology Fast 50 list

by Stephanie Longeway, University Relations

Compiled annually by Deloitte, the Technology Fast 50 features eight companies founded by University of Waterloo alumni, and 10 additional companies with a Waterloo connection. Recognizing the world-class achievements of Canadian technology companies, the Technology Fast 50 program winners showcase innovation, leadership and rapid revenue growth between 2017 and 2020. 

The University of Waterloo is pleased to join more than 40 other institutions of higher learning in becoming a signatory to the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. The virtual signing ceremony takes place on Thursday, November 18, 2021, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

Monday, November 15, 2021

School of Optometry and Vision Science ranked 5th in the world

by Elizabeth Kleisath, Faculty of Science

The University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science is amongst the top optometry schools in the world, according to one of the field’s top scientific journals.

These rankings were published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, naming Waterloo 5th overall, out of the 245 optometry schools in the world.

The listing also leaves Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science as #1 in Canada, and #3 of optometry schools in North America.

Often, when a person is diagnosed with dementia, available supports are not enough. Most people feel overwhelmed, and they don't get the support, resources and help they need. A new five-country collaboration has developed Forward with Dementia to fill in those gaps and provide the individuals and their families the tools they need to move forward with their lives.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

President Goel's Installation Address

by Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor

Thank you, Adel, Cindy, Jean and Karen. I appreciate the words of welcome from our Chancellor, the Lieutenant-Governor, Paul Davidson and Goldie Hyder.

To the university community and our partners, my colleagues, my friends and family, everyone here this evening and tuning in via livestream: thank you. It is an enormous privilege to be here with you today to be installed as the University of Waterloo’s 7th president and vice-chancellor.

Friday, November 5, 2021

Life lessons from the football field

by Beth Bohnert, Office of Advancement

Greg Somerville
Commitment. Teamwork. Talent.

As a member of Waterloo’s football team, Greg Somerville learned that those three components can make the winning difference — in sport, in business and in life.

After graduating from Waterloo’s history program, he used those lessons to launch what would become a highly successful career in the insurance industry, retiring as president and CEO of Aviva Canada in 2018.

Friday, October 29, 2021

The simple path to decarbonization

by Jeremy Pittman, on behalf of the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo

On October 27, the 2021 Hagey Lecture hosted Mark Jaccard, one of Canada’s foremost thinkers on climate change policy and economics. Jaccard delivered his talk to approximately 60 people attending in person at the University of Waterloo’s Theatre of the Arts and 200 people viewing online. Jaccard’s thought-provoking talk focused on four key challenges to decarbonization, two elements of a simple path forward, and four barriers to overcome in order to achieve the simple path.