“We have a unique opportunity for universities and businesses to work together to ensure we are equipping talent to find innovative solutions that will reshape our local and global economies,” said the University of Waterloo’s President, Vivek Goel, in his opening address at the Waterloo Innovation Summit on April 14.
Megan Logan was excited when she secured a co-op work term with the United Way Waterloo Region Communities — a region she now calls home.
The second-year Arts and Business student from Burlington wanted to find a first co-op work term where she could get to know the area she lives and studies in and feel like she was doing work that mattered. She found that opportunity through the University of Waterloo’s Co-op for Community program.
If you are looking for a map to lasting social change, the renowned expert Frances Westley can tell you that there is no direct route.
Instead, it will be a long and winding road with many criss-crossing paths, and you are not likely to be successful if you are trying to travel it alone, says Westley, the J.W. McConnell Chair in Social Innovation at the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience.
“An individual or group of individuals with insight are necessary, but they're not sufficient. You're going to need a lot of other actors along the way,” she says.
The University of Waterloo ranked in 29 of 51 featured subject areas in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, released on April 6. In the report, QS evaluated and ranked approximately 1,543 universities in 51 disciplines, grouped into five broad subject areas. Indicators for the subject rankings were drawn from a peer review survey, employer survey and citations data.
After graduating from Waterloo, Bilal Akhtar (BSE ’19) saw a bright future ahead. Not only had he landed a dream job at Cockroach Labs, a database company where he interned during his undergraduate degree, but he also led the company’s expansion to create a Toronto-based office.
The University of Waterloo brings together bold ideas and brilliant minds, landing it as the top university in the country for founders. As the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Waterloo continues to grow, creators and change-makers need a simple way to navigate the many resources and programs.
The University of Waterloo has a long history of supporting corporate innovation through talent and partnerships, like the Rogers 5G partnership, and through support systems such as the Velocity incubator.
While 74 per cent of Velocity startups have one or more founders that studied or worked at the University of Waterloo, Velocity also attracts global startups. In 2021, the incubator, which can accommodate up to 20 new companies per year, received more than 200 qualified applications.
Against a backdrop of complex global challenges, it can feel like our small, daily actions don’t hold much power. But University of Waterloo retiree Rose Vogt (BES ’84) is proof that every little bit counts.
For the long-time staff member, donor and alumnus, the practice of giving a little bit each month has grown into an impressive legacy that spans three decades — and counting.
The pandemic has forced employers and employees alike to rethink the world of work. Whether the rapid shift to remote work to challenges recruiting top talent, evolving workplace expectations to critical calls for diversity, equity and inclusion – employers and employees are embracing new concepts and approaches.
Receiving financial support can make a big difference to students who are finding it hard to make ends meet.
Over the years, Husky TechnologiesTM (formerly known as Husky Injection Molding Systems) has helped Waterloo Engineering undergraduates experiencing financial difficulty through its Student Opportunity Fund.