Occasional updates, comments, and reflections from President Feridun Hamdullahpur
This column also appears in Times Higher Education.
New ideas and technologies are disrupting the way the world as we know it operates.
Technological innovations that power strides in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and autonomous vehicles are affecting the economies, lifestyles and demographics of the future. If we are to meet the challenges and opportunities these technologies present, we’re going to have to change with them.
This column also appears on the Insight page of today’s Waterloo Region Record.
Millions of Canadians, including celebrities, sports teams, governments and universities, made it a point to show their support for people struggling with mental health challenges at the end of January.
Hitting the retweet button is an easy way for any of us to show our support for mental health wellness. It is a lot harder when we're asked to do more than click a button.
The University of Waterloo has constantly evolved over the course of its history, yet at the heart of that evolution has been a set of non-negotiable principles that have deep roots in our academic culture. Top of which is academic freedom.
On Monday, March 5, our campus lost a student to suicide. In the hours that followed this tragic event, our campus expressed shock, anger and grief at the loss of another young life.
Words cannot express my sadness upon hearing this news. Like many of you, I am asking what was going on in this young man’s world where taking his life seemed the only way out. I am thinking about his parents, his family, and his friends and the terrible impact this will have on their lives.
I am excited to celebrate International Women’s Day with our annual dinner this evening honouring our community of women, and those who identify as women. It is a joy to see the energy and drive in the room as we remember those women who have fought, and those who continue to fight today, for women’s rights and equity.
