Occasional updates, comments, and reflections from President Feridun Hamdullahpur
Canada is slowly reopening. The past five months have put enormous pressure on our institutions structurally and financially. We now need to figure out two things: what has changed in the short-term due to COVID-19 and what has changed forever.
In June I announced my intention to form a new task force to tackle racism at the University.
I am deeply committed to making sure that we make lasting changes to address racism as an institution. This must include anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, and other issues of racism that we see too frequently on our campuses and in our society.
Dear University of Waterloo Community,
Many of us have watched the news over the past week of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the rise in protests across the world. I know some in our University community may have participated in protests to stand in solidarity against racism, violence and oppression.
I stand with you. I stand with your frustration. I stand with your anger. I stand with your sadness. And, I stand with your call for action.
Canada is a diverse country, but still racism, oppression and intolerance happen here, too often.
I know it has been said repeatedly over the past several weeks but there is no doubt that the University of Waterloo has undergone a great deal of change in a short amount of time. We are collectively navigating uncharted territory for any post-secondary institution. Decisions are being made quickly as situations arise and as we react to an ever-evolving environment dominated by the need for public safety.
I know I am not alone in saying this, but the last month has been a trying one. COVID-19 has challenged everyone in the University of Waterloo community, and around the world, to levels that have never been encountered before. What I have also seen is a community that has pushed forward every step of the way.
The final three weeks and exam period of this Winter Term have been transformed out of necessity for greater needs of public health and safety. The health and wellness of our students, faculty, staff and broader community will always remain our number one priority. At the same time, we have a dedication to keeping the quality of our academic experience strong and moving.
For the last few weeks we have mobilized our skills, time and resources to slow the spread of coronavirus. We've done this as each of us has also adjusted to new work and study environments at home or at a distance.
Waterloo remains committed to maintaining and fostering a thriving community
After careful consideration, aided through guidance from all levels of government, Public Health and our peer institutions from across Canada, I announced that the University of Waterloo has suspended on-campus courses until March 23. All in-person course activity is cancelled until the end of term, including in-person final exams, due to the continuing challenges COVID-19 has created.
There are few experiences as exciting as watching a pitch competition at the University of Waterloo. The student-entrepreneurs are full of passion, focus and expertise that they are utilizing to create truly unique and groundbreaking ventures. It is quite inspiring, but it’s only the tip of the entrepreneurial iceberg at Waterloo.
The ventures that have come out of the hard work of thousands of Waterloo students and graduates continue to disrupt industries and make significant contributions to our local, regional and national economies. In the third and final part of my Economic Impact Series, I am going to explore the wide-ranging and ongoing contributions of Waterloo’s entrepreneurship programs and talented entrepreneurs.
Change happens all around us on a daily basis. I see change in the discoveries made here on campus. I see it in the young and talented minds who come here to learn and live every day. Today our community marks something that goes beyond those subtle, everyday changes, but recognizes a movement that lasts generations. Today we celebrate International Women’s Day.
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