Occasional updates, comments, and reflections from President Feridun Hamdullahpur
When I signed the Okanagan Charter this past October, our University took a significant step forward in our journey to embrace the lens of wellness in all that we do. From the decisions we make about our policies, buildings, programs and initiatives, wellness – particularly mental health wellness – will be a key factor in how we make the choices that will shape our campus.
I was excited to see the recent launch of the Wellness Collaborative which the result of the signing of the Okanagan Charter and the signing of the Health Workplace Statement. The Wellness Collaborative takes the commitment found in these two documents and turns it into action by bringing our community together to share ideas, perspectives and experiences on an ongoing basis.
Canada has a problem.
We play an outsized role in the world as drivers of artificial intelligence knowledge and advancement, but we aren’t seeing it pay off on the global stage–not in the headlines, and not yet in the marketplace. Even as Canada cements its role as the big thinkers behind one of the world’s most dynamic and disruptive technologies, companies are having a difficult time capitalizing on that advantage.
There is no time at the University of Waterloo like convocation. I have had the honour of joining the celebrations of many thousands of students during my time as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo and it truly never gets old.
Canada and the world are in need of talented individuals prepared to hit the ground running and who can enable our future prosperity. They will be the catalyst for positive change, strengthened by their adaptability. At the heart of developing that talent will be experiential education.
I am pleased to share some preliminary work on the core elements of our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan: the Mission, Vision and Values. These elements have been developed with your valuable input from extensive consultations in fall 2018. They reflect the feedback we heard and are being shared with University leadership for input.
It has now been a year since the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health submitted their comprehensive final report and list of 36 recommendations to be implemented and I can assure our community that progress will continue to be made.
The Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) was tasked with implementing the recommendations through deep collaboration with on-campus and community stakeholders, and through their hard work a total of 72 per cent of the report’s recommendations are either in progress or have been completed.
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
I wanted to reiterate our commitment to the University of Waterloo’s efforts to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action. This is an important national issue in which the University of Waterloo must play an integral role by bringing new initiatives and by making meaningful changes on our campus to eliminate obstacles faced by, and amplify the perspectives of, our Indigenous students, faculty and staff.
We heard passion and hope at the annual International Women’s Day Dinner last week. From our exceptional keynote speaker and Canada 150 Research Chair, Anita Layton, to our HeForShe Anthology writers and the group of dedicated community members, there were messages of hope and action. Hope and action to stand up to the challenges and setbacks that continue to plague our society and limit the potential of so many people.
The development of the University’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan continues and I am pleased to share the progress we’ve made following the completion of the consultation phase in the fall.
Velocity will continue to be a leader and catalyst for entrepreneurship by redefining it. This is how.
An engrained entrepreneurial spirit has been part of the University of Waterloo since our institution’s inception. It has inspired many of our students to strike out on their own and create ventures that have changed the face of industries and how we live our lives. This legacy took a significant leap in 2008 with the creation of the Velocity Residence program in the Minota Hagey Residence building. This was only the first step in Velocity’s journey.
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