2017 President’s Town Hall

What will be the time period and process for the next Strategic Plan and will it take into account the fact that we also have a Campus Master Plan, will it take into account and update that as well?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

Our current strategic plan is five a year plan and next year is the last year of this plan. When we embarked upon the current strategic plan, planning exercise, I wanted to make it very clear, first to myself and then the everybody else, that we didn't want to create a document that we will say, well, here there is a checkmark, we have a strategic plan, put it on the shelve and move on.  I wanted it to be a living document. I wanted it to be a really guiding document.  I wanted it to be a document that will enable us not just to see the future a little bit better and make sure that we are heading in the right direction. But also put proper resources in place and put a huge accountability framework so that we will be able to come back to our participants who took huge ownership of the plan, that we are implementing what we said that we would, and we are making progress.

The same thing applies for the next strategic plan. We want to take a little bit of time in between the two, nothing is going to happen in between the two periods, but our next strategic plan is going to start in 2020 for another five-year period. During that time we want as much participation, as much learning, and as much strategic thinking go into this plan.  And make it, again, a full campus plan that everybody who cares about this institution, our students, staff, faculty, alumni, everybody, will have participated in the exercise. 

So in between our current plan, of course, so many things that some of them will progress into the next one, we will use the current plan as the intermediary one, but the excitement for the next one is, it will enable us to have many conversations like this and input. Campus master plan is also important. Talk about our brilliant faculty, brilliant staff, brilliant students, we need brilliant facilities to make sure that our campus is an environmentally responsible campus, however, it is a really dynamic, pleasant, progressive campus. And that requires planning. The master plan will have to respond to the aspirations and needs of the strategic plan. Normally, master plans at any university, they are reviewed every, hold onto your seats, 20 years. Okay?

We are making sure that our master plan is a lot more dynamic and as we make progress in our strategic planning thinking we will be look at our master plan as well.

I take from your presentation that it is your view that the University of Waterloo should aspire to be a leader in research. On the cutting edge of research that is recognized worldwide. And similarly that the teaching that we do be at the leading edge. So, I pose to you a concern and it has to do with faculty and faculty workloads.

I think it's very possible that to be on the leading edge in research these days is a full‑time job. One could also propose that being on the leading edge of teaching these days is a full‑time job in part because of the technology that we have and also because of the expectations of students. They want to engage with faculty more than they ever have before.

And so, we're in a bit of a conundrum, and I wonder if it would be appropriate for the university to consider differential workloads to faculty to a greater extent than so far. As a professor you have to professor that means you have to teach, but the notion of having equal teaching loads and equal research loads across the system, I don't, I wonder if that's sustainable going forward giving our aspirations and given your aspirations?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

Very appropriate question, of course. You took my words that I was going to use, the combination of two makes us professors. This is our life. We do both. All I'm saying is can we provide an environment and proper resources and support that we could excel in both. Because what I don't foresee us going forward with here is the research silo here and the teaching and learning silo, and they operate, they exist in their own spheres. I want them to come together.

Every single student here, while they are going through presence, they must feel the presence of immense research and scholarship at the institution, integrated and combined with their education. I want research to be informed by presence with our students. Can it be done? In my opinion can be done. But I also understand the challenges moving forward. The way we can do this is how we provide the proper support and resources right from day one for a faculty members as to how we can become a lot more comfortable, confident, in our presence with, interacting with students either in the classroom or outside of the classroom.

This is part of, again, a big question that we will talk about at the same time you will continue, you will excel in your scholarship and research and you won't think you are doing two separate things. In terms of time commitments I think we, are again, every single person in a research‑intensive university faces that question. There will be variations of those. I can't tell you exactly what it will be, but this will constitute part of our future conversations. But I will make it abundantly clear, that we will not compromise on our research intensity, this is essential, but at the same time, this university will continue and increase its focus on teaching and learning and its focus on our students both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

In 2015 I completed my master's thesis on the impact of standard assets, the carbon budget and divergement on the fossil fuel spectrum. We conducted a lot of research on the topic. It seems like there's a clear indication that investing in fossil fuels is a bad financial case.

I know the university put together a task force about two years ago, but little has been publicized since then. And what I want to ask, particularly, is how my research can be used by the university.

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

Thank you.

You're correct. There's a task force and this task force has been working diligently. Sometimes I feel that it's a little slow. Not purposely, because we want to make sure that the consultation process is intact, and we are consulting with the stakeholders. And then sometimes the progress is pretty good. I'm hoping that we will accelerate our next stage. There were two rounds of consultations and we will have more, and then the board will review recommendations. The third one, we will be sure to incorporate your research and your studies into that. Thank you for offering it.

Could you please speak to the university's vision around on‑line education?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

Online education ‑‑ a few years back when courses and all of the others were flying around and the whole world was saying we won't need buildings anymore, everybody can get their education online.  We said, not really, but at the same time, we didn't say that we're denying the huge importance and impact of the online component of education. So we will see online, sometimes there are certain programs that it makes sense to offer fully online. There are programs that it doesn't make any sense at all, but it could be an integral and important part of this. We're moving forward as our center is moving, participating more online offerings. I believe we have some numbers that we could be very proud of in terms of how many on‑line courses or course offerings we, we have.  Can you share those numbers? 

Aldo Caputo, Director, Centre for Extended Learning

Thank you, Feridun. Yes. We have 400 courses in our catalog and usually in a given year there are about 500 offerings of those online courses. To the specific question about online learning, I would say that I think there was a recent article that came out that suggested that online learning plays a big factor in student success. So the flexibility that our students demand is in part accomplished by the availability of online courses. Having a certain mix of online courses and on‑campus courses certainly contributes to that student success that you were talking about earlier, Feridun.

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

I can assure you that we're going to increase the number. We don't want to just offer courses, just do it online. It takes a lot of time, effort and resources to build those and we will do it properly and responsibly.

My view I'm sharing with my colleagues moving forward incorporates a lot of technological online resources, but doesn't eliminate the physical presence in the classrooms. Flip classrooms and some other learning innovations. Something that we will be following very closely and hopefully, implementing thanks to our ability to offer a lot of courses online.

The University of Waterloo has been named Canada's most innovative university for 26 years, how do we ensure that all faculties and University’s academic support fully embrace change and contribute to the university's legacy as the most innovative university today and in the future?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

For me, change is a natural process here. We understand very clearly, especially at the University of Waterloo, that we can't just sit still, we cannot just sit back and say, can't you see this great picture?  Let's enjoy it. No. We are not complacent. We do not enjoy the status quo. So change is a natural process here.

But at the same time, in certain areas it requires a little culture change and how we see things. For example, going back to the question, how do we gradually build on our brilliant, beautiful culture here at the University of Waterloo, a new version of it or a different one that is informed by our existing culture that will enable us to implement change? So I think we have everything, we have brilliant minds here. And I really don't want to use this as a cliché expression, we do have brilliant minds here from our faculty, our staff members, our students. So if change is not happening here, it will not happen anywhere in the world.

So this is something that we'll embrace. Our challenge is can we be the leader? Can we be a leader in bringing these changes forward and implementing them? That is the question.  How fast can we get there in a really mature, sustainable way? So this is what I see as a challenge. But change is happening here. Close your eyes and think back five years and you will see a lot of things happening. How do we accelerate this change in a meaningful way.

You mentioned at the beginning with your speech, there have been changes coming with more expansion, and study space, that sort of thing. Do you have details yet about the Arts in terms of more space, more expansion, for example, the Modern Languages building, is aging?  Anything there yet that has been decided?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

I don't think I can give you specific initiative evidence. But I'm asked this question, how is the Faculty of Arts fitting into future plans of this university? This university is not moving forward an inch without absolutely the best and the strongest Arts Faculty. It is part of our existence. It cannot see an excellent Faculty of Arts together without the other five excellent Faculties. So this is a very unambiguous statement from me and the university.

However, moving forward, as we're entering into our strategic planning, every single Faculty is entering into their strategic planning process in tandem with the university.  We will be seeing a lot of these kinds of things from each faculty as to how they see themselves moving forward and how the university can embrace all of them and make sure that the university is moving forward as a whole. Arts is an integral and essential part of the process.

I'm Michael Hertz, past president of the Staff Association. Thank you, Feridun for the talk. I'm glad i Came today. In my dealings in the staff association in many years I had to deal with many people's mental health issues, a lot of them very tough. You know, you talked about student mental health issuesoin your talk, I'm glad the university is placing a focus on that, especially because two of my own children are here. But I see issues for employees and I've seen a lot of areas where we can do a lot better. If there is a focus that our university could have striving for excellence, I think that is one of the areas. Because employees’ mental health, I think is up there, everything else you're asking for and looking for will follow. Could you talk about what the university is doing for employee's mental health?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

Employee mental health is, again, a very critical issue to us.

I have been meeting with a different groups, faculty, staff, students, and I meet with small groups of maximum eight people. But I call them roundtables to hear from them about anything that I should know. Anything that they want to ask me directly. But what are the things I need to learn from them directly through those interactions.

I hear about this. I hear however, with a sense that there is something, they're not alone. Whether they are students or staff members, there is first of all, recognition of mental health challenges that anybody can encounter. And how does the university, first, acknowledge that, and second, how do we provide the proper support system either through counseling and other services, then use that, we can try to properly address that.

We can then put in place certain mechanism that are available to our staff members 24/7, for example, should there be a need of support for mental health and other challenges and we will continuously monitor and see what kind of affect this is having. All I can tell you right now, without getting into too many details, is that we do recognize it and don't see us moving forward without properly and adequately trying to address the issues. Marilyn, anything you want to add?

Marilyn Thompson, Associate Provost, Human Resources

We completed the first year in an assistance program. So we're looking that one year report and seeing what we can do to enhance the services provided there. I want to put a plug in for the staff association.  Any staff member, any faculty member that has a suggestion on how we might be able to put mechanisms in place for a healthy workplace, go to the staff association website. We're always looking for proposals from staff, so we can be able to put the right supports in the right places that our staff and faculty believe that we need to, for their workplace.

What are the steps the university will take to become a leader in sustainable urban design and active transportation planning?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

As we go through our various aspects of campus master plan and revising it at the same time, these are part of those considerations.

Right now, we are dealing with at least a couple of really important, but sensitive, issues in terms of transportation.  My first and foremost concern there is safety of our students on our campus. While we have practical and appropriate transportation mechanisms on our campus, we are going through various conversations and I hope that in the end we will reach a position that will address all of our concerns. At the same time, making sure that whatever we have is, is quite compliant with our environmental concerns. But at the same time, providing adequate transportation to our campus and community members.

I'm curious if you can kind of give me a sense of maybe on a scale of one to 10, or whatever works for you, sort of who we're looking to what a 10 looks like. What is good in our minds in terms of data management, and sort of where we're sitting right now on that scale? How much do we have to do to catch up to other institutions?

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

I don't think there is a 10 existing anywhere, but we want to be a 10. We want to have other institutions look at us and say this is how it is done at the University of Waterloo. We started with IST (Information Systems & Technology) and Bruce I'm looking at you, various elements of our university and we organize it in a way there is one place by AIP and IST, I'm using acronyms I'm hoping everyone is familiar with, that we will establish the very significant database that will help us for our future planning of academic activities to budget planning, to other areas.

Do we have it in place?  No.  It is dispersed right now across the institution.  But i am absolutely with you that we will be getting there at some point soon, i hope, that we will have a central repository of everything from class sizes to, you know, how many cars enter the university.  And quite comprehensive database for every day life of our institution.

Bruce Campbell, Chief Information Officer

On the recent development of our strategic plan, data came up in every conversation. Our strategic plan will be release in a month's time. That is a priority. We have in IST a group that is focused on information, identity, and integration management. It is a priority for us. The area of data warehousing, analytics and so on. And at a greater scale, next year I've started consultations with university leadership on developing an overarching digital strategy which will include data, and the adoption of digital technology, that will be another opportunity to bring a profile to this.

My name is Leslie.  I'm a PhD candidate in the school of public health.  I'm also here with Fossil Fuel UW.  And obviously, there's been a number of questions to do with sustainability today and I think any of us who listen to the news last night would have heard, so the top three stories who are mentioning, NAFTA talks and the need to stop investing in coal and not to mention the scientists warning to humanity, which I think it is a huge call for us all, but perhaps for me, the story that hit me most closely the story out of India and the number of children dying with the deadly pollution that is being experienced right now. As a public health student, that's close to my heart.

As a center for innovation and as the new UN sustainable solutions network hub in Canada, I would like to ask as we contemplate the next 60 years, what other actions can we takes a globally engaged universities to be on the right side of history? So we've talked about divestment, we had some questions about our own university researchers. We're happy to hear that you're interested in conducting more broadscale public student engagement. Also, I want to draw your attention to the fact there is a petition that is circulating with 500 students, faculty, and concerned community members have signed asking for the university to divest as part of its ESG review.

But I think, often at this school, we sometimes tend to default to more tech oriented solutions.  And I'm asking us to think about how we can move beyond just tech‑based solutions and thinking about our collective social responsibilities a citizens on this threatened planet.

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor

You will find absolutely no disagreement whatsoever with what you said.  We ‑‑ 100%, we believe in what you said. And we can, again, as we are moving forward, our future is very important to us. To our children. And generations to come.

As I mentioned, the university is looking at our investments very seriously. Right now only 3 1/2% of our investments are in the energy sector. Not fossil fuel, in overall energy sector. And the committee that is working diligently will come and tell us, go to zero, or these are the ones that are more environmentally responsible and we will wait for that.

Furthermore, Mat Thijssen is sitting right there. He is work together with the committee that has been phenomenally effective. Since he started we have now Policy 53, the environmental sustainability policy.  And we will not be just teaching and researching these. We are anxious to walk the talk. And we will be doing that.

As I'm saying that, as a researcher who spent big chunks of his time in India and China bringing desulfurization, and techniques and everything to reduce the impact of pollution and environmental aspects, this has been happening a long while. A big chuck of it has to do with the irresponsible use of energy resources, especially going to carbon. Carbon is one big thing, but it is not the only thing, is to make sure that we are utilizing our energy resources responsibly. We have to practice it right here on our campus. As we're moving forward, we are benefiting from Mat and his committee's work. We're benefiting from other areas. And I'm telling you the reason why we are so passionate with the work of this committee is because it is not a really black and white and quick answer.

We want to make sure that our institution is doing it properly. That we're learning from this process. And what we're going to put in place will be a long‑term strategy. Not just one quick window dressing. If you want to continue this conversation I will be more than happy to sit down and continue with you and anybody else who would like to.

What are the 3 key achievements in the past year towards more sustainable campus life, and are there any plans for net zero targets in the coming year?

Mat Thijssen, Sustainability Coordinator

Three key achievements over the past year include the development and approval of Policy 53: Environmental Sustainability; the creation of Waterloo’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which will be released in the coming weeks; and the launch and growth of the Green Office program, which now supports over 30 departments in engaging employees around the issue of sustainability.

In terms of net zero targets for 2018, we are collaborating with Sustainable Waterloo Region and the Cora Group to develop the evolv1 building on North Campus, which will be a net-positive building that produces more energy on-site than it consumes. Although this is not directly one of the University’s buildings, the Faculty of Environment is exploring use of some space within the building and will be an excellent learning opportunity for all involved.

On a larger scale, our forthcoming Environmental Sustainability Strategy establishes long-term climate and energy targets that move towards carbon neutrality, and those will be announced over the coming weeks.

How can STEM students, engineering students in particular, find pathways to apply themselves to international humanitarian and development challenges?

Mat Thijssen, Sustainability Coordinator

Students in every discipline will interact with sustainability challenges at some point in their careers. Engineers help design our buildings, transportation, energy, food, and other systems, all of which are related to sustainability. For example, engineers can make design decisions that reduce carbon emissions, and that can adapt to climate change.

In a very practical sense here on campus, you could explore courses that deal with sustainability-related issues, both from technical and interdisciplinary perspectives. Engineering students might also explore sustainability-focused ideas through their capstone projects. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, you could consider how the products and business models you are developing support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Is the University working on developing a formal policy with regards to the use of cloud computing?

Bruce Campbell, Chief Information Officer

We don’t have a formal cloud policy/strategy, per se, however, the selection of all new systems goes through a ‘privacy security impact assessment’ (PSIA) as well as competitive selection process which looks at products on market, meeting requirements, total cost of ownership (TCO), etc.

All recent system renewal projects have been awarded to cloud vendors, based on meeting requirements, lowest TCO, meeting PSIA, etc.  (e.g. Financial system, Human Resources system, research management system, project management system).

We expect this pattern to continue, as we renew additional systems in the future, that cloud solutions will be increasingly adopted.

We also have guidelines to help end users select technologies for secure information exchange and storage, and cloud solutions are appropriate in most cases.

According to the University's website, the COU Space Survey 2013 said that 61% of the required space for study space had been achieved in Ontario universities. For UW, that figure was 42%. Do we know what the figure looks like now? And what is being done to increase the available study space for students, especially in Arts, which rarely sees any expansion to its existing buildings, some of which are the oldest on campus?

Chris Read, Associate Provost, Students

Between 2013 and 2016, the amount of new student study space available, increased by 18 percent, based on the Council of Ontario Universities space study. Three important university buildings have been renovated recently with lounge seating and study tables/chairs, including Hagey Hall, Burt Matthews Hall, and the Science Teaching Complex. In addition, the SLC/PAC expansion project that is currently under construction will add an additional 63,000 square feet of multi-functional student space.

With regard to increased available student space in Arts – the new Arts Hub has added over 7,000 square feet of student space – study and social space with flexible seating.

Will this innovative space be more technological, or will it incorporate culture, particularly native culture?

Diana Parry, Associate Vice-President Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion

We are most open to all types of innovation, including cultural. Within that landscape, Indigenous issues are of great importance. We have established a committee that is working on the development of an Indigenization Strategy for the University, including, but not limited to, developing a response to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada, with particular respect to those pertaining to higher education.

As a staff member on campus concerned about my physical health and our environment, I was pleased to read McMaster was brave enough to be the first Ontario University to ban smoking on campus. When will the University of Waterloo become a smoke-free campus?

Kate Windsor, Director, Safety Office

When Policy #29 was reviewed in 2016, senior leadership considered the option of moving to a smoke-free campus. It was decided to improve awareness and enforcement of current policy (no smoking 10 m from any building) at that time.

The feasibility of a smoke-free campus at Waterloo would be challenging, mainly due to the layout and size of the campus – i.e. in order to access a smoking location, employees and students would need to walk up to 5 minutes. Therefore education, enforcement and employee/student policies would need to be clear to ensure that the smoke-free policy could be successful.

A move to such a policy would require a collaborative effort and very strong up-front support from students, as well as employees.

No decisions have been made to make any change to Policy #29 at this time.

The Fall Break was introduced in 2016 as a 3-year trial. While winter-term course instructors have experience prepping and planning their courses with Reading Week in mind, instructors whose courses are routinely offered in the fall may be struggling to make adjustments to accommodate their students' time away from the subject material, which is in some cases further extended by absences due to co-op interviews and other factors.

Q: What is being done to help instructors identify, understand, and address any difficulty that may be caused by the introduction of Fall Break? 

Mario Coniglio, Associate Vice-President, Academic and Pam Charbonneau, Director, Student Success Office

As this is a 3-year pilot, we are currently working to identify and understand both the logistical and curricular challenges associated with including Fall Break via campus consultation. A working group with representation from the SSO, Registrar, FAUW, staff association and students (grad and undergrad) are currently reviewing feedback from various stakeholder groups. Key issues that have surfaced are being considered, and solutions/tradeoffs and necessary resources/support will be proposed as we move toward the end of the pilot in fall 2018 and consider whether the fall break at Waterloo will continue in some form, or not.

Q: How is the impact on student learning being assessed and considered in evaluating the Fall Break trial?

Mario Coniglio, Associate Vice-President, Academic and Pam Charbonneau, Director, Student Success Office

During the 3-year pilot we are gathering feedback from undergraduate and graduate students about their Fall Break experience. The goal of this feedback is to provide Senate, Administrators and students with additional information to help them to make an informed decision about whether the fall break will continue after the 3-year pilot. As well, to inform potential service and program improvement initiatives to promote student success before, during and after the Fall Break.  In year one we identified how the Fall Break is being used and students’ perceptions around the usefulness and value of the Fall Break. In year two we are delving further into their Fall Break experience by: determining how students’ view the Fall Break, for studying, for relaxing etc.; identifying if the current time and length of Fall Break is meeting student needs; and, looking for alternative Fall Break solutions to some of the key issues that have surfaced. We value our student’s perceptions, and will use these as a key consideration in our decision to move forward with a fall break, or not, after the 3-year trial is complete.

What is the situation of full or part time Post-Doctoral researcher who does not earn salary in University of Waterloo? We don’t have opportunities like graduate student or faculty staff.

Jeff Casello, Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

All postdoctoral fellows at University of Waterloo earn salary, whether it is paid through their supervisor’s grant or through an external fellowship. Those postdocs have access to a range of supports, including: access to postdoc specialists in the Writing and Communication Centre and Centre for Career Action; a range of professional development resources and workshops through other units on campus; and other benefits, including extended health benefits for postdocs on contracts greater than one year in length. For further information, explore the professional development, resources and services and, benefits section of the Postdoctoral Affairs website.  If your appointment doesn't match these expectations, please contact Angela Rooke (a2rooke@uwaterloo.ca) who leads GSPA's support of postdocs.

The Maclean's University ranking results indicate that the student experience at the University of Waterloo has dropped from ranking third to eleventh. Can the administration comment on why the large drop happened and the strategy to restore the ranking? 

Chris Read, Associate Provost, Students

Waterloo dropped in student satisfaction from # 3 last year to #11. Rank on student satisfaction comes from responses to a survey that Maclean’s creates and administers on its own. The rank is based on a composite score that includes lots of individual indicators (i.e., survey questions), from academic ones to mental health and sexual violence related. We dropped in almost all of them this year, with exception of Experiential Education where we maintained #1. We were also relatively stable in course instructors (#5 up from # 6) and residence living (#5 dropped from # 3). Our rank on the other indicators dropped around 5 ranks on average each. The mental health services one dropped from #5 to #12 and steps to prevent sexual assault from #8 to #13.

A couple of notes about the survey. It was implemented between mid-April and September 2017. It was in the field a long time because they typically do not get a very good response rate. This time there were 950 responses from Waterloo, which is less than 3% of students and we do not know if and how this could be representative of the Waterloo population. It’s likely there is quite a large margin of error for the results.

Waterloo did not promote participation in this survey. To the best of our knowledge, most Ontario institutions declined to promote it too. There are some concerns around the reliability and validity of the survey. Nevertheless, we need to look into it and see what factors are contributing to our decline so we can better understand what contributed to this outcome, even if those drivers are superficial or not suitable for generalizations.

The University is taking action is to look at areas where we have some robust and reliable data and feedback from students in similar areas that are covered in the Maclean’s survey.

Q: How will the university take on the dangerously long wait times for consultation for students with mental health challenges?

Walter Mittelstaedt, Director, Campus Wellness

The University’s Campus Wellness services (Counselling and Health) are closely monitoring wait times for mental health services. It is important to us to ensure that individuals with the most urgent needs have access to timely care. Accordingly, the approach to accessing counselling services has been adjusted so that all new intakes are assessed to determine if the student needs to be seen on the same day, within 3 days, or when the next counselor is available to take on a new client. 

If students are waiting for an available counsellor, they have access to a number of service options including Coping Skills workshops, walk-in sessions and peer support (MATES). Students are encouraged to re-connect with the intake staff if the level of acuity changes. Staffing roles have been adjusted in the last year to ensure that there are enough counsellors available to address the urgent appointments. Similarly, students arriving at Health Services are assessed in a “triage” appointment by nursing staff to determine if an urgent referral needs to be made to an appropriate professional.

Q: I know there has been a big campaign to promote Mental health awareness on campus but there still seems to be a lack of resources for students. I myself took a student to a faculty office for support and we were informed that there was a one-month wait for an appointment. I am hesitant to promote such supports if they are not available when the students need them. Are there any plans to increase support services, such as counselling, during peak periods (for lack of a better term)?

Walter Mittelstaedt, Director, Campus Wellness 

There has been an increase of mental health resources in Counselling and Health Services in the last number of years. We do recognize that there are times of peak demands and, as such, have made some adjustments regarding how those resources are accessed. The counselling services located within the faculties may have more difficulty addressing needs during peak times but students are always able to access the central service locations in Needles Hall and Health Services. The approach to accessing counselling services has been adjusted so that all new intakes are assessed to determine if the student needs to be seen on the same day, within 3 days, or when the next counsellor is available to take on a new client. If students are waiting for an available counsellor, they have access to a number of service options including Coping Skills workshops, walk-in sessions and peer support (MATES). 

Students are encouraged to re-connect with the intake staff if the level of acuity changes. Staffing roles have been adjusted in the last year to ensure that there are enough counsellors available to address the urgent appointments. Similarly, students arriving at Health Services are assessed in a “triage” appointment by nursing staff to determine if an urgent referral needs to be made to an appropriate professional. We are eagerly awaiting additional advice from the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health regarding service approaches during peak times.

Have WE marked the 60th Year well? Various Academic Departments were celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2017?

Kelly McManus, Senior Director, Community Relations and Events

This year had many different milestones, and I believe it was a great year.  Our goal was to build pride for the University of Waterloo among our campus, community, and alumni around the globe.  Based on the attendance at our events, engagement on social media, and feedback from our stakeholders, we certainly marked the 60^th anniversary well.

At both the beginning and end of the year, we hosted two high impact events.  In January, Beyond60 was a kick off lecture featuring provocative thought leader Edward Snowden alongside University of Waterloo experts.  In December, we celebrated with alumni, community and campus leaders at the President’s 60^thAnniversary gala.  In between, there were celebrations in Vancouver and Hong Kong, and of course many on campus.  Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners were all invited to contribute to the various celebrations throughout the year, and had lots of opportunity to share memories and predictions for the future.

Mindful of the many other milestones being recognized this year, campus partners were provided with 60^thresources and encouraged to incorporate 60^th celebrations where it was the most appropriate for them.  It was incredible to see the enthusiasm from all of our campus, and I am appreciative of everyone’s efforts throughout the year.  A chronicle can be found at uwaterloo.ca/innovation60.

Government and industry have a need for our highly qualified students, with necessary soft skills. Our grad student (and supervisor) culture, however, embraces academia-or-bust, thus does not engage with @GRADventure_UW resources. What can be done to encourage skills beyond the lab?

Jeff Casello, Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

Over the past five years, University of Waterloo has greatly increased its support for graduate professional skills. The January 2016 launch of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs’ GRADventure program was one early outcome of that increased support. GSPA is expanding graduate professional skills programming through GRADventure, exploring how co-operative education can be expanded at the graduate level, and continues to stress the importance of skills training and career readiness for graduate students to faculty supervisors, most notably in its workshop series for faculty members seeking Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (ADDS) status.

If you would like to share your ideas how we can encourage skills beyond the lab, please reach out to Angela Rooke (a2rooke@uwaterloo.ca) Manager, Professional Skills and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Why is the University of Waterloo accepting money from the world’s largest weapons manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, for research to help drone operators, and why is the University hosting a forum on campus with defence contractors like BAE systems? Does the University of Waterloo not have a policy on ethical research that would prohibit research being done that facilitates mass surveillance and war, and if not, why not?

Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, University Research

University research funded by defence contractors undertaken at Waterloo is rarely related to weapons. Rather the focus is on healthcare technologies, communications and security, and vehicle control systems that have civilian as well as defence applications.

Our largest project with Lockheed Martin involved the development of a biomedical technology that supports the cardiac system in situations of extreme physical exertion, and has resulted in a new spinoff company involving Waterloo professors and students. 

Canada has its own military, and research at Waterloo, such as that carried out in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, has the potential to make Canadian soldiers, sailors and pilots safer when they are on duty all over the world. 

Additionally, there are issues of academic freedom whereby professors make their own decisions about research they conduct.

Supervision quality can make or break potential researcher success. What can be done to safeguard the quality of graduate student experience (especially minorities in a discipline)?

Jeff Casello, Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

To address quality of supervision and as a result improve the quality of the graduate student experience, Graduate Studies and Professional Affairs (GSPA), in co-operation with the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE), launched the Graduate Supervision Series (a total of six workshops) in fall 2015. The workshop, normally offered in the fall and winter terms, provides one of the mechanisms for faculty members to satisfy demonstrating appropriate supervisory experience to gain Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (ADDS) status.

The six, two-hour workshops span relevant policies and practices, recruitment of graduate students, techniques for establishing supportive and positive relationships, guiding writing and research with ethics and integrity, intercultural and gendered interaction, and behavioral dimensions of examining and awareness of career paths in and out of the academy. Participants work directly with facilitators from the CTE, GSPA, the Equity Office, the Conflict Management & Human Rights Office (CMAHRO), the Writing and Communications Centre (WCC). Associate Deans and award-winning supervisors are involved in panel sessions. Through scenarios, readings, panel sessions and presentations, we foster a culturally-responsive and inclusive pedagogy of supervision.

Please expand on the internationalization pillar, and how this will change/look moving forward - Mobility focus, country focus and allocation of resources for these.

Ian Rowlands, Associate Vice-President, International

Discussions around the University’s next Strategic Plan will be critical in the longer-term development of the internationalization priorities.  In the shorter-term, the focus will continue to be upon the three dimensions of internationalization – namely, (i) student, staff, and faculty members travelling abroad; (ii) ‘internationalization at home’ and the ways in which ‘Waterloo welcomes the world’; and (iii) sustained cross-border connections.  While a wide variety of activities within these three dimensions will continue to be supported, importantly, there will also be continued effort to concentrate upon the most meaningful internationalization activities. The University of Waterloo is in the enviable position of having a virtually limitless number of internationalization options.  Our excellence in research, teaching, and learning, and our particular strengths in experiential education and entrepreneurship (among other areas) mean both that we attract much attention from many abroad and that we are well-received when we approach world-class organizations globally. Going forward, there will be continued emphasis placed on strategic partnerships to focus our efforts, at the university-level, upon those relationships that serve to best advance our teaching, research, and scholarship.  These strategic partnerships will underscore the global dimensions of our key pillars of research and training at Waterloo.

Is there more room, inclination, and resources to support the research of teaching here at the University of Waterloo? Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) could be one helpful bridge to address the conundrum alluded to the question of Reseach vs Teaching.

Donna Ellis, Director, Centre for Teaching Excellence

The Associate Vice-President, Academic supports SoTL via our Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement Grants Program (two single-year seed grant competitions and one two-year full grant competition annually, with funding up to $5000 and $30000 respectively). We are considering currently whether there is demand for a third round of the seed grants.

The AVPA’s office also significantly subsidizes Waterloo faculty members’ attendance at the Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, with additional support coming from a variety of sources including FAUW, some Deans, Teaching Fellows, and Chairs and Directors. At this conference, many faculty members and staff present SoTL research results or studies in progress. Beyond grants and a forum for dissemination, the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) has three staff directly involved in supporting SoTL work and several others who partner with faculty and staff in undertaking it. CTE also advocates for ways of counting such research in annual performance review processes and Promotion and Tenure dossiers.

If Waterloo is emphasizing higher-order learning and evidence-based teaching methods, then what can be done to convince instructors, supervisors to respect that goal? How do we change culture?

Donna Ellis, Director, Centre for Teaching Excellence

In addition to an annual conference with research and practical streams that now attracts over 330 participants, hundreds of faculty members and graduate students attend short and longer workshops each term through Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) programming. CTE’sAnnual Report shows the number of people who engage in these activities, as well as consultations, across the University. CTE customizes workshops and curriculum retreats for departments as well.

One approach that turns out to be most convincing to instructors and supervisors is hearing from one another; CTE, Centre for Extended Learning (CEL), Student Success Office (SSO), Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA), the Writing and Communications Centre (WCC), FAUW, and Teaching Fellows all work in various ways to bring faculty together around high-impact practices, evidence-based methods, and sharing of theories and techniques. Proponents of these approaches exist in every Faculty, and indeed frequently encourage peers to attend intensive events like the Teaching Excellence Academy (four days), the Instructional Skills Workshop (24 hrs), the Graduate Supervision Series (12 hrs), or the upcoming Waterloo Assessment Institute (two days).

Since the University of Waterloo has Canada's largest Faculty of Environment, what is the university's plan to be more sustainable and show sustainability leadership to the rest of Canadian universities?

Mat Thijssen, Sustainability Co-ordinator

On November 30th, the University of Waterloo released its first-ever Environmental Sustainability Strategy that sets out the short and long-term objectives for the campus. The strategy was developed from 2016-2017 by the President’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability.

It covers academics, campus operations, and engagement, with three respective goals to:

1. Be a leader in sustainability education and research
2. Operate the campus sustainability
3. Embed sustainability practices into campus culture

These goals are further divided into 27 specific objectives, some of which include:

• Partnering with academic departments to identify strategies for integrating sustainability within the curriculum
• Developing a Climate and Energy Action Plan to become carbon neutral by 2050
• Increasing waste diversion to 60% by 2025, and become a zero-waste (90%+ diversion rate) campus by 2035
• Expanding programming to engage students and employees in campus sustainability

Those are bold objectives and will certainly increase momentum and demonstrate leadership among other Canadian universities. They will require concerted effort from many departments, as well as from all members of the campus community. For full details, visit the Sustainability Strategy website.

How, in concrete terms, will we move forward on our commitment to diversity? It seems to me that it is easy to say “we think diversity is important,” but less easy to live out in our day to day interactions. From where I stand, it seems that the barriers to full inclusivity and diversity is not so much blatant human rights abuses, but rather micro-aggressions that happen between us day to day that go unchallenged. What are some concrete steps we can take to get to a better place on this issue, right here at UW?

How does UW plan to promote and model a safe environment - not just of "inclusivity" but also as a place where we encourage students, staff, faculty to encourage, respect, and have compassion for their peers?

Diana Parry, Associate Vice-President, Equity, Human Rights and Inclusion

Human rights, equity and inclusion reflect the core values of the University of Waterloo. We aim to create a campus where all students, staff and faculty can thrive. To achieve this aim, some concrete actions we have taken include:

• Joining the UN Women’s HeForShe and IMPACT 10x10x10 framework for which we made three commitments to advance gender equity on campus. We are on track to meet and exceed our targets.
• Initiating an Indigenization strategy committee tasked with advising the President, Provost, and senior management at the University of Waterloo on the development of an Indigenization Strategy for the university.
• Development of an inclusive washroom project including single use facilities to help meet the needs of diverse students, staff and faculty.
• Providing training opportunities for students, staff and faculty on various equity related areas. For example, the Making Spaces program, which is a framework for creating affirming spaces on campus and fostering interpersonal relationships through education and training on aspects associated with social identity 

These are just a few of the examples of the many ways we address equity related initiatives on campus. We value the input from our campus community so if you have an equity related need, suggestion, feedback or an experience you would like to share with us, please reach out to Diana Parry, Associate Vice-President, Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion.

As a staff member, why is it that the University does not offer optical insurance? Waterloo is one of only two schools in Canada with a school of optometry. I understand that it would need to be negotiated with the insurance company, has this ever been discussed?

George Dixon, Vice-President Academic & Provost

Vision care is one component of the full insured benefit plan with Great West Life. At the time of the last review of insured benefits, the employee groups formed a committee to review the various services provided under that plan with the intention of recommending the addition of vision care with the next round of contract negotiations. However, the groups couldn’t come to consensus of changes to the current suite of services, with resulting changes in premiums, and there was no change made to the plan. The Pensions & Benefits Committee will be reviewing the insured benefits in the 2017/18 fiscal year and the employee groups will again be given an opportunity to recommend changes to the plan.

If a staff member who works closely with a Dean has issues or concerns, whom could they speak to, as the Dean is in a much higher position of authority?

George Dixon, Vice-President Academic & Provost

The staff member should have a discussion with their direct supervisor. Should this not resolve the issue, the staff member could speak with the Provost directly.

Given the provincial desires over the past 5+ years to reorganize higher education funding in Ontario, have the changes helped or hurt us in comparison to other provinces/countries - is specialization still the best path?

George Dixon, Vice-President Academic & Provost

The Ministry of Advanced Education & Skills Development (MAESD) has implemented a new funding formula incorporating the principle of differentiation. The new formula essentially makes explicit the method by which government grant funding will be allocated to Ontario Universities. However, it is up to individual universities, including Waterloo, to make optimal strategic decisions within the new funding formula environment.

The Ministry has ensured that grant funding will be kept stable for all Ontario Universities for the duration of the most recent Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA2 – 2017-2020), including those Ontario Universities that may be at risk of declining domestic enrolments. Many other provincial jurisdictions have not explicitly provided clarity regarding the extent of grant funding stability for the next few years. The University of Waterloo will continue to build on its differentiated strengths guided by its strategic plan themes, goals and objectives within the context of the new funding formula environment.

How does the university factor in the rapid increase in its international tuition cost in their planning? Is this sustainable?

George Dixon, Vice-President Academic & Provost

International tuition rates are reviewed and adjusted annually to reflect multiple factors including the following:

• The value of a Waterloo degree overall and in specific program areas.
• The demand for Waterloo programs nationally and internationally.
• Alignment of Waterloo’s rates with similar programs offered at other universities within Ontario, nationally and internationally.
• Any changes to provincial policies including those related to the tuition framework, the government funding mechanism, and international student recovery taxes.
• Istitutional operating costs including overall inflation and costs associated with provision of student services.

Will it be legal for the students (and staff?) to smoke pot on campus?

George Dixon, Vice-President Academic & Provost

The University of Waterloo is regularly monitoring the federal government’s plan to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis through Bill C-45 and the proposed Cannabis Act. The University is reviewing this matter carefully and will be in a position to provide further guidance closer to July 2018, when the federal government intends the proposed new law to be in force and effect.