News

f you’ve been in the halls of Renison over the last few months, you may have noticed a new lounge space in the location previously occupied by the Renison Registrar Office. This space, which had originally been slated for a student lounge before being used as an office, was ideal because of its central location and proximity to the student-run Moose Tracks Connection desk. The hallway is known as “The Link” because it links the area of Renison where Social Development Studies and the School of Social Work reside, to the Great Hall, Library, Chapel and classroom spaces. The Link Lounge, together with Moose Tracks, means that the Link is now largely student space, easily accessible and on the main level of Renison. We spoke with Ryan Connell, Assistant Director of Student Experience and Housing (SEAH) at Renison, about the new lounge.

Studying abroad can be very daunting for some, but not for Renison resident Leo. Leo’s story at Renison started when he enrolled in the Joint Academic Program. He began during the pandemic and started his journey at Renison through virtual classes. The Joint Academic Program allows students to complete their studies in two different countries, combining the best of both educational systems. To hear more about his story, we sat down with Leo and discussed his experiences at Renison! 

During his time in GEAR, Yoshi became deeply involved with the Renison community and has participated in, and hosted, many events at the college. During that time, Yoshi booked a one-on-one meeting with Ryan Connell (Assistant Director, Student Experience and Housing) and started discussing his previous experiences hosting events and cultural workshops for international students at the Tohoku University in Sendai. Ryan suggested that Yoshi host a similar event at Renison, highlighting Japanese culture, as there are many who are interested in learning about Japan and who want to connect with Japanese students. Yoshi found the idea to be extremely exciting and got to work! Yoshi hosted an extremely successful and popular event called “Let’s go to Japan.” Yoshi expressed how fulfilling it was to share his culture and language with those interested in learning about them. The “Let’s go to Japan” event continues to a popular offering of the ELI, and has prompted similar events, conducted both in-person and online. 

After several years of limited travel, eight University of Waterloo students were able to participate in the Kakehashi Project, a week-long exchange program through Japan’s Friendship Ties Programs, overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The students spent their Reading week, February 17-25, 2024 in Japan, exploring the cities of Tokyo and Aichi. Their trip was followed by a special exchange day at Waterloo when Renison hosted six Japanese students in early March. The project is designed to build mutual understanding and friendship between Canadian and Japanese students with engaging, and often transformative, intercultural experiences. 

Originally scheduled to take place in January each year, Renison’s Founders’ Day celebration has evolved throughout the past sixty years to better meet the needs of our community. Founders’ Day has traditionally fallen on January 14, in alignment with the College’s Charter Day (January 14, 1959). An argument could be made, however, for October 16, which was the official opening date of Renison’s original two-storey, seven room house at 193 Albert Street. 

One of the traditions of Founders’ Day that has not changed is the bestowing of Renison honours on members of our community. This year we have an incredible line up of honorees: 

The 2024 edition of Renison Reports is now available for our community. Read it online or download a PDF copy from our site. 

The theme of Renison’s three-year Strategic Plan is Meeting the Moment. This simple phrase has become something of a mantra at Renison over the past six months because, in reality, it is anything but simple. To really meet the moment takes courage, commitment and careful introspection. We are at a moment in history that is demanding more from its leaders and its institutions.

Renison University College’s Board of Governors is proud to announce the selection of Renison’s 12th president, Dr. Marc Jerry.

Dr. Jerry comes to Renison with almost 25 years of post-secondary teaching, research and administrative experience, most recently as president of Luther College, a federated college of the University of Regina. He holds two degrees in economics, specializing in econometrics and quantitative methods, as well as two graduate degrees in theology. In addition to his academic experience, Dr. Jerry has specialized not for profit board governance training through the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds the public sector governance designation through the Johnson Shoyama School of Governance at the University of Regina.

Last week the Renison community took some time to celebrate the achievements of our student award winners and the incredible and generous support provided by our many donors to student awards, bursaries and scholarships. 

Do you know that March is Social Work Month? To mark this month, we spoke with School of Social Work Students at Renison about their field work placements, which are are an important part of Social Work education. Today, we introduce Alex (they/them), a Renison MSW student who’s currently working at Qmunity a non-profit organization focused on improving the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.