May 6, 2002

Monday, May 6, 2002

UW's making 'multi-million-dollar asks'
Grad endowment fund gets kick-start
Sufficient unto the day

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

PM accepts honour from tiny university

UW's making 'multi-million-dollar asks'

There's something better than the millions of dollars already promised to UW in the early stages of Campaign Waterloo, campaign director Linda Kieswetter said on Friday.

"Even more exciting" than the money and pledges, she said, is the growing number of volunteers from across the business world -- some 120 of them -- who have agreed to help with the campaign as it gets into full swing.

[Building a talent trust]
From page 8 of the Campaign Waterloo brochure, produced by staff in the development office and information and public affairs. Kieswetter called it "outstanding".
Kieswetter gave a brief campaign update to a Friday morning meeting of staff who report to the vice-president (university relations), including the development and alumni affairs office, which is managing the soon-to-go-public campaign. It's headed by a "campaign cabinet" of UW officials and volunteers, which held its first official meeting March 26.

She produced a round of applause when she announced the latest tally of gifts collected by the campaign: $82.6 million.

"We only have to double that in order to launch next year," she said. It's usual in fund-raising campaigns to have a public "launch" only when a substantial amount of the money that's wanted has already been collected through quiet efforts. For UW, that's expected to mean $150 to $160 million towards an eventual $260 million goal.

"We have twenty million dollars in asks out there," Kieswetter said, noting that "all the major banks" and such huge firms as Microsoft have already heard pitches from UW and its friends. "Several individuals," she said, "have multi-million-dollar asks in front of them."

Fund-raising is being approached sector by sector, with attention to geography, the economy, and UW's varying needs. In her remarks, Kieswetter referred to "a strategy for the whole province of Alberta" that's being developed, volunteer leaders for the campaign to support UW's library, and a canvass of "the Toronto high-tech sector". Asking is at different stages in different sectors of the economy and geography, she said. In some areas, volunteers are still being recruited, and serious asking will be delayed until companies' economic health is better.

While progress on the overall campaign looks good, UW "didn't quite meet" its goal for annual fund-raising in the past twelve months, "and that's in large part due to the economy", Kieswetter said.

Bill Tutte is remembered
[Portrait] William T. Tutte, one of UW's early and internationally famous faculty members, died Thursday at the age of 84. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at Conrad Grebel College.
A pioneer in graph theory and mathematical cryptography, Tutte came to UW in 1962 to join the "department of mathematics", was later given the title of "distinguished professor" in combinatorics and optimization, and since his retirement had been continuing his research and serving as honorary director of the Centre for Applied Cryptography Research.
Tutte was named to the Order of Canada last year, with a citation noting not just his work as a teacher and theoretical mathematician, but his contributions to breaking German codes for the British armed forces during World War II.

Grad endowment fund gets kick-start -- by Barbara Elve, from the Gazette

The new Graduate Studies Endowment Fund is already starting to grow, thanks to an $85,000 deposit from the Graduate Student Association.

A decision was made by the GSA this spring to kick-start the endowment with money from the sale of Clarica shares it held as part of the supplementary health insurance plan for grad students.

For outgoing GSA president Sabesh Kanagalingam, both the establishment of the endowment fund by graduate students in a referendum last fall, and the GSA decision to seed the fund represents "an important symbolic gesture."

Graduate students voted to approve the $20 per term refundable contribution to the endowment fund, starting in September 2002, because they recognize the need among their fellow grad students, he added.

Goals of the fund, stipulated in the constitution of the endowment: To promote graduate studies and graduate research at UW; To financially assist registered graduate student, including those graduate students not normally eligible for financial support; To assist with the funding of basic research at the graduate level; To assist with the funding of applied research at the graduate level; To assist with the funding of interdisciplinary research at the graduate level.

The fact that 23 per cent of grad students voted in the referendum, with 62.4 per cent approving the investment in the future of graduate study at UW, says Kanagalingam, sends a strong message of support to the university's larger capital campaign.

Although his term as GSA president ended April 30, he's recommending that any surplus at the close of the GSA fiscal year -- the end of August -- also be deposited in the endowment fund.

One of his achievements as president has been balancing the budget for both the GSA and -- for the first time in more than four years -- for the Graduate House as well. Kanagalingam credits GSA administrator Rose Vogt and accountant Bob Sproule, as well as GSA vice-president (operations) Marc Aucoin and the board of directors, for the financial watershed.

Sufficient unto the day

Tomorrow's the day to sign up for campus recreation instructional programs for the spring term. Says a note from Annette Bryndza over in the Physical Activities Complex: "You can sign-up for swim lessons, fitness classes, yoga, weight training, bike maintenance, golf, skating, dance etc. Come to the athletics office Tuesday morning between 8:15 and 11 a.m. to pick up a time card. This time card will list a time for you to come back that evening (between 4:30 and 9:00) to register for any and all Campus Recreation Instructional programs! Staff fitness registration for Staff Fitness and Fitness Step 400-4 will take place Tuesday from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Lockers and memberships are available during registration. League registration has already begun. Check out the website or the campus recreation Guidebook for complete details. Campus Recreation is still looking for fitness instructors, weight training staff, and lifeguards/swimming instructors. Applications are due by Tuesday at 4 p.m."

The executive committee of UW's senate meets at 3:30 this afternoon in Needles Hall room 3004, to set the agenda for the monthly meeting of the senate itself. Among the items expected: a proposed new "diploma in business information technology".

September is just a few minutes away, as time flies, and the Federation Orientation Committee intends to be ready. FOC "resumes its weekly meetings" as of today, says Heather FitzGerald, UW's first-year student life coordinator. "The Federation Orientation Committee consists of 40 volunteer student leaders who spend over 500 hours from January to September planning Orientation Week activities for the new first-year students."

Imprint reported Friday that -- in spite of what many people expected -- the planned expansion of the Student Life Centre isn't going to include any additional space in the historic great hall. The paper says Yaacov Iland, past president of the Federation of Students, explained that a committee that's working on the project "did look at the great hall expansion", but "because of architectural factors and firewall regulations, the committee decided to abandon the Great Hall expansion." Still planned is extra space elsewhere in the SLC, including a third floor, emphasizing meeting rooms and study space. Expansion of the SLC was a major part of the program approved by students in a referendum last fall; they'll be paying a special $13.80-a-term fee to pay for that and for new athletic facilities.

Some engineering alumni are having the time of their lives this week -- it's "Cayuga Race Days", sponsored by the Toronto and Waterloo branches of the alumni group. "Drive a Formula 2000 race car!" is the promise: round and round the track at the Cayuga speedway, price just $350 including lunch. And on a more intellectual note: "Nominations for the UW Engineering Alumni Achievement Medals close on May 15," a newsletter notes.

Co-op students taking part in the employer interview process this term can pick up "the master copy of their co-op record" in Needles Hall tomorrow, any time after 10 a.m. Job postings will start Wednesday, and interviews begin May 27.

The career development seminar series is under way again. Tomorrow brings a session on "Letter Writing" (3:30) and one on "Resumé Writing" (4:30) -- the career resource centre in Needles Hall has the details and sign-up sheets.

Happening today in the LT3 technology centre: an information session on "T-5 for Science", where T-5 is a model that includes Task, Tutoring, Topics, Teamwork and Tools. More information: ext. 6832.

Here's a note from Prabhakar Ragde in the computer science department, posted on a newsgroup the other day: "For those who have been following the progress of the new Bachelor of Computer Science, especially current students who wonder if they will be able to earn one: It has passed Math Faculty Council and is heading for approval at the University level (Senate). We have drafted a transition plan for its implementation, which is up on the BCS web page."

Renison College sends word that access to its library will be somewhat affected by construction for the next couple of weeks. The library will be open only in the evenings today through Thursday, and Monday to Thursday next week -- 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be no public access to the library on Fridays, but it'll be open on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. "Books may be returned at the main office desk, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4 p.m. Questions or concerns: please contact Lois Clifford, 884-4404, ext. 646."

Oh, and a reminder: Wednesday brings the noon-hour "authors' event" and talk by engineering graduate Christine Cheng ("Transforming Technology: A Social Dilemma") in the Theatre of the Arts. Admission is free.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
May 6, 1976: A concrete building is under construction at 415 Phillip Street that UW will rent as a home for the school of architecture.