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Wednesday, November 8, 1995

No time for crystal balls

Production of a long-range plan for UW is being delayed until the impending financial crisis is out of the way. The Commission on Institutional Planning makes that announcement this morning, in a statement that appears on UWinfo (under Institutional Planning) and on page 2 of the Gazette.

Says the statement:

When the Commission on Institutional Planning began its work in fall 1994, we proceeded on the assumption that changes in funding would be gradual, and we concentrated on ways that UW could improve by increasing efficiency, shifting resources, and adding value to its operations. Now, however, it appears that imminent major changes to university funding will require a new set of working assumptions.

As you are no doubt aware, a significant reduction in funding is expected to be announced by the provincial government in late November. The changes that result must be taken into account in any strategic plan. While much of the information received and analysis done to date remains valid, it will have to be reconsidered in light of the new economic conditions. The draft plan produced by the commission needs to reflect the reality in which UW will have to function. Our goal is still to take a long-term view, producing a plan to set UW's directions for the next five to ten years. Accordingly, the commission does not expect to issue its draft plan before spring 1996.

The CIP says it's about to make public the reports from the various "working groups" that were sent out to take a detailed look at specific issues, including co-op, quality of life and international education. The reports will be available on UWinfo, and we'll probably have much about them in the Gazette in the coming weeks.

Who's eligible for benefits

Some proposed changes in staff and faculty benefits will be aired at an open meeting that starts at 3:30 this afternoon. None of the changes affect regular full-time staff or faculty; they involve part-time employees (whose benefits, in general, would be increased under the proposal) and temporary employees (who would, in general, get fewer benefits in future). The changes also don't affect people now working here, but only those who are hired or re-hired after the changes go into effect, probably January 1. The text of a brochure about the proposals was published in the Gazette last week.

Today's open meeting, to be conducted by the pension and benefits committee, will be held in Needles Hall room 3001.

Well, today's a big day

Hundreds of co-op students find out today whether they've got jobs for the winter term. The co-op department says results of the first round of job matching will be posted in Needles Hall at 3:00. Then at 4:30 there will be an instruction meeting for students who aren't matched and need to know what to do next. (Keep applying for jobs: "continuous phase job posting #1" is on the boards right now.)

Space in staff training programs

Marg Letter of the human resources department sends word of some spaces available in various training programs in the near future: Anybody interested can get in touch with Letter at ext. 6645, e-mail maletter@mc1adm.

On a day in scientific history

A hundred years ago today, according to a trusty work of reference that I happen to have here, physicist Wilhelm Roentgen realized that he had observed a phenomenon he dubbed "X-rays" because X stands for the unknown. His home city of Wurzburg is celebrating the centenary with gusto.

Back here in Waterloo . . .

Finally, it's a special day for Doug Letson, president of St. Jerome's College, where I hope the candles on his cake won't set off the smoke alarms.

Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca

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