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University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Monday, June 23, 1997

An acting dean in ES . . .

Geoff McBoyle of UW's geography department today becomes acting dean of the faculty of environmental studies, for a week before he takes the post officially. He was named last year to become dean of ES for a five-year term beginning July 1, and is starting a few days early, the provost's office says. McBoyle takes over from Jeanne Kay, dean since 1992.

A faculty member at UW since 1969, McBoyle has conducted research on climatology and global warming, including the impact of climate change on the skiing industry. He served as chair of his department for a three- year term and has been associate dean (undergraduate studies) on three separate occasions for a total of nearly 10 years. He was one of the first winners of UW's Distinguished Teacher Award.

. . . a continuing dean in science

John Thompson, dean of science since 1990, will serve for an unusual third term, the president of the university announced Friday.

"His reappointment was recommended unanimously by the Nominating Committee established under UW Policy #45, and was approved earlier this week at meetings of the Senate and the Board Executive Committee," said the memo from president James Downey.

Thompson's current term as dean runs through 1998; the new appointment takes him through June 30, 2001. Only Robin Banks in arts has ever served as long as 11 years as a UW dean.

"Dean Thompson has provided strong leadership to the Faculty of Science through a difficult period," Downey wrote, "and has also contributed significantly at the university level. I am grateful that John is willing to serve an additional term as Dean, and I look forward to working with him."

Two other deans' terms expire in 1998: Jack Kalbfleisch in mathematics and David Burns in engineering. Nominating committees for those two posts are still at work, and a committee is getting organized to seek a successor for Bob Norman, dean of applied health sciences, who has resigned effective August 1.

More money for grad students

Graduate teaching assistants got a pay raise Friday, and there's more money going into the graduate scholarship fund as well. The provost of UW, Jim Kalbfleisch, issued a memo officially accepting the recommendations of the Graduate Student Support Advisory Committee, to this effect:

"TA rates be increased by 3% retroactive to May 1, 1997."
"The Graduate Scholarship Fund be increased by 2.5%."

Kalbfleisch told the committee: "Your recommendations strike a good balance between the needs of graduate students and the difficult financial situation of the university." The GSSAC includes faculty members and graduate students and is chaired by Gary Waller, associate provost (academic and student affairs).

Forum on Canada and Asia

Canada's relations with the Asia-Pacific region will be the focus of a national consultative forum to be held today and tomorrow at Conrad Grebel College. Sessions will examine human rights and trade; sustainable development; indigenous peoples, minorities and refugees; media and communications; and conflict and security.

Keynote speaker at the Waterloo Forum today will be Marius Grinius, director of the Southeast Asia division of the federal department of foreign affairs, who is to talk about Canadian policy challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. His speech begins at 8 p.m. in Conrad Grebel's Great Hall.

"Southern Ontario has a rich diversity of people with expertise and experience in foreign policy issues, and in the Waterloo Forum they will work with government officials and other invited experts to develop specific policy options," says Ernie Regehr, policy and public affairs director for Project Ploughshares, based at Grebel, which organized the event.

"The forum is an important effort to broaden the foreign policy-making process and provide the opportunity for Canadians with a particular stake and interest in Canada's international relations to put their concerns and proposals in front of government."

The Waterloo Forum, one of four parallel sessions to be held across the country, will issue a report to the federal government through the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development. The results of the consultative process will be presented to the government in advance of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit that Canada will host in Vancouver in November.

The weekend's news in brief

UW's Midnight Sun IV solar car is moving up in the pack, as the 36 vehicles in Sunrayce '97 have crossed Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Today they head into the Sunflower State, making a total run of 152 miles from Lee's Summit to Manhattan, where cars and crews will overnight at Kansas State University. By Saturday night the UW team, which had been in sixth place on the first day of the race, was running third, behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California State University at Los Angeles. Then in yesterday's run Midnight Sun came in second behind MIT and pulled to within three seconds of Cal State in overall elapsed time (13 hours 0 minutes 19 seconds over four days, with Cal State at 13:00:16 and MIT at 12:42:50).

The Ontario education ministry announced on Friday that the latest restructuring of the high school program in the province is being delayed for a year, to the fall of 1999. Its chief features are a return to "streaming" of grade 9 students, and a reduction from five years of high school education to four. The change means that youngsters entering grade 7 this fall will be the first to go through Ontario secondary schools under the new rules.

Angie Ferguson of the institutional analysis and planning office can tell her co-workers this morning about an achievement some golfers never manage: a hole-in-one. Her feat came on the par 3, 6th hole at Elmira, where she hit a 5-iron from about 155 yards. A spy reports that she apparently didn't actually see the ball drop in the cup, as she had watched it to see that it was headed onto the green, then bent down to pick up her tee. The screams of the rest of her foursome were the first indication she had. Now, people are checking the rosters for the Matthews Golf Classic this Wednesday to see whether she's on their team.

Events for a summer Monday

The pension and benefits committee is holding a day-long meeting (hard work in Needles Hall room 3004, lunch at the University Club) to discuss the current value of the pension fund, possible improvements to the pension plan, possible changes to the sick leave and long-term disability benefits, and various other matters.

Applied studies students in particular are invited to a presentation this evening at the University Club: "Why should business hire liberal arts students?" The speaker is Nick Culverwell of Andersen Consulting; he'll speak from 6 to 7 p.m., with a wine and cheese reception to follow. Information and RSVP: Christine Woods in the arts special programs office, phone ext. 2119.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY June 22, 1966: Ellis-Don Limited files a low bid of $5,437,056 for construction of the Math and Computer building. June 22, 1980: The Federation of Students cancels plans for a September "strike" protesting a 7.5 per cent increase in tuition fees.

June 23, 1976: The Gazette publishes an angry letter purporting to be from the Karl Friedrich Gauss Foundation, maintaining that the great mathematician (1777) is still living and is "the spiritual leader of humankind".

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