December 11, 2002

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

Provost reports on 'accomplishment'
What's been done, and needs to be
UW acts on the recommendations
Notes for today (and it's Wednesday)

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

[Pounce in the background]
UW provost Amit Chakma helps cut the cake at last month's celebration of UW's "best overall" ranking in Canada

Provost reports on 'accomplishment'

"In the middle of a gloomy picture, we do see considerable opportunities," says UW provost Amit Chakma, who recently gave a wide-ranging update on goals, progress and priorities to UW's senate and board of governors.

Chakma made his report as a fast-paced PowerPoint presentation, accompanying a closely-printed 16-page text. The printed report, which went to UW's governing bodies in late October, is now available on the web.

It's an annual progress report on the recommendations of UW's "Fifth Decade" plan, approved in 1997. The written document goes through the 38 recommendations of that 1997 report and notes some things that have been done at UW in the past year towards making them come true.

Chakma's PowerPoint show and spoken report were more loosely tied to the 1997 report, "Building on Accomplishment", and ran quickly through UW's finances, recent academic activities, to-do list and priorities for the coming year.

"Revenue and expenditure continues to be a major challenge," the provost said, noting that in the past few years UW's budget has been balanced "through a combination of enrolment growth, tuition fee increases and reduction in expenditures".

He repeated a prediction he's made before: if things don't change, UW would be facing 4 per cent budget cuts each year for the next three or four years. And there's even more budgetary pressure because of the need to end the "partial pension holiday" that's been enjoyed in recent years while the pension fund had a comfortable surplus.

Still, he said, even in hard times there are "strategic opportunities" for UW, starting with a new level of public interest in universities that's been produced by the double cohort enrolment pressure and increasing participation rates.

At the same time, the federal government is pushing an "innovation agenda" in which UW can play an important role. Research and development funding is being increased, and there's talk of more support for graduate studies and technology transfer.

What's been done, and needs to be

A slide from Chakma's PowerPoint presentation to the senate and board

Then the provost turned to recent academic initiatives at Waterloo, listing these:

Program reviews "leading to strengthening of academic programs"
The Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education
New degree programs in computational mathematics and mechatronics engineering
Cost recovery programs in "business, entrepreneurship and technology" and financial management (accountancy)

And, he noted, research funding received at UW has gone up from $87 million last year to $115 million this year. In addition -- some help with the general budget -- Ottawa provided a one-time grant of $6.1 million in recognition of the indirect costs of research.

Other important developments include a UW agreement with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics "for collaborative research and the appointment of faculty members", establishment of UW's own Institute for Quantum Computing, and the likelihood of collaboration with the new Centre for International Governance.

Chakma pointed out the recently approved "statement of purpose" on financial aid to students, and reminded his listeners that a total of $23.4 million was spent on scholarships and bursaries in 2001-02. As part of the financial aid plan, he said, UW has created 90 co-op research internships and "allocated all the funds generated from increased graduate tuition to graduate student support, particularly for OGS matching".

These activities can be connected to various recommendations in the 1997 report, which called for new academic programs, better scholarships and expanded research. But, the provost went on, progress is still needed on some of the recommendations made five years ago. For example: "Review the multiplicity of undergraduate programs. . . . Reduce time spent in committee meetings. . . . Streamline administrative processes."

He finished his presentation with a seven-item list of "current priorities":

Graduate studies -- expanded enrolment and the possibility of co-op programs
Research intensity, particularly in "strategic research areas" and with more attention to start-up grants for new faculty
Income diversification, including renewed efforts to get more government funding for co-op programs, and promotion of a "university-wide development culture"
UW's role in the "innovation agenda" -- a recent brief to Industry Canada noted UW's interest in research funding, graduate enrolment, technology transfer and entrepreneurship, all topics that were stressed in the government's own white papers last summer
Enrolment growth management -- steady state and contingency planing, "introduction of strategic new programs", possible spring and winter entry programs, "academic quality enhancement" and plans for new residence space
Leadership development
Innovation in learning and IT strategy -- new learning technologies, on-line courses, classroom upgrading, and development of a "strategy" for information technology

UW acts on the recommendations

From the printed "progress report", here are a few snippets of what UW has done lately to respond to the 1997 recommendations.

Vigorously recruit outstanding students from other provinces and countries. "In May 2001, Deans' Council decided that all undergraduate coop programs should be accessible to international visa students, effective September 2002. This resulted in some Faculties receiving a significant number of international coop applications (greater than 500 in Engineering); by late July, 47 had been admitted across all Faculties. . . .

"Graduate Studies created a new staff position to focus on marketing and recruiting domestic and international students."

Promote sharing of courses and eliminate course duplication. "There has been some, but not a lot of progress on sharing of courses, elimination of duplication and sharing of other resources. These issues are being discussed in the context of undergraduate program reviews."

Pay closer attention to the planning and maintenance of teaching facilities and equipment. "Over the past year, 14 classrooms have been upgraded (e.g., seating, flooring, lighting, ventilation, acoustics) with four more scheduled for completion by Fall 2002. Seven new classrooms were opened in the J. R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall and a multi-media room in CPH; three more rooms will be added by Fall 2002 in PAS."

Ensure that undergraduates systematically acquire the knowledge and skills to develop their potential. "The Library continues to develop information literacy programs to help undergraduates develop the necessary skills to locate and effectively use electronic and print resources."

Clarify and focus the university's approach to international connections. "Planning is underway for UW's first annual 'international week' (February 2003) to celebrate cultural diversity. . . . Waterloo has steadily increased institutional partnerships with education and research organizations abroad. Formal connections have reached a new milestone in June 2002 with 175 international agreements signed."

Strengthen links with alumni/ae by communicating with them regularly, offering programs of special interest, drawing on their expertise, and involving them in the life of the university as much as possible." "A reunion program has been developed that helps alumni groups to initiate reunions for milestone anniversaries. . . . A monthly electronic newsletter [was] launched in September."

Improve and streamline administrative processes at all levels to reduce paper flow, lineups and delays. "Quest, the UW implementation of PeopleSoft's student administration system, is now fully live. . . . Human Resources is currently working on implementing a web-based version of the PeopleSoft HR Management System. This will allow individual employees to update some of their own records directly."

Reaffirm the commitment to the principles of employment equity and diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and the classroom. "The Provost's Task Force on Female Faculty Recruitment submitted its report 'Welcoming Women Faculty' in June. . . . An Aboriginal Education Council has been established. . . . A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Advisory Committee has been established."

Notes for today (and it's Wednesday)

I stress what day of the week it is -- Wednesday -- because yesterday I wrote that the health services clinic would be closed at noontime "tomorrow (Thursday)", and of course that was wrong. It's today, Wednesday, that the clinic will be closed, from 11:30 to 2:00. (Know how you can tell it's Wednesday? Because there will be a new issue of the Gazette today, the last one for 2002.)

The LT3 technology centre offers a one-hour session today under the title "Confused About Digital Copyright?" It starts at 11:00 in Dana Porter Library room 329. An announcement from LT3 gives some background: "Now more than ever instructors, professors and course creators run into quandaries about how to use materials in creating online courses, lessons and learning objects. A panel of UW specialists will discuss digital copyright issues as they apply in their respective areas." Panelists will include Cathy Newell-Kelly (distance education), Cheryl Petrie (audio-visual), Susan Bellingham (library), and Peter Goldsworthy (LT3 and the CLOE Learning Object Repository). More information: ext. 6832.

Then at 12 noon there's a session on "Reducing, Releasing and Managing Anger", sponsored by the Employee Assistance Program and held in Rod Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall room 307. The speaker is Dave Mackay of counselling services.

And at 1:30 -- hey, you could have a busy Wednesday just going from one seminar to the next -- the teaching resources office presents "Understanding the Learner", a three-hour workshop led by Donna Ellis. Attendance is limited; better call ext. 3132 to see whether there's any space left.

Something nourishing after all that listening? Christmas dinner is being served in both the residence cafeterias (Mudie's in Village I and REVelation in Ron Eydt Village) from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

This evening, the weekly gay and lesbian discussion group addresses "Surviving the Search for the Perfect Relationship", with "the AfterGLOW Social" to follow (7 p.m., Humanities room 373).

Tomorrow:

A presentation on the national Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, sponsored by the South Western Ontario Research Data Centre, at 10 a.m., Math and Computer room 5158.
The end-of-term and Christmas lunch for mature students, 12 noon at the Festival Room (reservations, ext. 2429).
Lieutenant-General Ken Pennie, deputy commander of NORAD, talking about the hot topic of Canadian-American security and cooperation, at the invitation of the local Canadian Institute for International Affairs, 7 p.m. at the (former) Seagram Museum in central Waterloo.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
December 11, 1958: The board of governors of St. Jerome's College approves the terms of federation with the new University of Waterloo.