December 16, 2002

Monday, December 16, 2002

Senate sees new innovation draft
Computing courses are offered
The talk of the campus

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

[Pink and red plants]
A plant operation: Staff from across campus purchased 127 poinsettias this season from Connie Reading (left), supervisor of maintenance and cleaning services in Village I, with the help of Village manager Patty Koebel. The flowers -- delivered to campus on Friday -- are being sold as a Kinette Club fundraiser to aid cerebral palsy research.

Senate sees new innovation draft

A new draft of UW's "innovation response", described as Version 8, is up for discussion tonight as the UW senate holds its monthly meeting.

The meeting is set for 4:30 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001, and will also look at the recent report on "Welcoming Women Faculty", last summer's review of the library, a restructuring of the mathematics faculty council, and various other matters.

The innovation document is an update of one that was brought to senate in September and got something of a rough ride. It was Version 5 at that point, and had just been sent to Ottawa to meet a rush deadline for responses to the federal government's "Innovation Strategy" white papers.

"It looks at the university as an institution for applying any knowledge that it has to societal need," complained Joe Novak of the philosophy department. "It seems that the university has sold its soul." Len Guelke of geography added that the document seemed "too narrowly focused in terms of putting the emphasis on wealth creation".

Even Paul Guild, the vice-president (university research), who had written the draft, admitted that it "over-stresses applied research and commercialization" at the expense of other things a university does: "We want to see our basic research emphasized at least as much as these other areas."

The senate research council has been working on the document, and the new version that's coming to senate tonight does draw attention to the importance of basic research, innovation in health and environmental areas, even the importance of the fine and performing arts in stimulating "imagination and creativity that are essential to innovation".

Still it emphasizes the topics raised in the two federal white papers, "Achieving Excellence" and "Knowledge Matters", and describes how UW can contribute to those national goals.

"Four major themes, along with sub-themes, comprise our proposal," the document says, listing them: "Enhanced Co-operative Education, Entrepreneurs in Academe, Innovation Management and Strategic Infrastructures, and Management of Knowledge Transfer".

The text says that academic entrepreneurship "will become a defining characteristic of UW" and promises to lead Waterloo Region in technology development: "The region will achieve its goal to be recognized by 2010 as one of 10 community clusters in Canada."

It invites government funding that would allow UW to increase graduate enrolment by 7 per cent a year until 2010, to bring in five times as many international student as it has now, and to develop specialized programs in such fields as "technological innovation management".

[Unloading the truck] [Inside the building]
CECS -- the department of co-operative education and career services -- made the move from Needles Hall to its new building over the weekend. I understand not everything in the move went perfectly smoothly, with elevator trouble holding things up more than once, but the department should be open for business in its new location today.

Computing courses are offered

The information systems and technology department (IST) is offering computing courses in January to UW faculty, staff and students. The following courses are planned for students: Introduction to Excel; Creating a Web Page Using Unix and HTML.

The following courses are part of the Skills for the Academic e-Workplace program, and are offered to faculty, grad students, and staff with instructional responsibilities: Marks Management Using Excel; Scientific Computing with Matlab; Scientific Computing with Mathcad; Keeping Current Digitally -- Multidisciplinary.

Information about the courses, along with a registration form, can be found on the web.

[In blue and gold with drums]
Campus life of a sort: the film "Drumline", which opened on the weekend, is set in the world of competitive marching bands at "Atlanta A&T University".

The talk of the campus

I said a few words on Friday about the Waterloo Co-operative Residence Inc. and its plans for new buildings on Phillip Street, and this clarification arrived from co-op member Alison Hendrick: "The entire complex on Phillip Street is not going to be torn down. It is only the properties at 280 Phillip Street and 169 University Avenue West that are currently being considered for redevelopment. We also have housing at 268 Phillip Street, where Weavers' Arms Pub and our main office are located. Also important to note, redevelopment plans have not been finalized. WCRI continues to be a vibrant community, bringing students from all years, faculties and personality types together in residence and apartment style housing."

There has been some doubt about when, or whether, the Quest student information system was going to be in operation over the Christmas holidays, and the answer is only now definite. "Quest service will remain available," says a memo from the registrar's office, "subject to unexpected system outages." However, support for the system, for anybody who runs into difficulties, won't be available from 4 p.m. this Friday until Thursday, January 2. "Any support issues that arise during the holiday period (including the mailing of distance education materials) will be addressed beginning on January 2."

Looking ahead to the new year: the annual Hagey Bonspiel, or "funspiel" as it's now being dubbed, is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, at the Ayr Curling Club. "Curlers and beginners are all welcome," says a note from the organizers, urging interested staff, faculty, retirees and hangers-on to fill out a registration form any time now. Oh yes: "The committee recommends watching "Men with Brooms" during the holidays for pointers on how to play!"

A note from the basement of the Math and Computer building says that Computer Help and Information Place the CHIP, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day this week, with two exceptions: it'll close at 3 p.m. on Thursday, and it will be closed from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday. After this week, of course, the CHIP will be closed, like most UW services, until January 2.

Bill Graham, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, will be in town tonight, offering "a speech and a town hall meeting on Canada's foreign policy". The event starts at 7 p.m. in the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University. Says the invitation: "The evening will include a special announcement on the Academic Council on the United Nations System. What's the announcement? According to Saturday's Record, ACUNS is moving to Laurier, with "strong support" from UW.

Coming tomorrow:

Presentations by four more graduate students in the Certificate in University Teaching program, from 10 a.m. to noon in Math and Computer building room 5158.
A noontime "Knowing Your Workplace" session about the UW benefits program, in Davis Centre room 1302.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
December 16, 1955: Local business leaders meet and agree to serve as charter members of a board of governors for a faculty of science connected to Waterloo College.