July 4, 2002

Thursday, July 4, 2002

UW and WLU plan PhD in religion
Memo announces NSERC deadline
In search of a university librarian
And a little of this and that

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

[Did they have cellos in those days?]
On stage this week is Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children", produced by second-year architecture students as a project for their cultural history course. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre. Preparing for opening night, from left, are Michelle Van Eyk as Mother Courage, Anna Jarvis with electric cello, and stage manager Natalie Jackson. Tickets are $10 from the UW box office, ext. 4908.

UW and WLU plan PhD in religion

A joint program between UW and Wilfrid Laurier University will be "one of the largest" graduate programs in its field in Canada, says Lorne Dawson, chair of UW's religious studies department, which will offer the PhD program jointly with WLU's department of religion and culture.

Only the University of Toronto will have more people involved in offering a religious studies doctorate, says Dawson. "The joint PhD will have a combined faculty complement of 20 core professors, and will also call on the abilities of many high-quality adjunct faculty from other UW and WLU departments."

UW's senate gave approval for the program at its June meeting, shortly after similar approval was given at Laurier. The first two students are expected to enter the program in 2003, and by 2005-06 there will be a dozen students at a time.

The proposal that went to UW's senate gives details of the program, which will "take advantage of the unique faculty strengths and convergence of research interests" between the WLU and UW departments. The new program will "concentrate on the diverse nature of, and interactions among, the religious traditions and movements of Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. The emphasis will be largely, although not exclusively, contemporary."

That distinguishes it from most PhD programs in the field, which tend to be "historical and textual". By contrast, "this design is rooted in our observation of the dramatic changes now transpiring in North American religious and public life. Our aim is to study its complexity and diversity. . . .

"The new PhD will meet the needs of individuals who have various professional or vocational objectives. In addition to training those who intend to be scholars in religious studies or related disciplines, the program is designed to attract administrators, artists and media professionals, counselors, journalists, religious officials, social workers, and teachers. Therefore, the program will stress the need for public intelligibility in communicating religious studies scholarship. Students will be required not only to write a dissertation but also to make a public presentation based on their research."

WLU has given a master's degree in RS for many years, and has about two dozen students at any one time. "The UW program has no graduate students," says Dawson, "but many of our faculty participate in other grad programs at UW and other universities, and we have long wished to move in this direction."

It won't be the first joint program between UW and WLU at the doctoral level. There's already a joint program in geography, and a history PhD program is operated by UW, WLU and the University of Guelph.

[Robes and smiles]
Robert Prus of UW's sociology department was clearly among friends as he received an honorary degree late in May from his alma mater, Brandon University in Manitoba. Prus, centre, is flanked by Brandon president Louis Visentin and chancellor Kevin Kavanagh. Photo courtesy Brandon University.

Memo announces NSERC deadline

It's grant-writing season again, as UW's research office is warning that "advance material" for grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council -- the bread and butter of research financing at Waterloo -- is due on August 15.

"We are asking for your help in notifying potential new applicants of this process," says a memo to department chairs from Liz Vinnicombe, UW's manager of research grants.

And she notes that things will be a bit different this year: "Guidelines and forms are now only available electronically. The Office of Research will not be receiving printed copies this year. . . . New web-based forms and a revised guide are expected to be posted in August. This year, for the first time, NSERC expects to offer electronic submission of NSERC grant applications."

There's also a little matter of terminology, as NSERC's traditional "research grants" are now "discovery grants". A news release explains: "It's always difficult to change a well-established name, particularly when the program has been in existence since 1916, and some professors have held research grants, or 'operating' grants as they were known for a period, for many years. But we have many grant programs and they all involve research, so it doesn't make sense to call only one kind of grant a 'research' grant. . . . By branding this program more carefully, we can better explain these awards to the public and their political representatives, as well as take advantage of new communications opportunities."

Vinnicombe's memo announces that applicants in all disciplines must submit advance material to NSERC by August 15 if they intend to apply for a Discovery Grant in the 2003 competition. "Failure to send the advance material on time may adversely affect the applicant's chances of success."

"Applicants must meet NSERC eligibility criteria at the time of application (November 1). Applicants must hold or have a firm signed offer of a three-year academic appointment and must fulfill the other criteria found in the attached excerpt from the Researcher's Guide. No part of an applicant's salary may come from NSERC funds with exception of individuals under certain NSERC Salary Support Programs."

She's asking department heads for "help in identifying potential applicants" among new faculty members, including those not yet on campus ("there is some flexibility to the August 15 deadline for applicants in this category") and others who weren't in the NSERC grant system last year. And researchers who have come to the end of a grant period, usually three years, need to be sure to file an application for the next project.

Anyone who needs more information about the NSERC grant system and attendant paperwork should contact Barb Cooke in the research office at ext. 5108, e-mail resgrant@uwaterloo.ca.

In search of a university librarian

Gary Waller, the associate provost (academic and student affairs), yesterday announced plans for finding a successor to Murray Shepherd, who has been UW's "university librarian" -- director of the library -- for three decades. Shepherd is scheduled to retire next summer.

"The appointment of a new University Librarian is covered by Policy #18 (Staff Appointments)," Waller said in a memo sent yesterday to department chairs across campus. "Under that policy the responsibility for making the appointment lies with the supervisor, the Associate Provost, Academic and Student Affairs. The intent is to proceed as follows in recruiting the best possible person for the position.

"To summarize, a senior librarian from another university will conduct an external review of the library, and we will advertise the position simultaneously both internally and externally. An Advisory Committee will help with the search. The Committee will include librarians and library staff, students and faculty."

Waller said the external review will be done by Graham Hill, university librarian at McMaster University and a former president of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. "He will visit Waterloo in July and issue a report by very early fall.

"The terms of reference will be straightforward: advise us on what we are doing right, what we should improve, and what qualities we should be seeking in a new University Librarian. The review will be conducted promptly with a report expected no later than the end of the summer. The intent is to conduct regular external reviews every 5-7 years."

Waller said the advisory committee, which he will chair, "will invite input from members of the University community (including members of the Tri-University Group), will assist in all phases of recruiting (e.g., preparing and placing advertising, soliciting nominees, interviewing candidates), and will advise on the one best candidate for the position. As is the norm with such committees, proceedings will be confidential.

"The position will be advertised simultaneously both internally and externally. Policy #18 permits such advertising for very specialized positions with the approval of the Associate Provost, Human Resources and Student Services."

And a little of this and that

The term is slipping away, minute by minute, week by week, and here's a social milestone: tonight brings the last Boys and Girls Night of the spring term at Federation Hall. Doors open at 9 p.m. and there's no cover charge. No money-back guarantee, either, and those were some interesting comments in last Friday's Iron Warrior about the difficulties of maintaining a boy-and-girl (or whatever) relationship in the social and academic environment of Waterloo, engineering in particular.

At the other student-run pub, the Bombshelter, the Friday night concert series continues, tomorrow with Anxious Blue (tickets $3 at the door).

By fall, the Bombshelter's going to be bigger -- the outdoor portion of it, at least. Chris Di Lullo, vice-president (administration and finance) of the Federation of Students, reports that "We are currently in the process of expanding the Bomber patio. Work should be starting around August and be done in time for the beginning of the fall 2002 term. Though the patio will roughly double in size, the large trees by the volleyball court will be untouched and the beach volleyball court will be kept by simply rotating it 90 degrees."

Moving away from news of pubs, Di Lullo also sends word that "the summer cheque run is in at the Used Bookstore. Cheques can be picked up as of yesterday. We have over 4,000 cheques to be picked up."

A session on "Dealing with Disruptive People: What You Need to Know", conducted by two nurses who are experts in the field, is being held from 9:00 to 11:00 this morning in Arts Lecture Hall room 113. It's sponsored by health services and the Employee Assistance program.

This morning Tom Carey, associate vice-president (learning resources and innovation), gives a talk in tandem with graduate student Antonia Palmer. "Case Studies as Interactive Narrative" is scheduled for 11:00 in Dana Porter Library room 329.

Football season will be starting in a few weeks, and the fall schedule is now available from Ontario University Athletics. The Warriors' first game will be played on Labour Day at University Stadium, with Wilfrid Laurier University's Golden Hawks as the home team. The first official home game comes on September 7, the Saturday of orientation week, when the Warriors host McMaster's Marauders. (Game time has been set back from the usual 2:00 to 3 p.m., to let Mac's enthusiastic first-year students get to Waterloo after a morning spent at Shinerama in Hamilton.) Subsequent home games: Guelph on September 14, Western on September 28 (with a possibility that it'll be moved to Friday night, September 27), and Queen's on October 12.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
July 4, 1996: Just days after leaving through the Special Early Retirement Program, psychology professor Ken Bowers dies.