![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Henry Rollins tonight in the Humanities Theatre]](http://www.feds.ca/posters/henryrollins.jpg)
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Meanwhile, the annual Graduate Student Research Conference is continuing in two lecture halls in the Davis Centre (rooms 1302 and 1304) and one in CEIT (room 3142). From 9 to 5 today, except for a general session at lunchtime, individual graduate students are presenting their work, on such topics as "Catalytic Decomposition of Methane for Hydrogen Production" (Mohammad Sayedur Rahman, chemical engineering) and "Impact of Motor Fusion Stress on Academic Performance" (Linda Lemon, optometry). The lunchtime speaker is Dominic Goodwill of Nortel Networks, talking about "The Role of Technology in Transforming Communication Networks". The conference -- the fourth annual -- will continue all day tomorrow; then Friday morning there's a panel session on "interdisciplinary communication" to wind up the conference.
Shifting topics, here's a clarification of something I said yesterday. Ann Barrett, manager of the English language proficiency program, mentioned that the passing grade for arts students on the proficiency exam is going up to 65 this September; it's currently 60. Well, yes, says Sheila Ager, associate dean (undergraduate) in the arts faculty; but the change applies only to students who enter UW starting this fall. Current students continue under the existing rule. Nevertheless, she agrees, the sooner they get their ELPE requirement met, the better. The exam is being offered Friday night at 7:00 in the Physical Activities Complex.
Here's a message from Susan Schaefer in UW Graphics: "We would like to thank all of our customers who took the time to complete the recent Customer Satisfaction Survey for Graphics. We thank everyone for their candid remarks and we continue to encourage your feedback -- visit us and just fill out the on-line form. If you have problems with your departmental copier, please call the number listed on your copier and a service technician will be happy to assist you."
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Retail services book sale continues, 9 to 4, South Campus
Hall concourse.
K-W Software Quality Association monthly meeting, 11:45, Davis Centre room 1304, information online. Cynthia Jones, civil engineering, retirement reception, 3:30, Engineering II room 4403, information ext. 2535. 'Ontology Development in Health Informatics', Jose Arocha, health studies and gerontology, Thursday 11:30, Math and Computer room 5158. Leave the Pack Behind stop-smoking program presents awards for successful ex-smokers, Thursday 12 noon, Student Life Centre. 'Using UWone to Enhance Learning, Teaching and Testing in Science 238 and Physics 111", Thursday 4:00, Physics room 150. Tax clinic open to students, faculty and staff, sponsored by Accounting Students Education Contribution, Thursday 2:30 to 5:30, CEIT room 1015. Bring documents with questions or to get income tax return completed at no charge. 'Single and Sexy' auditions for September's show, Thursday 6:30 to 10, Humanities theatre. Faculty association annual general meeting, Friday 1 p.m., Math and Computer room 2017. |
Positions availableIt's Wednesday, which is Positions Available day. On this week's list:
More information about all the jobs is available on the human resources web site. |
Two UW faculty members were honoured -- one posthumously -- when the annual Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Awards were presented last weekend. Art Green, of the fine arts department, received an award in the "visual arts" category; the late Michael Bird, of Renison College, was given a "special jury award" recalling his life-long work in collecting and documenting German-Canadian folk art. Other winners included several UW alumni, as well as Erin Noteboom, an editor of the UW-published New Quarterly.
The Federation of Students used bookstore in the Student Life Centre, always packed with books, has more than usual just now. The store "has just received thousands of textbooks currently not being used for a course", a memo from the Feds announces. "They sell from 25 cents to $15."
Marita Williams, UW's manager of space allocation, is featured in the alumni newsletter Grebel Now as a part-time student in the Master of Theological Studies program at Conrad Grebel University College. . . . The François Gérard Memorial Fund at St. Paul's United College is going strong with support from Andrée Gérard, widow of the college's former principal, says the annual UW donor report. . . . Renison College has announced the dates for this year's East Asian Festival there: November 4-6. . . .
It's something public-sector employers in Ontario have had to do annually since the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act was passed in 1996. Other universities, school boards, hospitals, colleges, and the government itself are making similar information for last year public today.
The great majority of names on the UW list are of professors. More of them are appearing on the list each year, as salaries rise from year to year. An average figure for this year isn't available yet, but last year's figure was $92,600, and the scale increase for faculty last spring was 2.6 per cent.
The $100,000 list also includes a number of senior administrators and a few people in staff positions. The list includes people employed by the church colleges as well as by UW itself.
President David Johnston is still receiving the highest salary at UW, according to the disclosure list. The names near the top look pretty much like last year's selection, with only one newcomer to the top ten, Johnny Wong of the school of computer science, who was a few rungs lower last year.
Here's the top-ten list of UW salaries for 2003:
![[Couple with
dog]](/images/2004/0324blackburn.gif)
It looks at one of the many married couples on UW's staff, Bob and Jan Blackburn (right), of information systems and technology and retail services respectively.
Says the profile: "As Group Director, Applications Technology, Bob is responsible for 29 developers and project leaders in IST who support many of the University's major administrative information systems and projects. In her role as Accounting Manager, Jan manages a staff of four who are collectively responsible for the accounting processes in Retail Services. Jan graduated in 1979 with a BSc in Kinesiology, and the Blackburns' daughter Jennifer is now studying on an exchange program at Griffith University, in Brisbane, Australia, as part of her 3rd year in Environment and Resource Studies."
What do you like best about your jobs? Bob: "What I like best are the people. The staff in IST are an extremely dedicated group of professionals and it's a great group to be a part of. Over the years, I have worked with staff in many different departments on a wide variety of projects and I've enjoyed this aspect of my job as well."
And Jan: "UW is not just the place where I work, but has been an important part of my life since I arrived as an undergraduate student in 1974. When I started working here in 1987, my husband was already a UW employee in Data Processing and our 3-year-old son Jeff also entered Paintin' Place daycare the same year. Through the years, we have all had wonderful experiences and developed many valuable friendships."
What motivated you personally to give to Waterloo? "We designate our gift to the Environmental Resource Studies Undergraduate Scholarship Fund. Our primary motivation has been our daughter and the incredible experience she has enjoyed since her first day in ERS. It is our hope that our contributions may help open doors for other students with similar environmental interests."
CAR