![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Friday, November 26, 2004
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Candles and a Christmas tree]](/images/2004/1126craft.jpg)
The last day
of the staff association's annual craft sale is under way in the
Davis Centre lounge. The sale, which winds up at 3:00, includes porcelain,
jewellery, woodwork and ornaments, as well as these candles, being
shown off by their creators.
Photo by Barb Yantha.
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A four-page brochure (pictured below) boasts of the accolade and other rankings as they appeared in the magazine earlier this month. Maclean's gives rankings in two main categories: factual (based on statistics, from class sizes to budgets) and reputational (based on a survey of high school counsellors, corporate recruiters and other influential people).
![[Brochure cover is gold]](/images/2004/1126macleans.jpg)
In the reputational rankings, Waterloo topped the country's
"comprehensive" universities in all four competitions: "highest
quality", "leaders of tomorrow", "most innovative" and "best
overall". (Guelph was second in all four races.)
When universities from the "medical-doctoral" group were included
as well as the "comprehensive" ones, UW fell to fourth in "highest
quality" (behind Queen's, McGill and Toronto) and second in "leaders
of tomorrow" (behind Toronto), but was still first in "most
innovative" and "best overall".
As for the statistical rankings for comprehensive universities, UW's placement was number 1 in "student retention" (fewest dropouts), "student awards", "classes taught by tenured faculty", "awards per full-time faculty", "library acquisitions", and "alumni support". Waterloo was number 2 in "average entering grade" and "proportion who graduate". With rankings like that (and despite coming 10th, out of 11 institutions, in size of upper-year classes), UW moved from second place last year to first place this year among the comprehensive institutions.
In a presentation to UW's senate earlier this month, president David Johnston noted some areas in which Waterloo had seen big improvement from 2003 to this year's round.
But there were five categories in which UW's improvements did push Waterloo up the rankings: budget per student; the percentage of entering students with marks of 75 or higher; grants in the social sciences and humanities research areas; library spending per student; and, above all, library acquisitions per student.
In the acquisitions category, UW jumped from 7th last year to first this year, on the strength of higher spending for electronic library resources.
The new brochure includes a spreadsheet of rankings in the various categories, as well as colourful photos of life at Waterloo (plus a swirling Canadian flag and a tree in bright autumn gold). On the back page are some highlights of "things we're particularly proud of" at Waterloo, including co-op, multimedia classrooms, technology transfer and the new architecture building in Cambridge.
The brochure will be included with the fall issue of the UW Magazine as it's mailed to almost 100,000 alumni, and more copies are available from Linda Howe in the communications and public affairs office, phone ext. 3580.
![[Warrian]](/images/2004/1126warrian.jpg)
This year's recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award is
Peter
Warrian (right), former Chief Economist of Ontario and
assistant deputy
minister of finance in the Bob Rae government. Warrian, who graduated from St.
Jerome's in 1969, credits Choate, the former president of St. Jerome's, with
being among his most "formative influences".
Delivering this year's Graduates' Association Lecture is the current president of St. Jerome's, Michael W. Higgins. Speaking on the topic "Spirituality and Reason: A Strange and Potent Mixture", Higgins poses -- and answers -- the provocative question: "Do the values of reasoned analysis and factual research -- so central to the mandate of a university -- toll the death knell of the spiritual life?"
The co-author of the best-selling Power and Peril: The Catholic Church at the Crossroads turns his attention to this question and responds with an even more compelling one: "Can a university afford to ignore the spirituality of its members?" Higgins is a regular commentator, in both print and broadcast media, on matters pertaining to the Roman Catholic Church, and author of several books. He has been president of St. Jerome's since 1999.
![[A Fine Cause flyer]](/images/2004/1126finecause.gif)
A thousand works
of art are donated each year to be sold for the benefit of UW's fine arts
department. Artists this
year include Jane Buyers, Tony Urquhart and other past and
present faculty members in the department, as well as alumni, students
and friends. "This annual event has raised thousands of dollars to support
important fine art initiatives," the department says. The show
puts hundreds of miniature works for sale on the walls of East Campus
Hall. It runs from 4 to 9 tonight (with a silent auction as well as
the regular sale)
and continues Saturday from 1 to 4, then Monday and Tuesday all day.
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VIP Travel, the agency that has UW's travel agency contract, is moving its offices. It's been "in amongst the RIM compound", says Steve Cook of UW's procurement services -- that is, at 175 Columbia Street West. As of Monday, VIP will be in the Waterloo Town Square downtown mall. Phone numbers (747-1282), e-mail addresses and other details don't change. Cook adds that his department's web site "contains much of the up-to-date travel information that the UW community might need".
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Jessie Cairney, retiring from UW Graphics, open house
9:00 to 2:00, Pixel Planet, Math and Computer room 2018.
Ram and Lekha Tumkur Memorial Scholarship presentation to Shathi Eshaque, grad student in biology, 10:00, Biology I room 271. Touring Players children's show, Humanities Theatre, 10:00, 11:45 and 1:30. 'Jail and Bail' fund-raiser at St. Jerome's University, noon to 4 p.m. Centre for International Governance Innovation presents Jennifer Clapp, Trent University, "The Political Economy of Genetically Modified Food Aid", 12 noon, 57 Erb Street West, reservations rsvp@cigionline.ca. Laurier Science Research Centre opening ceremonies, 2:30, science building courtyard, WLU. Tamil Remembrance Day observations, 6:30, Humanities Theatre. Warrior Weekend activities in the Student Life Centre: movies Friday ("Zoolander" 9:30, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" 11:30), dance lessons and games Saturday, details online. Battle of the Bands tonight, Bombshelter pub. Bishop Morse Robinson Conference at Renison College, Saturday breakfast and morning event about parish leadership, details online. Hong Kong reception for parents of math students, hosted by dean of mathematics and director of the school of computer science, Sunday at Hotel Nikko Hong Kong. Dental plan referendum information session for graduate students Monday 5 p.m., Graduate House; voting Tuesday through Thursday. Internet Safety for Children seminar sponsored by Employee Assistance Program, Tuesday 12 noon, Davis Centre room 1350, reservations to Johan Reis, health services. |
The Engineering Society's once-a-term drama production is taking place this weekend. "We are performing two comedies," says producer Patrick Brown. "If you have never seen our intrepid classmates attempting to brush off the engineering stereotypes, then maybe you should." The first part of the show is a group of four short plays making up "All in the Timing" -- on such topics as dating, monkeys with typewriters, and "a day in the life of a man who can never get what he wants". The second half of the show is "Cut!", described as "a slightly absurd look at the acting world". Performances will be at 8:00 tonight, 2:00 and 8:00 on Saturday, in Arts Lecture Hall room 113; tickets are $5.
Harish Patel, a student in the graduate "business, entrepreneurship and technology" program, sends word of the UW Student Underground Book Exchange, "a free online textbook exchange" created by a group of alumni. group of alumni to provide "a free "We launched the site in order to help students save money," he writes. "Consignment services exist at the university but 15% of the price is lost right off the top, and students only get paid if their book is sold. It's a simple listing site that doesn't require any login or registration. Students just type in their book information (title, author, ISBN, etc.), an email and password to submit the listing. The password is used to allow the seller to edit and remove their listing. The site is looking for student volunteers to help with the site promotion and maintenance."
"Get a jump on fitness next term," suggests Michelle Robinson of the campus recreation program. "Fitness shoe tags for winter 2005 are now available in the PAC athletics office." The price is $49, and the tag is not only "the best fitness deal around" but the now standard way of getting admission to exercise classes. "People with the tag are able to take any fitness class offered by Campus Rec in the winter term. This is the perfect Christmas gift to give yourself!"
Sports this weekend: Men's hockey vs. Queen's on Saturday and Royal Military College on Sunday, both games 2 p.m., Columbia Icefield. Volleyball vs. Ryerson on Saturday in the PAC, women's teams at noon, men at 2 p.m. The men's team then plays at Toronto on Sunday. Out of town, the figure skaters are at the Queen's Invitational today, the swim team is at Guelph tomorrow, women's hockey is at Toronto tomorrow night, and the basketball squads, both men and women, are at Brock tomorrow.
CAR