Last priest leaves St. Jerome’s faculty

A faculty retirement at St. Jerome’s University this summer has brought the end of a continuous presence that dates back to the founding of St. Jerome’s in 1864.

Rev. Jim Wahl, long-time professor of history and former dean at the college (1970-75), was the last Resurrectionist priest to be on the faculty there. Wahl (pictured at left at the time he became dean) retired officially on July 1.

St. Jerome’s was founded by the Congregation of the Resurrection, and for decades most of its faculty were priests with the “C.R.” designation after their names. That would include three who served as president of St. Jerome’s since it became federated with UW in 1959: Rev. C. L. Siegfried, Rev. John Finn and Rev. Norm Choate.

But fewer black coats and white collars have been in evidence over the years, and Wahl has been the last of a historic line. Now he too is retiring to live at Resurrection College, the seminary and residence on the other side of Westmount Road.

“It’s not as if the CR presence is entirely gone,” says Harry Froklage, the director of development at St. Jerome’s. He notes that the head of chaplaincy at the college, Rev. Jim Link, is a Resurrectionist, and retired priest Rev. Fred Scinto has done some sessional lecturing in recent years.

Wahl (pictured at left as he appeared when he became dean of St. Jerome’s in 1970) attended St. Jerome’s High School in Kitchener and joined the faculty in 1967 after earning a BA from the University of Western Ontario in 1962 and an MA from St. Louis University. He took his PhD, also from St. Louis, in 1968.

Originally a specialist in ancient and mediaeval history, he has also given some of his attention to more modern events, and was even co-editor of a history of St. Jerome’s by colleague Ken McLaughlin, published in 2002 as Enthusiasm for the Truth.

A chance discovery during a sabbatical in Italy led to his role as official historian of the Congregation of the Resurrection. There in the archives he found the letters of Rev. Eugene Funcken, the pioneering Prussian priest who established the Resurrectionists in Canada (and whose brother was the founder of St. Jerome’s). “That was it,” he recalls.

He translated and published the letters before turning to other aspects of his community’s history.

After his official retirement he’s expecting to continue his research on the history of the Roman Catholic church in Bermuda, where the Congregation of the Resurrection has been a major influence. He has already produced one book from that work: Planting the Banner of Christ on the Isle of Devils: A History of the Roman Catholic Church in Bermuda. And he is currently working on an illustrated history of the Ontario/Kentucky Province of the order, which will be launched on August 14, 2007—the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Fr. Eugene Funcken in St. Agatha, west of Waterloo.

He will also continue to teach on a sessional basis and remains the official archivist of the Congregation, with two more book projects planned: a biographical dictionary of Resurrectionists in the Ontario/Kentucky province and an edition of the letters of Rev. Louis Funcken, the college founder.

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UW officials join talks with Californians

Research officials from UW were among the participants in two recent meetings that explored how the major universities in Canada and in California could put their strengths together to tackle big issues in fields from medicine to transportation.

Alan George, the vice-president (university research), attended the first such meeting in Los Angeles in January, and associate vice-president John Thompson was at a follow-up meeting in Vancouver in June. (It was hosted by John Hepburn, vice-president for research at the University of British Columbia and a former UW chemistry professor.)

"Some complementarities were identified," says George, adding that several working groups are now fleshing out proposals for joint efforts — "identifying in more detail the strengths in the various universities." They include 15 big Canadian institutions and 13 institutions in America's largest state, which is home to Stanford, Caltech, Berkeley and UCLA. Some industry and government leaders have also been involved in the meetings.

Getting three of the key words into one title, the infant north-south link is being called the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership. "Key themes for cooperation identified at the first summit in Los Angeles as offering strong potential for strategic partnerships," according to UBC, include stem cells and regenerative medicines; ICT/broadband internet connectivity; advanced transportation and energy; nanotechnology; infectious diseases; and highly qualified human resources.

"Many policy experts believe," science reporter Peter Calamai writes in the Star, "these big societal problems can be successfully tackled only by applying the full arsenal of academic expertise — the social sciences, humanities and arts, as well as the physical and life sciences — and by drawing on an international talent pool." The Canada-California meetings were originally organized by Arthur Carty, Canada's national science advisor (and also a former UW chemist), and Robert Dynes, Canadian-born president of the University of California.

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CUPE agreement, and other notes

Negotiators for UW and Canadian Union of Public Employees local 793 have reached a new agreement, and it was approved by the CUPE membership on Wednesday night, says Neil Murray, UW's director of staff and labour relations. Local 793 represents around 300 people who work in the food services and plant operations departments. It's been without a contract since the previous agreement, reached in 2004, expired on April 30. Details of the new contract will be made public once it's approved by the employer, the UW board of governors, Murray said.

With spring term exams imminent, the hours of UW's libraries will be extended in the usual way, an announcement says. The Davis Centre library will be open 24 hours a day (except Sundays 2 to 8 a.m. for systems maintenance) from this Sunday, July 16, through Saturday, August 12. The Dana Porter library will be open daily 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., again from this Sunday through to August 12.

Voting opened yesterday, the university secretariat announces, as staff members in the Faculty of Science elect a representative on the Dean of Science Nominating Committee. Brief campaign statements are available online for the three candidates who are contesting that position: Jenniffer Fleet (Biology), Scott Nicoll (Chemistry), and Karen Trevors (Dean of Science). The election closes at 4:30 p.m. this Tuesday, July 18.

The coaches of the Warrior men's basketball team proudly announced this week that "the strongest class of newcomers in recent memory" will be joining the team this fall. "With the graduation loss of senior captains Graham Jarman, Chris Edwards and Gerard Magennis it was crucial to bring in some talented players who could contribute immediately," a news release says. "The rookie Warriors bring a broad spectrum of skill, athleticism and competitiveness that should keep the Warriors among the top teams for years." Four high schoolers are listed — Luke Kieswetter and Jordan Hannah of Kitchener, Alan Goodhoofd of Oakville, and Reed Siemieniuk of Calgary — plus Sinclair Brown of Vancouver, formerly of Simon Fraser University, who will be eligible to play in 2007.

Online class enrolment appointments for students enrolling for the first time in September begin on Monday (and open enrolment for all students starts July 31). . . . South Campus Hall and the Graduate House will be without electrical power on Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon. . . . And the Lyle Hallman Institute wing of Matthews Hall will be without air conditioning on Monday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. . . .

Finally . . . I'll be away from the university next week. My colleagues here in Communications and Public Affairs will keep the Daily Bulletin coming, and can be reached by e-mail at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca.

CAR

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