Keystone hits 2,007, keeps rolling

They’re beaming with pride and joy this morning, as organizers of the on-campus Keystone Campaign can announce that they’ve met the goal of achieving 2,007 donors among UW’s staff, faculty and retirees — even before the target date of 2007.

Keystone has also raised more than $6 million, well above the original dollar goal of $4.5 million.

Faculty and staff will be getting a congratulatory memo this morning, by e-mail or on paper, from UW president David Johnston. He calls the news “outstanding . . . tremendous . . . and I'd like to express my sincere thanks to the many donors, volunteers, and sponsors in the campus community who are responsible for this success."

The president notes that the Keystone Campaign, “representing support from faculty, staff, and retirees from across campus including the four University colleges, is the cornerstone of our public $350 million Campaign Waterloo. Ongoing support for this annual giving program will provide the necessary funds for UW students to receive needed scholarships and a high-quality education.

“Again my sincere gratitude to each of you for all you do every day for this exceptional institution.”

The participation goal was announced in June 2005 after the campaign had met its initial goal of raising $4.5 million by December 2004 – that was two and a half years early, as the campaign was slated to end in July 2007 as UW marked its 50th anniversary. Keystone organizers say the campaign has been extended and will now end in October 2007.

There’s no word on a specific new goal for Keystone, as UW fund-raisers prepare to shift their emphasis from a fixed-term campaign to annual giving. Johnston has said UW’s annual fund needs to grow until it’s bringing in $50 million a year from alumni, friends, corporations and the on-campus supporters.

Keystone Campaign manager Jennifer Lorette says she’d like to extend “thanks and congratulations to all the donors, volunteers, and sponsors who contributed to this achievement”. She also extends an invitation to all “to continue to support this annual giving program moving forward. Support from the Keystone Campaign will help UW continue to provide leading-edge opportunities and a first-rate education to students, as well as access to all students through scholarships, regardless of their financial situation.”

A Keystone brochure distributed earlier this year said 55 per cent of contributions to the campaign have gone to student assistance, with 24 per cent designated to academic programs and the rest to the library, buildings, equipment and other purposes. A recent emphasis has been the Kresge Challenge, which calls on the library to raise $2.8 million on and off campus to qualify for a $750,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation.

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Building on Johnston's ten goals

The Record newspaper will help the Waterloo Region community pick up a challenge, issued by UW president David Johnston yesterday, to suggest 10 goals for its future.

In a speech to the Chamber of Commerce, the president outlined 10 goals to make Waterloo Region "Canada’s knowledge capital" by 2010 and invited the community to develop 10 more that would move Waterloo Region beyond 2010. He called it an invitation “to dream together".

The publisher and editor of the Record agreed in advance to follow up Johnston's proposals, and this morning's paper trumpets them as a "Blueprint for greatness". In the coming weeks, the newspaper will invite members of the community to comment on Johnston’s 10 goals, suggest the next 10 and help develop the metrics with which to measure success.

Johnston said his vision of Waterloo as knowledge capital is based on the three Ts for the creative class – talent, technology and tolerance – as outlined by social theorist Richard Florida. “Waterloo is already living, and in some cases exceeding, the three model of Florida’s three Ts,” said Johnston. The region excels at creating, attracting and retaining smart people. It builds on key strengths by investing in innovation. And it more than just tolerates, but rather “welcomes" new people and new ideas.

He commended the region for its commitment to the three Ts and urged the community to continue its investment. He then offered his goals, three or four for each of the three Ts, that would help Waterloo achieve the status of knowledge capital.

Johnston first urged the region to improve overall educational achievement, with specific targets at all levels, from elementary through to doctoral. He also called for expanded support for think tanks like the Centre for International Governance Innovation and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. His second goal is ensuring that the area’s postsecondary institutions — UW, Wilfrid Laurier University, Conestoga College, and the nearby University of Guelph — are Canadian leaders in their top disciplines and are well supported financially.

The third goal is to build better access to quality health care. Citizens should not be heading to Toronto, London or Hamilton, he said; Waterloo Region should be a destination. And the college and universities all have strengths that can help improve health care.

The fourth goal is for “transformational public investment” in science and technology. He says the region “must strive to make this the number one industry cluster in terms of public and private investment in R&D,” and offered CIGI, PI and UW’s Institute for Quantum Computing as examples of success.

Johnston then recommended that governments provide tax breaks and other incentives for think tanks and non-governmental organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Mennonite Central Committee. His fifth goal has the region borrowing from Montréal International, which promotes the advantages of Québec’s corporate taxation system and encourages companies to operate in the province.

Johnston also urged an investment in infrastructure, saying that “attracting talented people is easier if they can get around by bicycle, road, train and airplane.” Other required elements include transportation improvements like rapid transit, wireless infrastructure “to accommodate our smart people”, and a conference centre/congress facility.

The seventh goal is to encourage immigration. He reminded the audience that Waterloo Region is a “magnet for the smart and the ambitious from around the world,” with immigrants making up 21 percent of its population — yet 18 percent of newcomers live in poverty. “We should lead the country in integrating immigrants in their skilled field within two years,” said Johnston.

Goal number eight involves reducing poverty by empowering people to improve their situation. He noted that more people than ever before – 50,000 in Waterloo Region – are living below the poverty line. “The irony is that this region has the lowest rate of unemployment in the country.”

Johnston then urged the community to make the area a cultural centre and offered a vision of an artisans' community in Cambridge, built around UW’s school of architecture. He suggested the region create a summer music festival, support local artists, including the Alliance for a Grand Community, and support Kitchener’s application to the federal Cultural Capitals of Canada program.

The 10th goal is to celebrate the area’s collective accomplishments and strive to do better. The wholeregion should celebrate the City of Waterloo’s success as one of the top seven communities of the world and support its next bid to be number one.

“The alchemy of Waterloo is the level of co-operation among business, government and educational institutions,” said Johnston, borrowing from Tom Jenkins, executive chairman and chief strategy officer of Open Text Corp. “We ought to establish a barn-builder award to systematically recognize the effort of our citizens to build a better community here, for a better Canada.”

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Entrepreneurship expo is next week

a news release from Impact

Students at UW are organizing Canada's largest entrepreneurship event: UW Expo. As a part of Communitech's Entrepreneurship week and the university's Homecoming 2006, the Impact student organization is presenting a one-day exhibition that expects to attract thousands of students from the campus community.

The UW Expo will consist of a full day of speakers, workshops and panel discussions, as well as an exhibition featuring innovative student initiatives and a corporate recruiting fair. Throughout the day, five keynote speakers will address topics ranging from corporate success to social entrepreneurship.

Among them is James Dean, a Globe and Mail "Top 40 Under 40" award recipient and founder and Chief Executive Officer of hydrogen fuel cell company DPoint Technologies Inc. He will be speaking about alternative fuel sources. Dean is a former president of Greenlight Power Technologies, which became the world's largest fuel cell test station company. The co-founders and co-CEOs of Engineers Without Borders Canada — George Roter and Parker Mitchell — will also be keynote speakers.

Anoather keynote speaker, Larry Smith, is one of UW's top economics professors and a recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award. Smith also provides "strategic market guidance for new ventures and new technologies" through his company, Essential Economics. In addition, he is the author of Beyond the Internet: How Expert Systems Will Truly Transform Business.

Besides the keynote speakers, workshops and panel discussions will provide students an opportunity to learn valuable skills in an interactive setting, bringing students, faculty and industry guests together to discuss and promote innovation and entrepreneurship. A number of existing entrepreneurial student initiatives — from technological breakthroughs to social outreach programs — will be showcased. Dozens of exhibitors will be on hand.

The UW Expo will be held on Saturday, September 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Davis Centre. All events are free of charge to UW students, but advance registration is required, and those who register could win one of three video iPods.

Sponsors of the event include BLG, MasterCard, and UW. Impact is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and leadership in Canada.

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'Dig It' is an outdoor party: an afternoon and evening of music, food and drink on the open area, about at waist level along the west side of the ring road, where UW's Quantum-Nano Centre is to be built next year. Meanwhile, across the creek at St. Paul's College, Saturday brings the third annual Sundance traditional pow-wow, organized by Aboriginal students and guests. It will run from noon to 5 p.m., and all are welcome (tickets $5). The event, says traditional dancer Charisse Sayer, "provides our prospective aboriginal leaders with a sense of community, unity and opportunity." Pow-wows are celebrations: people of all ages will come together to sing, dance, learn, shop and eat. A wide assortment of craft vendors is promised, along with "many chances to enjoy such savory Aboriginal treats as Indian tacos".

CAR

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