Wheels, the top 40, flowers and more

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, and a perfect day to get behind the wheel — especially as the Alternative Fuels Team is offering the media and the public a chance today to drive its latest vehicle, a crossover SUV powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The refitted Chevrolet Equinox is the first fuel-cell vehicle built by students and believed to be the first all-North American fuel-cell SUV ever constructed. The car, unveiled on Friday, will be on display, and available for short drives on a first-come, first-served basis, from 10:00 to 3:00 today in parking lot X behind the Optometry building. After the ride-and-drive, the team will be taking the vehicle to year three of the multi-year competition Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility, May 30 to June 7 at the General Motors Milford Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan. There, the vehicle will compete against entries from 16 other top engineering schools for the title best showroom-ready greener SUV. Waterloo's is the only Canadian team to qualify for the competition.

Another upbeat note is the announcement of "Canada's Top 40 Under 40" for 2007 in this morning's Globe and Mail. Six of the 40 new high achievers are Waterloo graduates, including one who's a member of faculty: Susan Tighe of the department of civil engineering, who's doing research, as an interview the other day put it, aimed at developing a "salt-free diet for Canadian roads". Other UW alumni in the group are Tom Chau of the University of Toronto, Patrick Lamarre of SNC Lavalin Group, Paul Langill of TD Securities, Samir Manji of Amica Mature Lifestyles, and Alim Somani of Infusion Development. Names were made available to the UW alumni affairs office in advance, which is why it was possible to have a flashy display ad (left) prepared and inserted in this morning's Globe. Since four of the UW winners are from engineering and two from accountancy, the dean of engineering, Adel Sedra, and the director of the accountancy school, Jim Barnett, will be at Toronto's Arcadian Court at noon today to congratulate them at a Top-40 luncheon. The annual listing of top young people has included almost two dozen other Waterloo grads since it was launched in 1995. It's sponsored by the Globe and the executive search firm Caldwell Partners.

Today's the day for UW Blooms, the annual spring event (sponsored by the UW Recreation Committee) for exchanging plants, seeds, and gardening supplies. It'll run from 10:00 to 4:00 in the multipurpose room of the Student Life Centre. And UWRC has been promoting a new feature of the event in honour of UW's 50th anniversary: a flower arranging competition, "recycling encouraged". Verna Keller of UWRC reports that a number of arrangements had been dropped off by last night, with more expected this morning: "One is called Then and Now based on how computers have changed. Another one is called Ladder to Success. Both of these are real flower arrangements. Approximately 12 individuals have expressed an interest in submitting a flower arrangement to the categories of silk, real, and creative." Most of the arrangements are being offered as door prizes for those who drop in at the event.

The picture at right shows UW president David Johnston speaking at last week's opening of the Confucius Institute at Renison College, but what you can't see is the language he's using. "He wanted to give a few opening remarks in Mandarin," the official language of China and the one used by the officials who were visiting for the occasion, says Nan Gao of the president's office. (The Confucius Institute is among the first of what will eventually be hundreds sponsored by the Chinese government and based at educational institutions worldwide.) It fell to Gao (left), who grew up in Beijing and originally came to UW as an international graduate student, to write out the necessary Chinese sentences phonetically, then tutor Johnston in pronouncing them with something like the correct tones. "I'm so proud of him!" she said next day, adding that China's consul-general had taken the trouble to comment on Johnston's "impressive" language skills. The president also told the audience (in English) that two of his daughters have lived in China for the sake of acquiring the world's most widely spoken language.

Space — as in the allocation of precious square footage on campus — has been under the authority of the associate provost (academic and student affairs), Bruce Mitchell, for the past several years, but that's changing, according to a brief memo issued by the provost. "Effective May 1, 2007," he writes, "the Space Utilization and Planning function currently provided by Marita Williams will move to Institutional Analysis & Planning. Until her retirement in August 2007, Williams will continue to work with Bruce Mitchell to facilitate the transition. Once Williams retires, Michelle Banic will be the contact person in IAP."

"The results from the 2006 Library Satisfaction Survey are now available," the UW library's e–newsletter reports. "Conducted by the Library's Community Needs Assessment Committee, the online survey conducted last year helped assess the satisfaction level of the UW community with library services, resources, and facilities. Overall, most faculty, students, and other community members are satisfied. However, CNAC notes that there is always room for improvement. Areas noted for improvement include the Library's environment, study space, hours, and public photocopiers and printers."

Yesterday's Daily Bulletin was wrong in one place when it said an honorary degree would be awarded to businessman Carl Dare on June 13, but right in another place when it said he'd receive the degree on the morning of June 14. •  The Bike Centre in the Student Life Centre is looking for some volunteers, with or without bicycle maintenance experience (e–mail uwbikecentre@yahoo.com for information). • Wall drawings by Jenn Yeates, and "The Notebook Project" by local artist Isabella Stefanescu and several colleagues, continue on display this week in the Modern Languages gallery, open noon to 4 p.m.

Back to top

St. Jerome's names new president

St. Jerome's University has found its new president, and he will take office August 1, the UW-federated institution announced yesterday.

The new leader, David Perrin (left) of Saint Paul University, Ottawa, has something — but not everything — in common with the 14 men who were president of St. Jerome's from its 1865 founding until 1989. Like them, he is a Roman Catholic priest. Unlike them, he's not a member of the Congregation of the Resurrection, the order that founded St. Jerome's, but rather a member of the religious order of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI).

The Board of Governors of St. Jerome’s University named Perrin to succeed Michael Higgins, who served as President from 1999 to 2006. Higgins was the second layman to be the college's president, following Douglas Letson. Since Higgins left for St. Thomas University in New Brunswick last year, another (non-Resurrectionist) priest, Myroslaw Tataryn, has filled the role of interim president.

Perrin is currently an associate professor of Spirituality and Ethics in the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul, where he has also served as Dean of the Faculty. From 2002 to 2003, Perrin was the Provincial of the St. Peter’s Province of the Oblates, chairing a committee that oversaw the amalgamation of five Oblate provinces into one.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Western Ontario, Perrin went on to pursue studies in philosophy and theology, at the University of Ottawa and at St. Paul University. He received a Baccalaureate in Theology (STB) followed by a Licentiate in Theology (STL) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Ottawa and Saint Paul University in 1995. His area of academic expertise is Christian spirituality.

Born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Perrin moved with his family at the age of two to the Petawawa area, where his father served in the military and the family ran a hobby farm. With a strong desire to live a life of service, Perrin found himself attracted to religious life in the Oblate community. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1987. After serving three years in parish ministry following his ordination, Perrin continued his studies, beginning his career in scholarship, academia, and university administration.

“I’m pleased and excited to accept the position of President and Vice-Chancellor of St. Jerome’s University,” says Perrin. “As we look forward to St. Jerome’s 150th anniversary in 2015, my commitment as President is to exercise careful leadership that takes into consideration St. Jerome’s rich past, yet, at the same time, develops its potential to face the new challenges presented by Church and society today and in the future.”

In making the announcement, board of governors chair Dorothee Retterath expressed the Board’s confidence in Perrin’s suitability for the specific needs of St. Jerome’s. “Dr. Perrin’s wide-ranging administrative experience, his excellence in his own academic discipline, and his understanding of and commitment to the mission of St. Jerome’s make him a superb fit for this university. The Board looks forward to this new chapter in the St. Jerome’s story under Dr. Perrin’s leadership.”

Perrin will serve a five-year term. His installation as president will take place on September 15, the college announced.

Back to top

Trudeau award to poli sci professor

A new honour came yesterday to Eric Helleiner (left) of UW’s department of political science, as the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation announced that he is among five recipients of the Trudeau Foundation Fellows Prize for “outstanding contributions to the social sciences and humanities in Canada and around the world”.

A few days ago, Helleiner was named the winner of the 2007 Donner Prize for the best book on Canadian public policy, recognizing his study of Canadian currency, Towards North American Monetary Union? That prize carries a $35,000 honorarium. His Trudeau Fellowship will be worth $225,000 over three years, including a $25,000 annual allowance for travel and research expenses.

Helleiner, who also plays a role at the off-campus Centre for International Governance Innovation, is the CIGI Chair in International Governance at UW and director of the graduate programs in Global Governance. He is author of States and the Reemergence of Global Finance: From Bretton Woods to the 1990s (Cornell University Press, 1994), The Making of National Money: Territorial Currencies in Historical Perspective (Cornell, 2003), and the book, subtitled The Politics and History of Canada's Exchange Rate Regime, that won the recent Donner award (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006). He has also co-edited two other books and published dozens of articles and book chapters on topics relating to international political economy and international monetary and financial issues.

He received his BA in economics and political science from the University of Toronto, and his MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics. He is co-editor of the book series Cornell Studies in Money and is a member of the editorial advisory boards of a number of scholarly journals. He has won the Marvin Gelber Essay Prize in International Relations (awarded by the Canadian Institute for International Affairs). He has also served as co-editor of the journal Review of International Political Economy and associate editor of the journal Policy Sciences.

Helleiner is currently working on a SSHRC-funded research project exploring North-South monetary relations in the postwar period. He is also editing a volume on the future role of the US dollar as an international currency. Other current research interests include the international financial regulation and politics of international debt restructuring.

Two of the other fellowship winners are from the University of Ottawa, with one each coming from McMaster and the University of British Columbia. “The 2007 Fellows reflect the Trudeau Foundation’s commitment to making Canada a leader in fostering bold new research and ideas in the social sciences and humanities,” said a statement from P.G. Forest, president of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

The prizes can’t be applied for, so recipients are unaware that they are even being considered. The Foundation explains that it seeks nominations on a continuing basis from national and international leaders in academia, government, business, the voluntary sector and the arts, and awards up to five Fellows Prizes each year.

In general, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, a memorial to Canada’s 15th prime minister, “funds outstanding scholars who conduct research in crucial societal issues, and creates opportunities for dialogue and multidisciplinary collaboration across organizations and disciplines under four key themes: Human Rights and Social Justice, Responsible Citizenship, Canada and the World, and Humans in their Natural Environment. Since being established in 2002, the Foundation has granted over 100 major awards to top researchers and highly accomplished individuals, in Canada and abroad.”

CAR

Back to top