Four tons of granite-gneiss will be a permanent reminder of UW's 50th anniversary. The rock was quarried in Bigwood Township near Sudbury, which was also the source of the 22-ton WatRock that stands in the CEIT building lobby. The new slab was donated to UW's Peter Russell Rock Garden by Jose Melo of Allstone Quarry Products in Schomberg, Ontario, and installed last week. It shows the anniversary logo and Mace symbol, and late this fall a bronze plaque will be attached celebrating the 50 science alumni who were honoured by their faculty during a Homecoming event on Saturday.

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Paperwork for all employees this week

All UW's staff, faculty and retirees are being asked to "confirm" information about their benefits, as the university prepares to move some benefits to a different insurance company as of January 1.

A memo from the human resources department, asking everybody to return some information in writing (including "a new signed and witnessed beneficiary designation form"), is going out along with individuals' annual benefit statements, says Glenda Rutledge, benefits coordinator in HR.

The memo announces that "As a result of a public tendering exercise by the Pension and Benefits Committee, Great-West Life will administer University of Waterloo’s extended health, dental and long-term disability plans effective January 1, 2008. By having these benefit plans with one carrier, UW is able to provide you with the convenience of one benefit card and plan number for our benefits plus contact information for the out-of-Canada coverage printed on the reverse of the card." For the past few years, Great-West Life, based in London, Ontario, has had the extended health plan, but the dental plan and LTD insurance have been administered by Manulife.

Says the memo: "Benefits data found on the attached benefits form will be transmitted from Human Resources to Great-West Life. We need you to confirm this information to ensure your benefits will be properly administered. We do not have current data about other benefit coverage that your spouse may have (if applicable.) This is important for the financial health of UW’s plan because when there is other coverage, there is an agreed order among insurance carriers as to which plan pays first with the balance paid by the other plan.

"We are also asking that you return a new signed and witnessed beneficiary designation form to Human Resources on the same date. This will ease the administration of your death benefits." The paperwork should be returned to HR by this Friday, the memo says. It adds: "Watch for more information about our benefit transition to Great-West Life throughout the Fall. New benefit cards will be distributed in December 2007."

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'Workplace' conference two weeks off

a release from the UW media relations office announcing this month's conference

The University of Waterloo is gathering some of North America's leading experts in society and culture, technology, education and health for a three-day conference on how the world of work will change over the next 10 years.

The conference, entitled 2017: The Workplace, will run from October 14 to 16, to mark both the 50th anniversary of UW and co-operative education in Canada. Each day's program will be aimed at different audiences, from researchers and academics to business, government and education leaders, as well as co-op employers and human resources professionals.

Speakers include such well-known public figures as Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Richard Florida and Jim Balsillie, as well as UW academics Ken Coates and Frances Westley. The conference presents a unique opportunity to share thoughtful analysis and dialogue around some of tomorrow's most pressing workplace and human challenges.

"Knowledge, imagination and intellectual capacity are the measures by which future successes will be won or lost," said David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo. "This influential group of professionals will focus on tomorrow's issues today, examining how we can best move from lessons learned in the past to a position where we can better prepare ourselves for success in the decade to come."

Conference highlights include an interview involving Gladwell and Balsillie on Monday, October 15 at 9 a.m. The staff writer for The New Yorker magazine will raise such questions as 'How do you make predictions in an world that changes dramatically month-to-month with new electronic devices out every six months?' or 'Is it even useful to forecast in today's business environment?'

At 1 p.m. the same day, Gladwell will interview Roger Martin, dean of the Joseph L Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, on how to motivate and encourage creative thoughts, ideas and discoveries for the good of society.

The conference will investigate a diverse range of topics, including the movement of knowledge out of the country, the impact of technology adoption in the workplace, the role of education amid a rapid pace of change in Canada over the next 10 years and the globalization of the economy.

Specific workshops will explore topics such as the physical and mental health of workers; the increasing underutilization of education and work-based learning in the global economy; electronic portfolios; tools for learning and the workplace; managing in a multi-cultural work environment; privacy and freedom of information in the new world of work; and creating a new culture for work to attract and keep talent.

A three-day pass costs $1,899, plus GST.

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Other notes in a brand new month

An announcement from the registrar's office is letting students know of "a major new feature in Quest", in the form of "Course Pre-Enrolment for Future Terms". It says: "Beginning October 29th, you will be asked to pre-enrol in classes for your Spring 2008 term. Using this demand data, Faculties will make teaching plans to ensure the maximum number of students are able to get into all their courses. Please check Quest and your campus email for instructions on where to get a list of classes offered in Spring 2008, and how to pre-enrol. Failure to pre-enrol may result in courses being full before your enrolment appointment for Spring 2008 even opens! This is a permanent change to the course enrolment process. Students will be asked to pre-enrol for Fall classes in February, and for Winter classes in June."

Here's an enthusiastic message from Phil Legate in the residence life section of UW's housing department: "The Department of Housing and Residences is currently hiring Dons for the Spring 2008 term. Dons at the University of Waterloo are appointed to foster a positive residence experience for residents, conducive to successful academic study and personal development. This position requires an individual with varied experience and talent, excellent communication skills, proven leadership ability, good judgement, and most importantly, a sincere desire to help others. Individuals will gain leadership experience, expand skill sets, be part of an amazing Residence Life team and much more!” Anyone interested can visit the housing web site to fill out an application form, no later than Friday, November 2.

And Nancy Collins writes from the library administrative office to say that as of today, the library goes live with a new online booking system for reserving study rooms in the Davis and Dana Porter libraries. "Previous to now," she writes, "the rooms have been available on a first-come, first-serve basis. This system was created in response to student demand for these spaces to be bookable." In Porter, there are five group study rooms; in Davis, another five group study rooms plus 10 single-study rooms. "Anyone with a UWdir username and password," says the fine print, "can book study rooms for up to 3 hours per day to a maximum of 10 hours per week. The study rooms will remain unlocked, so just show up at the room at the time of your booking." The system was largely developed by co-op student Adam Patterson.

Harold Fallding (right), who was a professor of sociology at UW from 1965 until his retirement in 1988, died September 1. The titles of his three books give some indication of the range of his professional interests: The Sociology of Religion; Drinking, Community and Civilization; The Sociological Task. In 1980 (photo) he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

First-round employer interviews for winter term co-op jobs begin today in the Tatham Centre and run through October 26. • Tomorrow is the deadline for nominating top faculty members as TVOntario prepares to launch this year's "Ontario's Best Lecturer" competition. • Heating and cooling (and who knows which will be needed in this first week of October?) will be shut off in the PAS building from 8:00 to 10:00 tomorrow morning, so work can be done involving connections to the new wing that's under construction.

And . . . “Mennonites have lived in families and as sexual beings, throughout their history,” says a news release from Conrad Grebel University College. “Yet there has been minimal research on or conversation about the meaning, structure, and function of families in Mennonite history. Even less examined is the notion of sexuality as experienced and expressed by Mennonites in the past. Both are at the core of human identity.” Accordingly, Grebel will hold “Family & Sexuality in Mennonite History: An Academic and Community Education Conference,” October 12 and 13. The release says the conference will address "such themes as Marriage Models and Behaviours; Sexual Beliefs and Practices; Migrating Families; and Violence, Misconduct, and Conflict in Family Relations, for instance. The Friday night keynote address is by Dr. Royden Loewen, Chair in Mennonite Studies at University of Winnipeg, titled ‘Being Mennonite in the Family: A North American Perspective’. The conference, planned and hosted by the Institute of Anabaptist Mennonite Studies at Conrad Grebel, is part of an ongoing series of projects and events, initiated by the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, that probe the Divergent Voices of Canadian Mennonites.”

CAR

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