Johnston in India to promote links

UW's president, David Johnston, is in India this week taking part in a flurry of activities aimed at developing links between Indian and Canadian campuses — including a direct agreement between Waterloo and a specialized technical university, to be signed on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, Johnston is scheduled to give one of the keynote addresses at a "higher education summit" sponsored by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in New Delhi. Canada is the designated "partner country" at this year's summit, under the title "Higher Education at the Crossroads: Imperative for Policy and Practice". Representatives of about 40 Canadian institutions, including six university presidents, are scheduled to attend.

Johnston is expected to tell the audience at Federation House, the headquarters of FICCI, that higher education needs to play a leading role as Canada and India move toward closer relations in many areas. Among the possibilities: joint work in biotechnology, environmental technology, information and communications technology, health research and nanotechnology.

The summit is being preceded by a science and technology seminar today, organized by the Canadian high commission, the equivalent of an embassy from this country to India. Johnston will speak at that event as well, along with Ravi Seethapathy of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and a number of Canadian and Indian academics.

The Canadian trip to India "is part of a collaborative effort between the two countries to increase the international experience of their university and college students," says a news release from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. It goes on: "Canadian representatives will use the opportunity to showcase the excellence of Canadian post-secondary education and encourage strategic research partnerships, student and faculty exchanges, and joint program delivery."

Says AUCC president Claire Morris: “India is currently the fourth largest source of foreign students at our universities and we look forward to the opportunity this meeting offers to increase awareness of Canada as a destination for high quality university education and opportunities for cooperation between Canadian and Indian universities.”

AUCC will also sign a memorandum of understanding with the Association of Indian Universities, representing 283 Indian universities, to promote increased cooperation.

On Wednesday, Johnston will be at the New Delhi offices of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies to sign another memorandum, along with UPES vice-chancellor Parag Diwan. This agreement commits the two institutions to "explore the potential for cooperation and active collaboration to foster exchanges in education, training and research", which could include faculty visits, co-op work terms, and involvement of Indian researchers in projects in UW's Research and Technology Park.

Next weekend Johnston will be in the Indian city of Hyderabad to chair a working session as the Association of Commonwealth Universities, of which UW is a member, holds its Conference of Executive Heads.

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Acting president named for Grebel

Conrad Grebel University College has announced the appointment of Ronald Mathies as acting president during the study leave of current president Henry Paetkau from January 1 to June 30, 2009. (Photo: Paetkau, left, chats with Mathies.)

Mathies, who served as director and associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Grebel from 1986 to 1996, most recently worked as the executive director of Mennonite Central Committee (1996-2005) and was a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo (2006-08). He returned to Grebel in 2005 as the Rodney and Lorna Sawatsky Visiting Scholar.

“Grebel has an extremely significant mission with respect to the university, the church and its connectedness to the global community,” says Mathies, quoted in a Grebel news release. “I look forward to returning to this exciting community to engage compelling issues.”

Says Paetkau: “I’m extremely pleased to have someone with Ron’s experience and expertise serve the college during my study leave. He understands the college very well, is well known and respected in the constituency, and is a fine communicator and administrator.”

During his sabbatical, Paetkau, who has served as president of Grebel since January 2003, "will focus on issues related to educational administration and leadership, review Grebel’s governance structures and procedures and learn from sister educational institutions," the announcement said. "He also plans to explore some of the many opportunities for the college to develop international relationships and connections."

“Part of our mission is to serve the global community,” Paetkau says. “At our fall College Council retreat we identified many of the ways in which Conrad Grebel is already connecting its academic and residence programs with the larger world. There is much more we can learn from these relationships, and more ways in which our faculty and students could be enriched by an international experience. I’m very grateful that the board has granted me a study leave to pursue these connections.”

The chair of Grebel's board of governors, Bert Lobe, says, “The board appreciates Henry Paetkau's steady leadership. We are confident that his sabbatical will contribute significantly to the Grebel mission. Scholarly research, exploration of future initiatives and a period of reflection are important components of President Paetkau's sabbatical.” He adds that the board welcomes the availability of Mathies as acting president: “Ron's knowledge of Grebel and its program, his international experience and mindset, and his commitment to the church suit him well for this role."

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Drops in a fast-flowing data stream

"A watch that displays messages from your phone," the memo proposes. "Location-based content on your mobile device. A website that changes the way you shop for groceries," and I don't think it means just that it's going to point me towards the brussels sprouts more often. These innovations are, it says, 'just a few of the things VeloCity students have been developing." Those would be the inmates of the tech incubator residence that UW put into operation this fall. With the term coming to an end, the 70 students in the experimental hothouse are mounting an exhibition of their work today, from 10:30 to 2:30 in the Davis Centre foyer. ("Project pitches" to the invited and uninvited audience run on the main stage from 12:00 to 1:00.) Corporate partners, of whom the project has many, have been invited, and people from campus are invited as well.

There’s plenty doing for the clientele of the UW Recreation Committee, which includes all interested staff, faculty and retirees. A couple of special events were held last week, including a noontime workshop on “how to de-stress at work and in your everyday life”, and regular sessions continue, including the monthly “feng shui and obesity” group, which will meet again tomorrow at lunch hour. A memo distributed last week gives a preview of plans for 2009, including a couple of outings to the St. Jacobs Playhouse Theatre, an eight-week series of “simplicity circle meetings starting January 21, and a possible group purchase of Harlem Globetrotters tickets in April. The UWRC also has discount tickets and other arrangements including the Galaxy cinema, the CN Tower, Via Rail, and Enterprise car rental — details are on the web site.

The School of Accounting and Finance has announced the winners of this year’s Deloitte Tax Scholarship, which recognizes “outstanding, well-rounded students who display the core competencies of a successful tax professional”. Grant Russell, associate director of the school, says the students have “demonstrated the ability to act as leaders in their community, while maintaining an excellent academic record”. Each taking home a $2,500 prize are Catalina Anghel (2nd year, accounting and financial management program); Iris Cheung (3rd year, AFM); Roxanne Di Fruscia (1st year, AFM); Andrew Jones (2nd year, AFM); Chloe Koo (4th year, AFM); Whitney Mayfield (4th year, Math/CA program); Karl Mikelsons (2nd year, AFM); and Amy Zhang (3rd year, Biotech/CA program).

Jordan Verdone of the Warriors is the year’s top rookie in Canadian university football, as he was awarded the Peter Gorman Trophy from Canadian Interuniversity Sport during the celebrations last week leading up to the Vanier Cup championship. Verdone (right) led the Warriors in solo tackles this season with 44, and reported 52.5 total tackles, three sacks and one interception. “In only his first year Jordan has become the face of the Warrior defence,” a citation says, noting “his bone-crushing hits, hardnosed style of play, and his football intelligence”. Verdone, a political science student, becomes the first Warrior to be named CIS’s top rookie since the Gorman Trophy was first presented in 1976.

The Balsillie School of International Affairs did, as expected, announce its architect at the end of last week, naming Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB) of Toronto to design its new home. The project will be directed by Bruce Kuwabara, design partner, and Shirley Blumberg, partner-in-charge. The new building is a 65,000-square-foot project, strategically sited next to the Centre for International Governance Innovation on Erb Street — “and,” a news release boasts, “on the only site in Canada bounded by three Governor General Award-winning buildings — the Seagram Museum (current home of CIGI), the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery. The new Balsillie School, with its state of the art teaching spaces and public auditorium, will be a significant addition to this exceptional institutional precinct in Uptown Waterloo.” It quotes architect Blumberg: “KPMB’s design will aspire to make the new Balsillie School the fourth Governor General’s Award-winning project in Waterloo. Having worked on the original Seagram Museum, it is particularly inspiring to be back reinventing the site as a vibrant campus for the study of international affairs.”

CAR

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