Waterloo tops Corporate Knights list again

news release from UW Media Relations

(Above, fourth-year environment and business students Sydney Luong and Amanda Macdonald assess energy efficiency at Columbia Lake Village as part of their co-op job.)

The University of Waterloo's Centre for Environment and Business and its undergraduate program have scored No. 1 in Corporate Knights magazine's annual business schools ranking that measures how well universities do in integrating sustainability into the school experience.

Corporate Knights is a Canadian-based publication that positions itself as the "world's largest circulation magazine with an explicit focus on corporate responsibility." It's the second year in a row the Waterloo program has been ranked No. 1 in the country.

"This recognition is a tremendous honour for us," said Deep Saini, dean of the Faculty of Environment. "Our program represents a shift in traditional thinking — the integration of business and environment. Our graduates and co-op students are helping governments and businesses advance their sustainability and business objectives in very tangible, positive ways."

For example, recent graduates in environment and business work as building specialists, environmental planners and environmental scientists for such diverse employers as Walmart, Hydro One, Research In Motion and the Region of Waterloo.

Corporate Knights editor Melissa Shin said Waterloo scored the highest in the undergraduate category out of all universities in Canada. She said the magazine measures the range of course options available to students and how well sustainability is embedded into the framework of those programs.

"Waterloo was the only university to achieve full points in the sustainability-related core and elective courses questions," Shin said.

Environment and business at Waterloo addresses the huge need for sustainability professionals by producing knowledgeable and experienced graduates — people who know the tools of business and sustainability and who have the experience gained through paid co-op work terms.

Graduates leave with all the foundations of a business degree — economics, finance, accounting, management and marketing. They also are provided with an environmental education, including field ecology, human geography and environmental research techniques.

The overall top five undergraduate business programs in Canada were Waterloo, Calgary, UBC, Simon Fraser and Dalhousie.

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Current co-op employment “a solid achievement”

“A more positive outcome than expected” is how Peggy Jarvie (left), executive director of Co-operative Education & Career Services, describes the final co-op employment figures for the spring 2009 term in a July 10 memo to the university's senior administrators.

“The final spring 2009 employment rate is 93.2 per cent, with 312 students left unemployed. … Almost half (43 per cent) of the unemployed are junior students (first or second work term), who comprised just 26 per cent of the students scheduled to work.”

In fact, 327 more students found jobs this spring term compared to last year’s. But because there were some 500 more students scheduled to work, the employment rate was 2 per cent lower than in spring ’08.

The average rate breaks down by faculty like this: applied heath sciences 99.5 per cent, arts 96.8, engineering 92, environment 96.9, mathematics 91.4, science 95. Inter-faculty programs (software engineering; computing and financial management) are at 91.9 per cent.

Jarvie continues: “The University of Waterloo continues to be our largest employer of co-op students. The incremental funding announced in early June resulted in an additional 19 jobs for first or second work term students. CECS also became a regional administrator for Industry Canada’s Small Business Internship Program in May, resulting in five students employed for the spring term.

“This is a solid achievement for this term, though clearly disappointing for the students who were unsuccessful in gaining employment. … The exceptional efforts of students themselves, CECS staff and the support of the university have led to a more positive outcome for spring than expected.

“At a June world conference for co-operative education, it was clear that co-op programs all over the world are feeling the pinch of the current economy. Only Australia, whose economy is largely tied to that of China, is seeing stable or increasing employment demand.”

Fall term co-op a challenge

In a look ahead at next term, Jarvie notes that 4,242 students are scheduled for co-op work terms in the fall. “As of July 7, 2,396 (59.7 per cent) were employed. Compared to this time last year, almost 300 fewer students are employed, and the employment rate lags by 8 per cent.”

As job openings continue to fall, Jarvie says, the situation will become still more challenging. “There are about 30 per cent fewer openings available this year over last, so far …. Job development is a slow process with long lead times; a variety of approaches is required to assist our students.”

Among such approaches, “CECS has executed several email and letter campaigns since April, leveraging the increased Co-op Education Tax Credit, and has more planned. Results to date include 175 leads and 23 job postings.

“We are now established as a regional administrator for the Small Business Internship Program and expect increased opportunities.”

Jarvie’s report ends with a request for support. “Please encourage faculty members to promote Waterloo co-op with their external colleagues. Please encourage students to explore returning to previous employers, and leverage their own and their families’ personal and professional networks to secure employment (support materials available through CECS). Thank you for supporting Waterloo co-op by hiring students; please continue to do so, and explore additional opportunities!”

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Academic gatherings: sooner and later

Disorderly Conduct is the provocative title of a conference being co-hosted by Waterloo and Laurier, July 24-26. From the poster: “How do gender, sexuality, ability, race, age, class, educational attainment, and proximity to care provision intersect with 'disorder' as a descriptive and prescriptive term? Disorderly Conduct examines the ethical and cultural implications of language in a shifting model of medical and clinical care. International researchers will explore, from various disciplinary perspectives, a range of identity categories previously or newly configured as ‘disorders.’"

“It bears mention,” says Prof. Shannon Dea, associate chair, undergraduate studies in the philosophy department, “that we've just received SSHRC funding support for the conference, which will allow us waive registration fees for Canadian students.“ Sessions will be held in Laurier’s Bricker academic building; the banquet will be at Waterloo’s University Club.
Details and to register.

e-CASE and e-Tech 2010 — the 2010 International Conference on e-Commerce, e-Administration, e-Society, e-Education, and e-Technology — will be held in Macau, China, January 25-27, 2010. "The main objective of e-CASE & e-Tech 2010 is to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, academicians and industrial professionals from all over the world to present their research results and development activities" in the areas named in the conference title. Papers are invited, with a deadline of August 20. Details here.

And no, the "environmental studies" program won't be "relocating" to Huntsville, as suggested by a Globe and Mail story on July 11. The story, headed "All roads lead to the Canadian G8 — as long as you follow the detours," asserts the university would "relocate its environmental studies program" after the G8 summit into the new facilities being created in Huntsville. Environment dean Deep Saini dismisses the totally erroneous notion, adding Waterloo has no plans to "relocate" any of its programs to Huntsville. In a letter to the Globe and Mail today headed "Relocation not in the works," he states: "... the G8 legacy building in Huntsville will serve as a field-extension of its Waterloo campus activities led by the Faculty of Environment, including research in ecosystem and economic development, field courses for our students, high-school enrichment programs in ecology, and short-term executive training in environmental management, green business administration and sustainable development."

CPA staff

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