François Paré of UW's French studies department has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Society for Renaissance Studies. This award is given to scholars "who made major contributions to the extension of Renaissance Studies in Canada by their learned publications as well as have contributed in other ways to the flourishing of Renaissance Studies in Canada or abroad". Paré, who was also a winner of UW's Distinguished Teacher Award this spring, is seen with the certificate that was presented to him on May 24.

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Students prove their global credentials

Undergraduate students are starting to submit applications for the Global Experience Certificate credential that was created at the University of Waterloo last year — an extra line on the transcript that’s expected to appeal strongly to multinational companies and other employers with international connections.

A web site introducing the GEC went live last month. At last count, 15 students had applied for the new qualification on their records, and the first five applications have been approved, says Paula Murphy of Waterloo International. She adds that the GEC "is not retroactive" so it wasn't available to students who graduated at last week's convocation ceremonies.

Gail Cuthbert Brandt, who was UW’s associate vice-president (international) at the time the GEC was created, explained that "The certificate is part of our international strategy.” The Sixth Decade Plan states that among other objectives, Waterloo intends to prepare students "to be global citizens by inculcating broad diversified awareness and creating learning opportunities for them in international settings." Students are also encouraged to take part in volunteer opportunities locally and abroad, and to master a second language.

"Multinationals are looking for people with precisely this type of academic preparation," Cuthbert Brandt added: people who can be sent abroad without losing a lot of on-the-job time to language training or acculturation.

“The world is a much smaller place today than it was 20 or even 10 years ago,” Murphy says now. “Technological advances and our mutual interests in the environment, health, business, and global economies continue to bring nations closer together and emphasize our reliance upon each other. We are not just citizens of our birthplace. We are citizens of the world.

“The University of Waterloo is taking the lead in its effort to become Canada’s most internationalized university by focusing on a number of specific goals. One is to encourage domestic undergraduate students to become globally engaged learners and citizens.”

Says Bruce Mitchell, who is now the interim associate VP (international): “Our students have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in the world through their international experiences. We are very pleased to be able to offer this certificate option to our undergraduate students.”

The certificate is based on three components. Undergrad students will signal their intention to obtain the certificate by completing the online Global Experience Certificate Plan by not later than their third term at Waterloo (term 2A). As the certificate requirements are successfully completed, they will be recorded. Upon completion, the certificate will appear as a milestone on the student's record.

“Of course, a student’s plans may change during their undergraduate degree,” Murphy notes. “As students explore opportunities they may wish to modify their Global Experience Certificate Plan to better suit their interests and enhance their academic goals. Students are responsible for notifying Waterloo International of any changes to plan, and receiving approval for the changes.”

Students must complete all three of these requirements:

• Three specified for-credit courses (1.5 units), including two first-year sequential modern language courses (other than student's native language) plus 1 course from the list of approved global studies courses; or equivalency in one modern language (other than student's native language) and three courses from the list of approved global studies courses.

• At least one of the following international experience options outside Canada and the United States (minimum 6 weeks duration): international exchange, study abroad term, co-op work term, volunteer experience.

• Approved cross-cultural volunteer experience in a cross-cultural context either on or off campus with a minimum duration of 20 hours. The associate VP (international) or designate must approve the volunteer experience proposal.

There’s more information on the Waterloo International website, or e-mail wihelp@ uwaterloo.ca.

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Many cars to be displaced from B lot

A major migration out of parking lot B, the one between Phillip Street and the railway tracks, is expected later this summer as construction begins on a building dubbed Engineering VI. Funding for the building comes from the recently announced federal and provincial “infrastructure” job creation grants.

A large part of B lot will be closing — just how large a part isn’t clear yet — and indications are that more shifts in parking assignments lie ahead, says Dan Anderson, director of the UW security department, which includes parking services.

He writes: “With the announcement of the new Engineering building construction starting in the near future, UW Parking Services is looking at various options for relocating the people currently parked in B Lot. Allocating parking for people who are displaced is always contentious. There are a number of options available and we are seeking your input to determine the most equitable way of doing this.

“Some of the options are lottery (people who need to move will prioritize three choices for lots and a lottery will be done to allocate available spots); or seniority (those who have been in B Lot the longest get first choice at available options).

“As UW grows, the loss of existing parking lots will reoccur. Rather than struggling each time with creating a system for moving people, we would like to have a vote on the best way to do this, and use this model for future lots. The vote will be open to all faculty, stall and grad students. Undergrad vehicles are not in the lots that will be affected.

“The other difficult issue we are facing surrounds those who are on waiting lists. We have been able to identify some vacant spots in a number of our lots. We are struggling with who should get priority to those spots; people who have been on the waiting list for that particular lot or those being forced out of B Lot.

“There may be other options available that we have not identified, and we welcome your suggestions. Our goal is to make this as fair and transparent as possible. Once we have identified the most viable options, an electronic vote will be held to determine your preference.

“The long term goal, as stated in the Campus Master Plan, is to erect parking structures on the campus grounds, but this is still a number of years away. UW Parking Services has created some incentives for those who can car pool and continues to explore ways to most efficiently use our available space.

We hope to have the vote in the near future, after receiving your suggestions. Please forward suggestions to srumpel@ uwaterloo.ca.”

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Waterloo Mobile talks to smart phones

by Kelley Teahen, communications and public affairs

In April 2008, the University of Waterloo began publishing a weekly digest of news, research features, and alumni profiles that appeared as UW Mobile on BlackBerry devices. Once the application was downloaded, each week the news and features automatically loaded onto the BlackBerry and could be read anywhere, anytime, without needing access to the internet: perfect for airplanes and anywhere else where mobile devices need the wireless connection turned off.

The purpose of UW Mobile is to reach alumni, government officials, corporate leaders, friends, and partners of the university who don’t have the time for regular check-ins with the Daily Bulletin, but would appreciate select news about the university delivered to them in an easy-to-access mobile format.

Now, a year later, UW Mobile is being replaced by Waterloo Mobile, and there are several improvements in the application that make it more timely for readers, as well as accessible to a wider range of users.

Waterloo Mobile (downloadable from the web) will now work for both iPhone and BlackBerry devices, and there are plans to add other devices in the future. As well, the story feed will be updated regularly, rather than just published once a week, so the latest news stories will automatically download. Finally, events of interest to alumni, partners, and community members will be featured in an “events” feed to Waterloo Mobile.

There is no charge for subscribing to Waterloo Mobile and, as an incentive to sign up, the university’s alumni affairs office is offering a chance to win a 22-inch LCD flat-screen monitor if you download the application before June 30. (You need to provide your e-mail address as part of the download registration). Everyone who downloads is eligible for the draw.

Subscribers are encouraged to invite others to subscribe: once the application is downloaded onto a BlackBerry or iPhone, scroll to the Extras section (near the bottom) and click on the “Tell a friend about Waterloo Mobile” feature. This feature allows someone to send the application to anyone in his or her address book. More information: e-mail jcoolman@ uwaterloo.ca.

CAR

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