Search is on for associate v-p international

A call has gone out to fill the position of associate vice-president, international. The position was created in 2007, at the same time Waterloo International was set up.

Gail Cuthbert Brandt (left), who had been responsible for international issues as part of her role as associate vice-president academic over the previous four years, became the first associate V-P international.

She stepped down a year later. “Gail agreed to take on this role to get Waterloo International established,” said a memo from the provost’s office. “She has now accomplished this goal.” Cuthbert Brandt returned to her roots in Renison University College; Bruce Mitchell, associate provost, agreed to take on the job on an interim basis.

The university is now looking to fill the position permanently. From the recently posted notice: “The Associate Vice-President, International is a senior manager at the University of Waterloo, reporting to the Vice-President, Academic and Provost and is the senior international officer.”

He or she is is responsible for, among other things:

• providing leadership and coordination for overall university-wide strategic planning for internationalization;
• working to ensure that the university meets its targets for undergraduate and graduate student enrolment;
• coordinating and providing support for major internationalization initiatives, such as the UAE satellite campus and the Sino-Canadian College;
• supervising the Waterloo International office;
• ensuring domestic UW students capitalize on available international opportunities;
• encouraging the internationalization of courses and programs at UW;
• expanding the international components of research and public engagement activities.

“The Associate Vice-President, International works with the President, Vice-Presidents, Deans, faculty, and staff to fulfill those responsibilities and is a member of Executive and Deans’ Councils. The AVPI chairs the Advisory Committee on International Connections and the International Operations Group.”

The opening is being publicized among UW’s faculty members and a full description is posted on the human resources website. Applications go to Amit Chakma, vice-president, academic and provost. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 20.

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Students confer on the future economy

from a Science and Business Students' Association news release

The fusion of science and business in today's economy has emerged as this year's topic for a business and technology conference organized by the UW Science and Business Students' Association (SBSA).

The conference will feature a variety of speakers, workshops, and expositions. The focus is to provide insight and tools for success to the leaders of tomorrow's growing science and business economy.

"Fusion: The Economy of the Future" takes place Saturday, March 21, 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Rod Coutts Hall. The conference will present, discuss, and evaluate current science, technology and business trends in our changing economy.

Fusion will examine the growing demand for individuals who are both technically and economically savvy, and how one can meet those increasing demands. Fusion will provide not only lively debate and discussion, but networking opportunities for both students and employers.

In addition, delegates will have an opportunity to work co-operatively through a case study analysis of a contemporary issue in real-life context. This year's case study is being provided by Open Text Corporation, a Waterloo-based high-tech company which provides enterprise content management software to large corporations. The top three solutions will be presented to all delegates and judged by Open Text at the end of the day.

Networking opportunities will include a one-and-a-half-hour exposition during lunch in which sponsors and corporate invitees will have an opportunity to set up booths to allow for one-on-one interactions with the delegates. This will give delegates the chance to ask specific questions, learn more about the companies, and perhaps open up future employment opportunities.

Speakers include David Wheeler, Dalhousie University Faculty of Management dean; Michael Lees, president of Babcock & Wilcox Canada; Mike Fredericks, president and CEO of Annex Publishing and Printing; Jake Theissen, UW School of Pharmacy director; and representatives from RIM, Open Text Corporation, and many other companies.

The multidisciplinary science and business program at UW equips its students with a unique combination of scientific expertise and business training, and is designed to produce leaders for the new economy. This is SBSA's fifth annual conference.

Please register by March 13. For more information and to register, go here. Or contact the Science and Business Students' Association, sbsa.uwaterloo@gmail.com or Jeff Perttula: Science and Business Project Manager at 519-888-4567, ext. 36684 or jperttul@uwaterloo.ca.

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Waterloo in the news this morning

Articles by Elizabeth Church (Globe and Mail) and Louise Brown (Toronto Star) today discuss a proposed "new graduate school of digital media" mentioned in a speech by Sheldon Levy, president of Ryerson University, to the Empire Club yesterday.

Said the Globe article: "Ryerson, Waterloo and the University of Toronto are in talks to create a new graduate school of digital media in downtown Toronto, aimed at linking top-flight students with businesses struggling to adapt to emerging technology."

Waterloo arts dean Ken Coates is quoted indirectly as saying that "there is an urgent need to advance the project because of the growing importance of digital media in the province and the country, and that urgency is what prompted the three schools to work together. While it might take years to get a physical home for a new graduate school, he said the universities are already collaborating."

In the longer Star article, Coates is described as "excited about helping build a joint think tank of techno-whizzes who can help business adapt to new technology." He told the reporter: "We know Ontario has done well creating the tools of technology – look at RIM (BlackBerry designer Research In Motion) and Open Text (Waterloo-based software producer) – but the future lies in designing ways to use these tools, and this is a sweet spot for Ontario.

"The new economy will be driven more by the use of technology than the making of technology," he said, citing companies that are working to adapt the social network technology of Facebook and YouTube to the way they deal with staff and even clients.

"This is the fastest-growing sector the world has ever seen, and we want to bring together people from engineering, the humanities, performing arts and a range of disciplines to work together to solve real-world problems," Coates said.

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Food for the hungry mind

There is more than enough brainfood available this weekend. The feast includes offerings as disparate as “rapid manufacturing” pioneer Rupert Soar speaking in the School of Architecture on what termites can contribute to sustainable construction methods, and Conrad Grebel professor Nathan Funk discussing restorative justice and peacemaking at Kitchener Public Library. (Information on both in When and Where sidebar.)

Friday afternoon at 2:30 brings a Knowledge Integration Seminar, with history professor Whitney Lackenbauer (left) of St. Jerome's University speaking in Environment 2, room 2002, on “Experiencing Canada through the living history of the Canadian Rangers.” Lackenbauer has been working on the history of the Canadian Rangers, a unique component of the Canadian Forces Reserves, since 2004. His talk, based upon collaborative field research with the Rangers from Vancouver Island to Ellesmere Island to outport Newfoundland, will explore the complex problems associated with climate change and the socio-economic issues facing communities in remote regions. If you miss the lecture, here’s some background reading: an article in Canadian Military Journal by Lackenbauer, entitled “The Canadian Rangers: A Postmodern Militia that Works.”

Friday evening at 7:30, religious studies author and teacher Carolyn Whitney-Brown delivers the 2008-2009 Waterloo Catholic District School Board Lecture, “Celebrating the Life and Work of Jean Vanier.” The event is part of the St. Jerome’s Lecture series and takes place in Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome’s University. Whitney-Brown and her family were part of the L'Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill from 1990 to 1997. On the occasion of L’Arche founder Jean Vanier's 80th birthday and the publication of her new book, Jean Vanier: Essential Writings (2008), Whitney-Brown discusses Vanier's understanding of human diversity, solidarity, social possibilities, culture, and peace in the context of his life and choices.

CPA staff

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