The Battle of Waterloo was fought June 18, 1815, which means last month’s re-enactment of Wellington’s victory over Napoleon marked its 195th anniversary. Among the 50,000 spectators on the battlefield near Brussels was reporter and photographer journalist Tom Douglas, a friend of UW president David Johnston, who covered the event for the Canadian Press and caught this photo of some of the 3,000 re-enactors. Douglas also found time to present a copy of the university’s 50th anniversary book, along with Johnston’s letter of greeting, to Yves Vander Cruysen, deputy mayor of the city of Waterloo, Belgium.

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Pressure is on to find next president

An article by Luisa D’Amato in Friday’s Waterloo Region Record highlights the search for David Johnston’s successor as president of the University of Waterloo. The search has, in fact, been under way since January, but last week’s announcement of Johnston’s appointment as the next Governor General of Canada has added some urgency by compressing the lead time. Instead of ending his third presidential term on June 30, 2011, he will be leaving at the end of this September to take up his new post in Rideau Hall on October 1.

The Record quotes Bob Harding (right), Board of Governors chair and leader of the presidential search committee. “It’s not something that you can say, ‘Let’s get it done next week,” Harding says. “We will do it thoroughly, and we will do it as quickly as we can.”

In the meantime, the university’s Policy 50 gives responsibility to the Board of Governors, “in consultation with the vice-president, academic and provost and other senior university officers, to appoint an interim president to serve until the nominating committee has finished its work.”

The specifications for the president’s position have been drawn up by the Waterloo Presidential Nominating Committee and were released on Friday. The document is posted on the Secretariat website.

Here is some of what it says:
“The University of Waterloo is seeking its sixth president and vice-chancellor. The Presidential Nominating Committee seeks an inspiring visionary who has successfully led a large and complex institution. The new president will lead in a collegial and collaborative fashion, focused on addressing competing interests to accomplish university objectives. The role will appeal to a forward-thinking individual who is passionate about research and teaching, who enjoys working with a broad range of constituencies, who is energized by people and ideas, and who has successfully built a reputation as a creative and engaging leader, and an individual of high integrity. …

“The successful candidate will hold strong academic credentials, and a track record of increasing responsibility and successful leadership in an institution that highly values both research and teaching. The Presidential Nominating Committee will also consider candidates who exhibit that rare combination of academic credentials mixed with accomplished leadership of an institution of similar scope and complexity in the business community or the public sector. …

“Other personal characteristics:

• Motivating and inspiring.
• Amiable, accessible.
• Energetic and engaging speaker.
• Collaborative and decisive, with strong listening skills and sound judgement.
• Outgoing and inspirational.
• Tireless, tenacious, with a good sense of humour.”

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SEED tops green ranking for third time

Waterloo Media Relations news release

The University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) has maintained its top billing in Corporate Knights magazine's annual business schools survey on how well universities do in integrating sustainability into the learning experience.

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

“I am thrilled that we have not only held our lead but have strengthened our performance," said Steven Young, interim director of SEED. "It is gratifying that the work of our students and employees in the school is being recognized by Corporate Knights. We have hired exceptional new faculty, are developing innovative courses, and our professors and students are engaging society in solutions for environment, business and development."

SEED addresses the huge need for sustainability professionals by preparing graduates skilled in business and sustainability. Recent Waterloo graduates work as building specialists, environmental planners and environmental scientists.  

A new master of environment and business (MEB) degree has been launched this year along with sustainable development training programs for professionals.

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.

The overall top five undergraduate business programs in Canada were Waterloo, University of British Columbia, Calgary, Concordia and Simon Fraser and Université de Montréal.

For full survey results and methodology, go to www.corporateknights.ca/knightschools.

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Biodiversity seminar and other notes

Conservation biologist Uri Shanas (right) of the University of Haifa in Israel will present a seminar Tuesday on how “Different human cultures impose contrasting effects on biodiversity and community structure along the Israel-Jordanian border.”

“The border between Israel and Jordan has separated the societies inhabiting the Arava valley for years,” says the poster for the event, which is sponsored by the Faculty of Environment and the Department of Biology. “While the Israeli side has been settled with modern agricultural farms, Jordan remained sparsely settled by a traditional and pastoral culture.

“The peace treaty enabled an international research group to compare the effect of different human societies on the diversity of birds, rodents, reptiles, beetles, spiders [like this new species of giant spider recently discovered by a team led by Shanas], and antlions, across the border.

“Thus across the border different taxonomic groups respond in different ways to the contrasting pressures. These anthropogenic pressures can lead to cascading effects culminating in changes of behavior as well as changes in community structure and biodiversity. The research has been unusual in involving Jordanian and Israeli scientists in a shared search for good conservation policies.”

The seminar takes place at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Hagey Hall room 150. For information contact Roger Suffling, 519-888-4567, ext. 33184; rcsuffli@uwaterloo.ca.

Bridges closed
Here's a reminder that two different kinds of bridge will close beginning today. The pedestrian bridge over Laurel Creek across from Biology 2 will be closed for repairs this week. And the upper-level bridge between the fourth floor of the Math and Computer Building and the third floor of the Davis Centre will be closed from today through to the end of next May 31, for a construction tie-in to the new math building going up just north of there.

Larry Cummings remembered
The obituary of Larry Cummings in Saturday's Waterloo Region Record mentions that a memorial service at the University of Waterloo will occur at a later date. "In memoriam, in honour, and in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the University of Waterloo for the Cummings Memorial Scholarship in Architecture and/or the St. Jerome’s Cummings Cultural History Annual Lecture. Donations specifically designated 'In Memory of Laurence Anthony Cummings' (and directed to the School of Architecture or to St. Jerome’s) can be made either online or by sending a cheque made out to the University of Waterloo and sent to Brad Blain, Senior Development Officer, Faculty of Engineering." Larry Cummings died June 28.

CPA staff

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