The 'tremendous impact' of $613 million

The bottom-line number for Campaign Waterloo — the amount given to this university over the past decade for buildings, scholarships, professorships, books and whole new programs — is $613.2 million, the board of governors was told yesterday.

Board members heard the figures at their quarterly meeting, held atop Engineering 5 in a crowded room with an impressive view of the Davis Centre and the Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre.

Afterwards they celebrated at the president's annual reception for some of the major donors who made it all possible. President Feridun Hamdullahpur told the crowd (left) that E5, officially opened just this month, is an example of the impact of the Campaign and transformation of the campus that it has made possible.

A total of 66 donors made individual gifts of $1 million or more, the board was told, but participation is much wider than that, with more than 60,000 donors "in addition to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students" who contributed through their on-campus organizations.

"To fully appreciate the tremendous impact your donations have had on Waterloo's people, resources, and spaces you must walk around campus, soaking up its sights and sounds," says a message from Bob Harding, chair of the board and also chair of Campaign Waterloo since before it went public in 2004.

"Talk to students and researchers," he suggests, "poke your head through open doorways, listen to the buzz of excitement, and feel the anticipation of discovery. It is a powerful, thriving place, thanks to your gifts and your leadership."

A fact sheet about the campaign notes that the private sector donations have been matched by some $444 million from government and similar sources, "resulting in a $1.05 billion investment in Waterloo's future". The money includes $20.5 million from students; $18.9 million from faculty, staff and retirees; and $225.8 million from alumni.

The results: "2.5 million square feet added, increasing campus square footage by 48%. Ten new buildings, and 4 currently under construction, with additions made to 11 others." And the university's endowment has more than quadrupled, with $194 million in new funds of the kind that keep on giving.

At the board meeting yesterday, associate vice-president Linda Kieswetter traced the history of the campaign, which she's been managing since it was planned in the late 1990s and launched in 2002-04. The goal has kept going up, she said, and has been more than reached thanks to the work of some 650 volunteers as well as those thousands of donors. "We'd always intended to stop the campaign" when it reached a nice round figure, she said, "but we figured, we have the best fund-raiser in Canada" — that would be David Johnston — "so we just kept going!" The outcome: "the second largest fund-raising campaign in Canadian university history."

How much is $613 million? In an idle moment I calculated that if it were piled up in coinage, it would take about two-thirds of all the loonies that have ever been made, weighing some 4,300 tonnes and occupying 753 cubic metres, or nearly enough to fill the Graduate House. Somehow I don't think anybody is planning such a demonstration.

There's a thank-you advertisement in this morning's Waterloo Region Record and Globe and Mail, and the university is issuing a news release that summarizes Campaign Waterloo achievements and outlines some of the projects it helped to pay for. The campaign, it says, "is allowing the University of Waterloo to help transform Canada and the world in areas that include healthy aging, climate change and energy, quantum-nano research, digital media, quantitative finance, architecture and international affairs."

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VP tells the 'remarkable' Campaign story

a written report to yesterday’s board meeting from Meg Beckel, the university’s vice-president (external relations), with a couple of figures updated

To coincide with David Johnston's departure, Campaign Waterloo: Building a Talent Trust officially closed September 30, 2010, raising a remarkable $613.2 million.

Ten years ago, KCI conducted a feasibility study to determine how much money we could fundraise for Waterloo's students, spaces, and resources. We were told $250 million would be a stretch but could be done with some determination and the right players. Our campaign steering committee, many of whom are still familiar faces in our board room — David Johnston, Bob Harding, Mike Lazaridis, Rob Caldwell, Pamela Wallin, Val O'Donovan, Marty Lippert, Purdy Crawford, Dominic D'Alessandro, Laura Talbot-Allan, and Linda Kieswetter — were a bold and daring lot, and added another $10 million to the goal.

We had much to prove, lots of work to do, and a steep learning curve, but we developed a compelling case for support, based on the building a talent trust theme: attracting and rewarding talent, enabling talent, making room for talent, and creating a culture where talent could flourish. Thanks to David Johnston and Bob Harding's enthusiastic leadership, people got behind the building a talent trust idea with gusto. Unfortunately, the economy didn't follow suit. We planned to publicly launch the campaign in 2002 but the tech bubble burst, causing a ripple effect throughout many areas of the economy. We decided to delay the launch, and by 2004 the timing was right.

When we launched the public phase of the campaign with a $260 million goal, we felt audacious stating our fundraising objectives: $150 million for scholarships, chairs, and fellowships; $45 million to enhance teaching and research; $40 million for new buildings and renovations; and $25 million for student programs and enhanced experiences. We had some key projects that we championed such as the next generation library, the Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (CBET), the Canadian Centre for Arts and Technology (CCAT), and the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), among many others. These programs, if well-funded, had the potential to be flagship centres of collaboration, education, and innovation.

Ten years, 500 volunteers, and 60,000 donors later, we've surpassed our $260 million campaign goal by $353 million — an astonishing feat. The campaign has inspired bold ideas, ambitious plans, and stunning generosity to help Waterloo push boundaries, make new discoveries, and redefine the cutting edge. New centres, programs, and buildings have been created with the help of Campaign Waterloo such as the institute for Quantum Computing, the Balsillie School for International Affairs, and the Health Science Campus — all possessing great impetus and producing impressive results.

We now have an excellent foundation and great momentum to continue moving full speed ahead with our sixth-decade faculty, university college, and unit-specific fundraising goals. We are Making the Future for Waterloo, and for Canada.

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Mental health day, Library day, and more

It’s the day of a thousand T-shirts — Mental Health Wellness Day, being marked by individuals and units across campus. Says Chris Read of housing and residences, one of the organizing committee: “The goal of the day is to communicate, as a campus, an open and helping environment that allows individuals to feel comfortable discussing issues they may have around mental health. In a community our size, the odds that we will end up interacting with or knowing someone dealing with a mental health issue are significant.” Information booths and a “passport to mental health” will be open in the Student Life Centre from 10:00 to 3:00. Beginning around noon, a series of speakers, including students, will discuss mental health issues and their impact. The SLC will also house a “Wall of Brains”, which, says Read, “will capture many unique ideas that are part of positive mental health.” Retail Services and the Federation of Students will be running the logo for the day on their video display screens, and a bookmark has been created for distribution with a listing of campus resources. As for the shirts, they’ll be spotted in food services, the registrar's office, retail services, counselling services, health services, and so on and so on. “We also targeted faculty and instructors teaching the largest classes that day,” says Read, “and many of them have agreed to participate as well. We have so many individuals on our campus dedicated to making our community one that is caring and supportive, and this is a day to promote just that.”

Before and after Monday's Ontario-wide municipal elections, somehow I've missed reporting on Nicholas Ermeta (left), a student in Waterloo's school of planning, who has been elected to represent ward 8 of Cambridge on that city's council. • E-mail users in most departments across the university are being moved this week from the Exchange 2007 system (the "connect"  server) to Exchange 2010, a process that Information Systems and Technology says will be practically seamless. • The faculty association is sponsoring the "Retirement 101" course (the same program currently being offered to staff members by the organizational and human development office) for interested faculty members on four evenings in November.

Here's an announcement that may affect you if you do some of your computing through the Nexus system, as thousands of people on campus do: “Effective Tuesday, October 26, the password change facility in WatIAM will change both your ADS password (also known as your ‘WatIAM password') and your Nexus account password, if you have one. This is being done as a first step in the project to consolidate the ADS and Nexus computing environments. Please also note that the minimum password length is now 8 characters. Password length requirements are enforced at password change so previously set passwords that are shorter than 8 characters will still work. All members of the university community are encouraged to change their passwords in WatIAM following the October 26 change to ensure ADS and Nexus passwords are the same when the environments are consolidated.”

And now an invitation from the university's library (note that the "library" is singular, even though it's housed in multiple places): "Join us for Library Day celebrations on October 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by the Dana Porter or Davis Centre libraries during this time for refreshments, to say hello to library staff, and take part in the day's activities. Library Day is an annual event that celebrates your connection to the Library. It’s the Library’s chance to thank and show its appreciation for students, faculty, and staff at Waterloo. Join us to celebrate the role that the Library has in your learning, teaching, and research! We'll have apples, apple cider, cookies, and Smarties on hand at both locations for visitors to enjoy. Fill out a ballot at either the DC or DP to win a free weekend iPad rental courtesy of New Media Services. The Porter Library will be hosting our popular e-card activity (always a favourite event!). Come and have your photo taken by a professional photographer on our library-inspired set. This year's e-card activity will take on a 'My Library' theme. Fill in the blank on the sign we'll provide and express your thoughts'! We'll take a photo of you holding your sign and send it to you later to share with your friends and family."

CAR

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