New Grebel building will honour President Paetkau and supporter Schlegel

from a Conrad Grebel University College news release

Two important spaces in Conrad Grebel University College’s new academic building (architect's drawing, right) will bear familiar names. The seminar room in the new facility to be constructed in 2012-13 will be named in honour of Grebel’s sixth president, Henry Paetkau. “The Henry Paetkau Seminar Room,” offering a wonderful view of the front of the campus and Westmount Road, will be on the main level of the $6.3 million addition and will be used for graduate studies.

The second named space will be Grebel’s new community education room, to be funded by a $500,000 gift from RBJ Schlegel Holdings Inc. The “RBJ Schlegel Community Education Room” will be located next to the reception area on the main floor of the academic building. This high-profile room will be used for public seminars, meetings, and lectures, and affords bright views of the Westmount Road side of the campus. The new space will help to ease the pressure on the college’s Great Hall and chapel facilities, which are in heavy demand for community events.  

The named rooms were announced at a recent Grebel board of governors meeting. In his statement to the board, outgoing chair Bert Lobe summed up the influence of Henry Paetkau (right): “Henry joined Grebel in late 2003 and provided the leadership we needed. In 2006 we identified six strategic directions and under Henry’s watch we made substantial progress on each. What distinguished Henry’s presidency was his sensitivity to the college and university context, his commitment to and understanding of the church, and his graciousness.”

During his presidency, Paetkau signed an agreement with the University of Waterloo that integrated the college’s Master of Theological Studies degree into the Waterloo graduate studies program. A master’s degree in peace and conflict studies is also in the final stages of approval.

Paul Berg-Dick, the outgoing treasurer, noted that the college has enjoyed fiscal stability and growth during these last nine years, with balanced budgets, healthy reserves, endowments that have doubled in size, and increased financial aid for students. “The ability to embark on such an ambitious capital campaign is the result of Henry’s leadership, plus the generosity of our donors who understand the college’s mission and want to participate in it,” added Susan Taves, who is taking over as board chair.

More about Schlegel
RBJ Schlegel Holdings Inc. is already connected with the college, in its funding of the Spirituality and Aging program, which is hosted at Grebel as part of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute on Aging (RIA). The company’s founder, Ron Schlegel (left), served on the board of governors at Conrad Grebel from 1972 to 1982. He, his wife Barbara, and other family members are supporters of the college.

The RBJ Schlegel Community Education Room will be used primarily by the Conflict Management Certificate program. Its manager, Sue Baker, reports that “this continuing education program is growing steadily and new, more professional-looking space will be a welcome enhancement.”

This gift, along with those of more than 270 donors, has pushed Grebel’s Next Chapter Campaign over its minimum goal of $3.7 million. “What a wonderful investment in the college’s future! This is a great way to begin my term as president,” said Susan Schultz Huxman, who started her position on July 1. “We will continue to push toward raising $4 million. This will reduce the mortgage needed as we complete this exciting building project designed to grow Grebel’s mission.”

The Next Chapter Campaign grows out of the college’s strategic plan to address urgent space needs in the current academic building. In addition to the named rooms and revamped main entrance, the $6.3-million building project includes an expanded library with more teaching and learning resources; larger and more accessible space for the Mennonite Archives of Ontario; and new, expanded practice and teaching facilities for the music program.

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Sabbaticals from Boston to Singapore

Here’s another list of Waterloo faculty members who are currently on sabbatical leave. The plans quoted are taken from documents submitted to the university’s board of governors, which has to approve all sabbaticals. All these leaves are for six months. Some began May 1, 2011:

Behrad Khamesee (left), mechanical and mechatronics engineering: “During my sabbatical period, I will focus on my research development, identify potential international collaborators and probably visit some of them. I am planning to visit SIMTech R&D institute in Singapore, MIMED at  Technical University Munich, and Sharif University.”

Roger Melko, physics and astronomy: “I have been offered a research sabbatical stay at Boston University in the Quantum Condensed Matter group. I will serve on the organizing committee of the International Summer School on Numerical Methods for Correlated Systems in Condensed Matter in Sherbrooke, Quebec, taking place in May or June 2011.”

Patrick Mitran (right), electrical and computer engineering: “This is a pre-tenure sabbatical. It will be used to revise publications under review as well as submit new ones. In addition, it will be used to visit a collaborator, Prof. Hideki Ochiai, in Japan. It may also be used to visit a colleague, Prof. Mai Vu, of McGill University.”

Other sabbaticals began July 1:

Robert Ballard, drama and speech communication: “Completing three major research publications on intercountry adoption and interpersonal communication as well as creating a book proposal/ series of articles based on my dissertation work in communication ethics and ethnographic methods.”

Cora Cluett (left), fine arts: “I am requesting a sabbatical leave for the purpose of developing a substantial body of abstract paintings for exhibition at Wynick Tuck Gallery in Toronto (spring 2012) as well as Harbinger Gallery in Waterloo. I will also use this time to continue to develop a body of photographs that document WWII pillboxes that line coasts of Scotland and Eastern Canada.”

Elizabeth Nilsen, psychology: “My sabbatical will provide me with the opportunity to focus on writing manuscripts and developing research projects, and to pursue research collaborations. My research focuses on children’s ability to tailor their communicative behaviour to the perspective of conversational partners. I examine the cognitive skills required for this process to emerge and the interpersonal consequences for populations of children who have cognitive deficits.”

Mark Smucker, management sciences: “I intend to stay at the University of Waterloo and continue working on my existing research program of utilizing user interaction to improve information retrieval. In particular, I plan to conduct several new user studies and work on the completion of projects currently in progress.”

Michael Stone, geography and environmental management: “A sabbatical leave is requested to conduct sediment-associated contaminant transport research. Field studies will be conducted on the Oldman watershed (Alberta) and supported by a series of laboratory annular flume studies at Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario. The flume studies are required to determine critical transport parameters for cohesive sediment which are necessary to model cohesive sediment and associated contaminant transport in Alberta rivers.”

CPA staff

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