Postcards from the president

President Feridun Hamdullahpur has issued his quarterly update to campus, which covers activities at the fall Board of Governors and Senate meetings, as well as some highlights of his travels off-campus that began in November. All told, he estimates he spent 55 hours on board an airplane during his trips. "Not one single dull moment," he says.

On November 2, he participated in a panel discussion held at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa by Canada 2020 and the U.S. Embassy. The event, "The Canada-U.S. Partnership: Enhancing the Innovation Ecosystem," featured a keynote address by the Governor General of Canada, and a moderated discussion with the presidents of four research-intensive universities — Hamdullahpur spoke alongside Stephen Toope, president of the University of British Columbia, Robert Birgeneau, chancellor of University of California, Berkeley, and Ronald Daniels, president of the Johns Hopkins University. The panel was moderated by University of Calgary president Elizabeth Cannon. The panel was entitled "Canada — U.S. University Partnerships" and the discussion focused on how universities are central to the North American innovation ecosystem.

"To be invited as one of four leading research universities in North America was a fabulous recognition of what the University of Waterloo represents," Hamdullahpur said in an interview with the Daily Bulletin.

The Ottawa gathering is one of several large-scale events the president has spoken at this fall. In September he was in Montréal speaking at the annual meeting of the Society of Research Administrators International, and on November 23 he delivered a keynote address at the annual Pollution Probe gala event — the first university president to do so in the environmental advocacy organization's 42-year history.

"It is a great privilege to represent the University of Waterloo at events like these and I look forward to future opportunities to showcase the successes of our community both at home and abroad," the president wrote in his quarterly message.

After the event in Ottawa, he boarded a plane for Hong Kong, where he participated in a flurry of events, including an alumni reception on November 4, the opening of Waterloo's alumni office on November 5, and a luncheon with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong with alumnus Jason Chiu, founder of The Cherrypicks Group, a mobile marketing leader in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The office opening created a lot of enthusiasm," said Hamdullahpur. "People there now have a physical connection with the university in addition to their emotional connection with us, especially the alumni association. In addition to that, it gives us a really good base for development and recruitment-related activities, and a good connection to the mainland."

Asked about the Hong Kong alumni community's reputation for enthusiasm, the president said that "the stereotype of people coming to Waterloo from overseas, studying here, and leaving without looking back is just not true. They had a lot of fun in Waterloo, there's so much attachment and so many memories." He mentioned in particular one attendee at the alumni reception who was proudly wearing his University of Waterloo T-shirt, which had to be about 20 years old, and who wouldn't let anybody touch it for fear that it would fall apart.

"They are very comfortable in saying they are where they are today thanks to their University of Waterloo education," says the president. "They came to Waterloo for a reason and they were not disappointed, and in fact they were delighted at leaving with a lot of fabulous memories. Some of the older alumni are making sure their sons and daughters are attending here as well. That shows the importance of giving our students a well-rounded social experience at the university in addition to an excellence academic experience."

From Hong Kong, the president traveled to Singapore for meetings with faculty and administrators at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technical University. "We are talking very seriously about two important agreements with each university," Hamdullahpur wrote in his campus message. "I also attended a special reception that involved a large number of faculty members from those institutions who are Waterloo alumni." Also in Singapore, the president participated in a Canada Learning Exchange Event for alumni alongside Greg Wade, regional managing director for Research In Motion.

From Singapore, he flew to the United Arab Emirates, touching down first in Abu Dhabi for the fourth biennial Festival of Thinkers, held from November 13 to 15. (at left, a program for the event.) As part of a panel on reframing higher education representing the only Canadian institution invited to the event, he found himself sitting between two Nobel Laureates.

"Getting invited to the Festival of Thinkers is very prestigious in terms of our visibility and our presence, and we are being recognized by pre-eminent organizations because of who we are and what we represent," said Hamdullahpur. "The world wants to know what we are doing in Waterloo."

The president then traveled to Dubai to celebrate the second anniversary of the university's satellite campus along with campus director Peter Douglas, Dean of Engineering Adel Sedra and Dean of Mathematics Ian Goulden. "Our campus is doing very well," he reports. "Our exceptional students are really enjoying their time, and I had a chance to speak with our colleagues who are teaching there, and they are impressed with the quality of students and their level of engagement."

Back to top

Mid-cycle Review in review

Also included in the president's update to campus was an overview of the progress so far on the mid-cycle review.

The first phase of the review involved 40 face-to-face consultations with over 60 groups held between September and December. At these meetings, many of which took place in the Village 1 Great Hall and the Festival Room in South Campus Hall, the president met with 65 students, over 1,130 faculty and staff members, and 26 alumni and donors. Additionally, an online survey was sent to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni. To date more than 2,285 responses have been sent in, with over 1,195 from undergraduate students, 220 from faculty members, 340 from staff, and 88 from alumni.

In his quarterly message, the president thanked all those involved in putting the consultation sessions together. "An incredible amount of effort was put into the scheduling, hosting, and set-up for these consultation sessions," he wrote, "and I would like to thank the members of Communications and Public Affairs, Institutional Analysis and Planning, the offices of the Provost and President, the Secretariat, and Housing and Residences for their efforts to co-ordinate this initiative.”

"I would also like to thank the students, faculty, staff, and alumni who participated in the sessions. Your input is critical."

“I learned some very important things during the consultation process,” says Hamdullahpur. “Among them the dedication and commitment to the future of this institution held by the members of our community. I am delighted with and grateful for this experience. The task at hand now is to connect what we have learned to what we will deliver.”

That process has already begun, with Institutional Analysis and Planning coordinating the qualitative analysis of the consultation session and survey findings. This analysis will lead to the identification of themes and priorities from the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donor stakeholders.

A President’s Advisory Committee, chaired by Provost Geoff McBoyle, will then review the results of the analysis. The committee is made up of the following members:

• Carol Cressman, alumna and university senator
• Susan Elliott, Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
• Mariam Gill, undergraduate student and university governor
• Ian Goulden, Dean, Faculty of Mathematics
• Sue Horton, Associate Provost, Graduate Studies
• Terry McMahon, Dean, Faculty of Science
• Doug Peers, Dean, Faculty of Arts
• Feisal Rahman, PhD student
• André Roy, Dean, Faculty of Environment
• Adel Sedra, Dean, Faculty of Engineering
• Cathy Newell Kelly, Director, Centre for Extended Learning

The committee, which will begin meeting in January, will confirm and finalize the themes and priorities identified in the analysis, and make recommendations for participants drawn from the university community for the second consultation phase, which takes the form of focus group discussions. These facilitated discussions, each with 10-15 participants, will inform the development of action plans – goals, measures of success, timelines, and responsibilities.

"These discussions, building on the first stage of stakeholder consultations, will help us develop clear objectives and determine the indicators of success," writes the president. "The outcome will inform our planning and budgeting process."

These action plans will be sent back to the President’s Advisory Committee for review and confirmation, with final approval being provided by the university’s senior leadership, which includes Executive Council, the Senate Long Rang Planning Committee, Senate, and the Board of Governors.

"I have been inspired by the response from the campus community to this review initiative; with a high degree of interest and engagement being demonstrated by every person I have spoken with, and more importantly, learned from, during these sessions,” the president wrote in the conclusion of his quarterly message. “As we move into the next phase I am filled with confidence in this university’s future."

Back to top