Senate meets today, will discuss 'naming'

The university senate will hold its monthly meeting today, with an agenda that includes the usual reports, new and changed academic programs, an update on a possible redesign of diplomas, and a proposed new policy on “Naming Opportunities”.

The proposed Policy 10, which also has to go to the university’s board of governors, would set rules on “the naming of faculties, departments, schools, chairs, professorships, academic programs and facilities” including “fields, roads and open spaces, buildings or parts thereof”.

It says such names “may be approved in the name of a donor, a third party at the request of the donor, or to honour an individual or organization for distinguished service to associated disciplines/ fields, to the University of Waterloo, the Province of Ontario or to Canada.”

It also says namings “should enhance the profile and image of the university” and “will be independent of all appointment, admission and curriculum decisions. Decisions to name will include consultation with appropriate individuals and groups within the University of Waterloo community.” The board of governors retains the “ultimate authority” to attach a name to a facility, or to remove it.

Facilities on campus that have already been named range from the Lyle Hallman Institute (right) to the Dana Porter Library, the Witer Learning Resource Centre (in Optometry) and a cluster of classrooms in Hagey Hall named for major accounting firms.

The graduate studies office and the Graduate Student Association will give the feature presentation at today’s meeting. Management sciences professor Paul Guild, who represents Waterloo at the Council of Ontario Universities along with the president, has a report on the agenda summarizing recent issues facing COU: Aboriginal students, “building a green culture”, online learning, and a proposed study of “teaching-stream faculty” appointments.

Senate will be asked to approve a set of guidelines for “aegrotat” degrees, to be granted to “students who have successfully completed a large portion of their degree requirements but, for reasons not of their own making, are prevented from completing those requirements”. Usually that means serious long-term illness.

Also on the agenda is the new “tourism and parks management” degree plan for students in recreation and leisure studies. The department already offers an option in tourism and parks management, for students doing a degree in another field, and now will have a full honours degree.

Tonight’s senate meeting starts at 4:00 in Needles Hall room 3001.

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Sociologist honoured for book; other notes

John Goyder of Waterloo’s sociology department has won the 2010 John Porter Prize recognizing “the best book by a Canadian sociologist”. The honour, for The Prestige Squeeze: Occupational Prestige in Canada Since 1965, comes during the year that Goyder is president of the Canadian Sociological Association (he’s seen, left, on the CSA web site). The prize will be presented when the association holds its annual conference in Fredericton in June, and Goyder will give a John Porter Award Lecture under the title “Guns, Butter and Sociology”. The book is published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. “People are seemingly uncomfortable without a hierarchy,” says one review of it: “Although the historic review contains an excellent discussion on the relationship between gender and prestige in North America, most of the merits of Goyder’s research report rest on his brilliant fieldwork and data collection. For professionals in the field of data collection there are some interesting lessons to be learned from his intricate comparison of data collection methods and outcomes.” Among the findings: “Bounced to the bottom of the scale are Catholic priests (place 118 out of 124) because of recent scandals. Why telemarketers are ranked at the bottom of the scale goes without saying — only people on social assistance are ranked below.”

Renison University College marked its 51st annual Founders Day on Saturday, with Evensong and Convocation held in the afternoon in the college's great hall. The convocation speaker was Rev. Brice Balmer, who was installed as an Honorary Senior Fellow of Renison, "recognizing his many accomplishments emphasizing the creation of safer and healthier communities for all peoples. He is a strong advocate for those living in poverty, using advocacy with integrity, and bringing the realities of poverty and life on the margins to the political system." Also honoured were retired faculty Susan Hodges Bryant, Ken Mott, and Beverly Bell Rowbotham as Fellows, and retired staff Robert Herridge, Virginia Herridge and Maryanne Rose as Honorary Members. Renison was officially founded January 14, 1959.

Stress management; "mindful eating"; "You and Food" — those are among the headings as the counselling services department announces its workshop series for this term. The program, summarized on a canary-yellow folder that's available in Needles Hall and elsewhere on campus, also includes a number of study skills workshops, from concentration to time management. One series, on procrastination, starts today, so don't delay; most of the other programs begin this week or next. Details on all thee opportunities are on the counselling web site.

Mechatronics engineering student Stephen Lake is one of 36 students chosen for “a unique national program that aims to transform Canada’s most promising undergraduates into high impact entrepreneurs”. Called The Next 36, it’s sponsored by the University of Toronto, Rogers Communications and a host of other agencies and business leaders. Organizers say they started with 1,300 applicants: “During a National Selection Weekend finalists described as inspirational, challenging and life-changing, 64 finalists were winnowed down to 36, from a wide variety of disciplines and universities. The group includes social and serial entrepreneurs, academic award winners, campus leaders, accomplished artists, scientists and engineers, and elite athletes.” Lake, the only Waterloo finalist, is a dragon-boater and, among other achievements, was chair of the Ontario Engineering Competition for 2010. “Canada desperately needs innovation,” he says. “It is vital to find an avenue to keep Canada’s most talented and creative students here, driving productivity and economic growth through entrepreneurship. The Next 36 has provided me with a network of like-minded students, a wealth of experienced mentors and role models, on top of the explicit benefits of capital and resources." Next step: the finalists will be divided into teams of four, each with $50,000 worth of “support, guidance from industry mentors and business leaders, and project development resources to build a business in the mobile environment”. Then they’ll enter a four-month summer residency at U of T’s Massey College to “study with internationally acclaimed faculty and prominent Canadian entrepreneurs while continuing to work on their mobile projects”.

The office of organizational and human development has announced details of a big-name lecture, aimed primarily at staff members, that it's been promising for the morning of Friday, February 11. The speaker is Dan Heath, author of a couple of books on business and life. He'll speak in the Humanities Theatre first thing that morning — 8:30 a.m. — under the title "Switch: How to Change When Change Is Hard". "It certainly seems a timely topic," says OHD director Katrina Di Gravio, "given the amount of change Waterloo is going through at present. A speaker like Dan gives us all an opportunity to make the change conversation less scary and more transparent." Registration on the OHD web site opens January 20.

CAR

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