A mathematics teacher's legacy was honoured Friday, April 27 as the atrium in the Mathematics 3 building was named for Bruce White (centre), seen here posing with a few of the 8,000 Windsor-area math students he taught over the course of his career, including uWaterloo alumnus John Hele (second from left), whose support led to the naming.

Photograph by Amy Aldous.

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New administrators take up duties today

The first of the month is a time of new beginnings at the university as a number of key leadership positions are filled today.

President Feridun Hamdullahpur says that he is, on behalf of students, faculty, and staff, "delighted to welcome Professor Sallie Ann Keller to the University of Waterloo family as she begins her term as Vice-President, Academic and Provost today."

A noted statistician and senior administrator, Keller (left) was until recently the director of the Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute in Washington D.C.

“The breadth of Sallie Ann Keller’s experience at respected universities and scientific organizations in addition to her strong record of academic leadership and scholarship will benefit Waterloo as we continue on our path to becoming one of the top 100 universities in the world. We look forward to welcoming her to our community,” said Hamdullahpur in a statement released in January when Keller's appointment was first announced.

Keller is a former dean of engineering and professor at Rice University in Houston and a professor and director of graduate studies in statistics at Kansas State University. She was also the group leader in statistical sciences at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and program director of statistics and probability at the National Science Foundation. She received the National Institute of Statistical Sciences’ Jerome Sacks Award for Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary Research. A past-president of the American Statistical Association, she is also an active member of the JASON Study Group.

Keller earned a PhD in statistics from the Iowa State University of Science and Technology. She holds BS and MS degrees in mathematics from the University of South Florida. In addition to her administrative duties, she becomes professor, with tenure, in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science.

Keller succeeds professor Geoff McBoyle, who served as vice-president academic & provost on an interim basis when he replaced Hamdullahpur, who became president and vice-chancellor. McBoyle will be returning to his duties as associate vice-president (academic).

Chris Read (right), formerly the University Housing Officer, assumes the role of associate provost, students today.

"As associate provost, students, Chris will work to ensure that Waterloo students have the richest possible educational experience both inside and outside the classroom, and will maintain and build upon the university’s commitment to student success," wrote Geoff McBoyle in a memo regarding Read's appointment that was circulated in January.

Chris Read came to Waterloo in 1999 as residence life coordinator in the UW Place complex, then moved onto the main campus in 2000 to serve as manager of the university bookstore. He was interim director of graphics in 2004-05, returned to the bookstore, and then, since early 2006, has been “university housing officer”, the equivalent of director for the entire housing and residences operation.

When he went to the bookstore more than a decade ago, he said in an interview that he planned to “focus on building bridges with the academic community, developing good relationships with the faculty on campus and finding out what they need and want. We want to develop that connection, that comfortable feeling with academics on campus." He’s taken a similar approach in residences, developing “living-learning communities”, tutoring programs, and other ways of linking residence life with academic work. Read has also been involved in programs to promote mental health.

Read takes over from Bud Walker, who has been handling the associate provost (students) portfolio in an interim capacity since December 2009. Walker will be acting as a special advisor to the provost.

Tim Jackson (left) also begins his term as Vice-President, University Relations today. He will be taking on of the Vice-President, Advancement portfolio as well until August 1, 2012. Jackson had been serving in the role of Vice-President, External Relations on an interim basis starting in June 2011, seconded from his duties as associate vice-president, commercialization at uWaterloo and CEO of the Waterloo Accelerator Centre.

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LITE grants announced

"The Centre for Teaching Excellence, in collaboration with the Associate Vice-President, Academic Programs, is pleased to announce the new Learning Innovation and Teaching Enhancement (LITE) grants" reads a memo, distributed yesterday, from the Office of the Provost.

The LITE grants are intended to provide support for "experimenting with and investigating innovative approaches to teaching that aim to foster deep student learning and enhance teaching at the University of Waterloo." This program replaces the LIF/PIF grant scheme and is composed of two kinds of grants: LITE Seed Grants and LITE Full Grants.

LITE Seed Grants will fund projects between $500 - $5,000 and must be completed within one year. There are three annual application deadlines: February 1, June 1, and October 1.

LITE Full Grants will fund projects up to $30,000 (between $5,000 and $15,000 annually) and must be completed within two years. The one annual application deadline is October 1.

Faculty and staff are invited to submit a proposal for the LITE Seed Grant or LITE Full Grant. More information about the grants is available on the Centre for Teaching Excellence's website.

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Spring term gets going and other notes

It's back to life, back to reality for the campus as the spring term commences. Classes begin today, and services that have been in reduced operation since winter term exams are back to a full schedule, including the libraries, food services, and athletics and recreation.

Spring OSAP pickup will be held (by appointment) at the Tatham Centre from May 1 to May 11. Instructions for applying are available on the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office website.

And with a new term comes a new set of due dates. The last day to add classes for online courses is May 7, and for regular courses the deadline is May 14. The Drop, No Penalty Period ends May 21. Other important dates are listed online.

For co-op students (except those in architecture), Return to Campus interviews will be taking place from May 2-4, with the first job postings opening on May 12.

The Book Store, Waterloo Store, and Write Stuff are all open until 7:00 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, according to Retail Services marketing coordinator Kathryn Fedy. A full breakdown of retail outlet hours is online.

Feds Used Books has also updated its hours for the month of May. Starting today, the bookstore is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily until Friday, May 4. The store is also open Saturday, May 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily from Monday, May 7 to Friday, May 11, as well as 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday. Starting Monday, May 14, the store is back to its regular Monday to Friday hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will closed Saturdays.

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