Ch-ch-changes: This week the Waterloo Unlimited high school enrichment program explores the theme of "Change" across the disciplines at the University of Waterloo. Here, Professor Ted McGee, from the English Language and Literature Department, examines the broad implications of a major scientific paradigm shift as represented in Bertolt Brecht's play Galileo.

Photograph by Ryan Voisin.

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David Wallace named Chief Information Officer

with material from a media relations news release

"It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of David Wallace as chief information officer commencing on July 9, 2012," wrote Vice-President Academic and Provost Sallie Ann Keller in a memo distributed to campus yesterday.

The memo continues: "David began his career as an IT professional in 1981 as a programmer analyst at Gulf Canada. After four years in the private sector, he joined the Ontario government where he worked for 20 years in progressively challenging roles, culminating in his taking a position in the Ministry of Government Services – Office of the CIO as chief technology officer (an assistant deputy minister level role). In this role, he led the enterprise architecture and change management programs for the Ontario public service and played a key role on the IT Executive Leadership Council and other steering committees."

"David left the Ontario government in 2005 to work for Chartwell IRM (now KPMG) as vice-president, national public sector program, where he was responsible for leading information management, business transformation, strategy and IT initiatives at all three levels of government. In 2007, David returned to the public sector to become the first chief information officer at the City of Toronto. Working closely with his senior management team and other divisions, he transformed the city’s IT organization to be a stronger, more federated shared services environment with improved governance and a customer-centric focus."

Wallace holds a Bachelor of Business Management (Ryerson University), Business Administration Diploma (Computer Science and Accounting/Finance Majors) (Ryerson University), Master of Business Administration (University of Toronto), and an Information Systems Professional designation from Canada’s Association of IT Professionals.

“David Wallace’s leadership and vast experience in so many sectors of information technology in both the private and public sectors will benefit and enrich the university,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur. “Information technology affects every facet of the institution. We are pleased to welcome him to this crucial role.”

Working with deans, senior administrators and information technology teams, the CIO is a strategist and manager who leads the forging of an integrated infrastructure that is best in class, and advance a collegial process of strategic change across a distributed IT community.

“The University of Waterloo has an international reputation, recognized excellence and a commitment to innovation,” said Wallace. “I am eager to work with the students, faculty and staff in realizing Waterloo’s compelling vision.”

The Chief Information Officer Nominating Committee was formed in December 2011 to identify a successor to Alan George, associate provost, information systems & technology. The committee engaged the services of Odgers Berndtson, an external search consulting firm. The committee then met seven times over five months, beginning in January 2012. At its first meeting, the committee considered the position title and agreed that it should be renamed Chief Information Officer, "taking into account the strategic nature of the role and the title used at other Canadian universities." Consultations followed as the search committee solicited feedback from the university community and conducted interviews with members of the Board of Governors, senior administration, associate deans, academic support unit heads, senior IST staff, and student leaders to get a sense of the issues, priorities, and opportunities that face the chief information officer. The position was advertised in late January and February.

"Please join Feridun and me in welcoming David to his new role at the University of Waterloo," Keller wrote in conclusion. "We look forward to the leadership David will bring to the chief information officer portfolio."

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Calling all posthumans

The 2012 Colloquium of the Student Association for Graduates in English (SAGE) will take place on May 18 and 19. The theme of the colloquium is De/Centering the Human Subject: A Graduate Conference on Posthumanism and the Humanities.

The colloquium will feature keynote speaker Dr. Cary Wolfe of Rice University who will be delivering a lecture on the topic of his forthcoming book "Before the Law: Humans and Other Animals in a Biopolitical Frame." The lecture will take place on Friday, May 18 at 5:00 p.m. in HH 1102. All are welcome to attend.

According to the presentation abstract, Wolfe will address the problem of neo-vitalism in current biopolitical thought. Examining the work of Roberto Esposito, Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, and others, we will explore the challenges involved in framing what Esposito calls an "affirmative" biopolitics, and how different forms of life may be taken account of in relation to juridico-political norms without falling back on an undifferentiated biopolitics of "life."

Then, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, there will be an exhibition and reception at the Critical Media Lab in downtown Kitchener.

The colloquium continues Saturday with a program of talks, roundtables, and panels by graduate students and faculty on a variety of topics including "Necromedia," "Posthumanist Subjectivities," and "Abjectability."

Registration for the colloquium is free. Mirrorshades are optional.

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The curious case of the disappearing Tuesday

The Victoria Day holiday, which has crept up so quietly that it is hard to believe it is almost upon is, is throwing a monkeywrench into regularly scheduled classes, according to the Registrar's Office. Registrar Ken Lavigne has this to say: "The scheduling of classes is different next Tuesday as a result of the Monday holiday. We will follow a Monday schedule on Tuesday to make up for the missed Monday. Tuesday will not be made up as this measure brings the number of Tuesdays in line with the rest of the teaching days. A similar measure will be taken in July after the Canada Day holiday."

So long Tuesday, we hardly knew ye.

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