The Keystone effect: one student's experience

by Florence Ngan.

Today is National Philanthropy Day, and so it feels like the perfect time to thank you, Waterloo’s faculty, staff, and retirees, for the difference you have made in my life as a student here at Waterloo.

Last year, I arrived at Waterloo to pursue a Mathematics & Business Administration double degree.  I was honoured to receive two entrance scholarships and a bursary.  The costs of tuition, books, and living away from home are enormous, and with these awards, the financial burden is relieved, and I can focus on studying at what I consider to be one of the best universities in the country.  The scholarships and bursary also reward the effort I’ve put into achieving good marks.  I am proud to relay that in my first two terms, I made the Dean’s Honour List!  

I am so grateful to donors of the Keystone Campaign for making these financial awards possible.  Last year during my co-op placement, I worked on the Keystone Campaign in the university’s Office of Advancement.  It was very satisfying to be a part of reaching out to the same people who have supported me.  Ina small way, I felt like I was giving something back. 

I am thrilled to be going to Hong Kong for my upcoming co-op term! A big part of what attracted me to Waterloo is its outstanding co-op program, and now I will gain valuable international experience and have the opportunity to ‘try out’ different fields.  I will continue to work hard, not just in pursuit of my academic goals, but also as a way to show my appreciation for the support you’ve given me.   Thank you! 

Florence Ngan, Class of 2015

By now you should have received your Keystone calendar and fall appeal.  The Keystone Campaign relies on the generosity of Waterloo faculty, staff, and retirees to fund scholarships, academic programs, research, teaching, libraries, new buildings, and equipment.  If you have not already made your Keystone gift, I ask you to consider doing so today.  Go to www.uwaterloo.ca/support/keystone.

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Peace advancement centre takes shape

an update from Conrad Grebel University College.

“Sponsor debates on peace issues.” “Promote international peace through music.” “Become a peace and technology centre—mapping where peace is vulnerable in our world today.” “Display peace art in the gallery.” “Form research teams that produce effective peace-building practices in our schools.” “Study the environment as a peace issue.” “Host visiting peace advocates from the global church.”

These are just some of the dreams expressed in interviews with 42 outside experts that have helped to form the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU) Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA) at Conrad Grebel University College.

One year ago, MSCU gifted Grebel $1 million to establish an entire fourth floor to the current three-storey academic expansion capital campaign ($8.7 million) to study, practice, and pursue peace.

Since then, more than 50 donors have joined the cause, giving over $400,000 toward a remaining goal of $500,000 to build this collaborative, innovative space for peace (rendering pictured at right).

A “Centre for Peace Advancement Task Force” was struck to flesh out the initial idea for the Centre and to gather input from others. President Susan Schultz Huxman, Jim Pankratz (Dean) and Lowell Ewert (Director of Peace and Conflict Studies) met with dozens of people in civil society organizations, centre directors, and other business and church leaders to share the vision and get important feedback.

President Huxman said, “We envision the formation of an innovative, collaborative and high achieving academic centre committed to research, training, and community engagement around multi-sector peacemaking issues in our world today.”

“Our many experts have responded to an emerging working position statement with praise and counsel,” Huxman continued. “We have heard such things as:

“The CPA should become THE place of expertise on peace issues if this gets implemented right” and “The CPA could be very effective at connecting the hundreds of different groups that rarely connect to each other.”

Brent Zorgdrager, CEO of MSCU said: “We’ve been very excited to see the Grebel community take hold of a vision and work hard to articulate the shape and direction of the centre. We’re confident that our members will value this investment in advancing peace in our communities for many years to come.”

The 6,000 square feet of the MSCU Centre for Peace Advancement will be home for faculty, staff and students at Conrad Grebel, working groups within the University of Waterloo, visiting scholars and practitioners, professionals in residence, short and long-term affiliate groups, start-up entrepreneurs and peace underwriters. The centre has an open, flexible floor plan. It includes: a display gallery, a “buzz” room, seminar and project rooms, an “incubator zone,” think tank room, affiliate group space, a graduate “hive” for Grebel’s two graduate programs as well as several offices, reception area and washrooms.

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Remembering Lois Matthews

Lois Matthews, wife of the University of Waterloo's second president Burt Matthews, died on Saturday, November 10. A funeral service will be held in the chapel of the Erb & Good funeral home today at 10:30 a.m.

She is pictured above with members of her family in 2005, when an ironwood tree was planted in memory of Burt Matthews, who served as president from 1970 to 1981, outside B.C. Matthews Hall. Also pictured are then-president David Johnston and former dean of applied health sciences Roger Mannell.

"My wife and I have very warm memories of time spent with Lois Matthews," writes Kenneth McLaughlin, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the university's history department. "We came to Waterloo in 1970 just as Burt acceded to the Presidency. With so many new, young faculty members and their wives arriving that year, Mrs. Matthews opened their home to the faculty wives. For a week each September they met together to identify interest groups and affinities. We benefited from Lois Matthews' gracious hospitality as she came to know the wives of the faculty members and to share their interests. Lois and Burt made it a point to know as many of us as possible and to welcome us to their home."

Lois Matthews is also remembered for her keen interest in the work of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, or the Faculty of Human Kinetics and Leisure Studies, as it was known at the time. A reading room in Burt Matthews Hall bears her name, and her family is accepting donations to the Lois Matthews Scholarship Fund in lieu of flowers.

McLaughlin recalls that at the height of the radical student protest era (and yes, this institution had its share of radicals), when students engaged in a "sit in" at the president's residence on Westgate Walk in Kitchener, Mrs. Matthews served them food and beverages.

"All these years later the memories of her warmth and generosity remain strong and steadfast," writes McLaughlin. "We will all miss her."

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Movember madness and other notes

Movember participants are sending in photos and links to their donation pages as we reach the halfway point in the month-long campaign for men's health and prostate cancer research. Participants include the Registrar's Office's Paul Harnack, mechanical and mechatronics engineering lab director Michael H. Herz, who has also shaved his head in solidarity, and teams from the Library (featured in an earlier Daily Bulletin), and the Faculty of Science (team captain Josh Neufeld is pictured at right.). If you are participating and would like your donation page highlighted in the Daily Bulletin, let me know. And do consider donating!

The university flu vaccination clinics offered by Health Services continue today in the Multipurpose Room of the Student Life Centre, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clinic will run again tomorrow.

Associate deans of research and directors are invited to attend an information session entitled "Opportunities for Canadians in FP7 Research and Career Development Programs" hosted by Garth Williams, a director at ERA-Can, on Thursday, December 6. The event will take place in the office of Waterloo International in room 1101 of Needles Hall from 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

According to the information provided by the session organizers, "ERA-Can assists Canadian participation in Europe’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) by providing information on programs and calls and assistance to researchers applying for grants and negotiating contracts."

Other speakers at the information session include professor Srinivasan Keshav, Canada Research Chair in Tetherless Computing, Cheriton School of Computer Science.

More information about the session is available online. Please RSVP by Friday, November 23 to Mélodie Cardin, Manager of Communications, ERA-Can by emailing melodie.cardin@era-can.ca.

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