Nominations open for grad supervision awards

Nominations are open for the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision for 2013-2014. The award, established by the Graduate Studies Office in collaboration with the Graduate Student Association, recognizes "exemplary faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in graduate study supervision." Normally, three faculty members will be recognized each year at a Spring convocation, and the recipients will be honoured with a $1,000 award.

"Graduate student supervision requires complex interaction between graduate students and the graduate supervisor," says a statement circulated by Heidi Mussar,
Assistant Director, Graduate Financial Aid and Awards. "An outstanding graduate supervisor is a mentor, an advisor, a role model, a humanist and a strategist. A caring and effective supervisor possesses a high level of energy and ingenuity."

Each nomination must be made by a current or former graduate student (or group of students) supervised by the nominee and supported by one or more senior academic colleagues who are familiar with the nominee's record as a supervisor. The nomination must also be supported by past and present graduate students of the nominee and other graduate students who have had the opportunity to receive guidance or informal mentoring from the nominee. Guidelines have been published that outline the required contents of a complete nomination package.

Nominations must be submitted to the Office of the Faculty Associate Dean, Graduate Studies by June 11. The nominations will be assessed by the faculty associate dean, graduate studies and forwarded to the assistant director, graduate financial aid and awards by June 25. The Faculties of Applied Health Sciences and Environment may submit up to 2 nominations while Arts, Engineering, Mathematics, and Science may submit up to 4 nominations.

 

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Keystone volunteers honoured at luncheon

By: Karina Graf, Keystone Communications Chair, Volunteer

Did you know that uWaterloo’s Keystone Campaign is supported by over 100 volunteers who give their time to support initiatives such as Treat-a-Gram, the Keystone Picnic, and writing stories about students and the impact of donor support?

Volunteers are integral to the campaign’s success. Many return year after year, having fun and making new friends from across campus, while contributing to the uWaterloo community. In fact, one staff member has volunteered for Keystone for 23 years! 

This past Tuesday, in honour of National Volunteer Week, volunteers from the Keystone planning and communications working groups (pictured above) were recognized at a luncheon to celebrate their contributions. Ken McGillivray, Vice-President, Advancement, joined the volunteers for lunch and presented certificates of recognition from both the university and local MPP Catherine Fife.

The Keystone Campaign brings together faculty, staff, and retirees who give their time and financial resources to support campus-wide initiatives. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Keystone volunteer, contact Meghan Whitfield, Associate Director, Annual Giving. 

 

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WATCH this space and other notes

WATCH, the David Johnston Research + Technology Park publication, is now available three times per year and extended versions of the print articles can be found on the magazine's website.

More than 200 grade-school students from across Waterloo Region will test their scientific knowledge at the annual All Science Challenge competition today as part of the nationwide Let’s Talk Science outreach program.

President Hamdullahpur is in California to attend the Milken Institute’s 2013 Global Conference, where he’ll participate in a panel discussion on the importance of educational attainment to regional economic prosperity. The annual Global Conference is an invitation-only gathering of eminent leaders, thinkers, and statespersons, convened to discuss global events and major business, political, and societal trends. Dr. Hamdullahpur, the only Canadian university president participating in the conference according to the conference program, will join such distinguished co-panelists as Gray Davis, the former governor of California, in discussing the relationship between education and the economy. While in California, President Hamdullahpur is also meeting with Waterloo alumni chapters, to thank them for their ongoing support and to encourage their continued efforts to grow the University of Waterloo’s presence in the Golden State.

An article penned by our very own Director of Athletics Bob Copeland can be found in the latest edition of NCAA Champion magazine. Copeland writes about Waterloo's leadership in dealing with anti-doping rules violations and the need to be proactive in educating student-athletes about steroids and supplements.

Finally, the examination period is now over, and the campus falls into an intersessional period of sorts while the stale smell of student flop-sweat and anxiety is scrubbed from the Physical Activities Complex and various study spaces around campus.

Retail Services will be closed for inventory on Monday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m. and will reopen Wednesday, May 1 at 9:00 a.m. Some Food Services outlets have modified hours for the coming days. The Library has posted its Spring intersession hours as well. The Federation of Students has posted the exam period hours for their commercial services.

But soon it will be back to business. The co-operative work term begins on Monday, April 29. Monday is also the deadline for students to become "Fees Arranged" in order to access their courses in Waterloo LEARN. Lectures for the spring term will begin on May 6.

Finally, it's payday today for those of us on the monthly payroll. Those employees on the biweekly payment schedule will receive their next paycheque on Friday, May 3. Human Resources has the complete list of pay dates on their website. And for those of you who like to leave your tax preparations to the very last minute, remember that your T4 and T4A slips, as well as your faculty or staff association slips, are available through myHRinfo.

 

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