Athletics Director stepping down

a news release from the media relations team.

Bob Copeland, director of athletics at the University of Waterloo, announced today that he will step down from his role on November 1, 2013.

In his five years as the head of the Department of Athletics and Recreational Services, Copeland contributed to the success of the Waterloo Warriors and laid the foundation for their future. In a career spanning 17 years at Waterloo, he worked in other senior leadership roles, including associate vice-president, development and alumni affairs.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have led such a dynamic department and passionate group of staff, coaches and student-athletes who represent the University of Waterloo with great distinction,” said Copeland. “I am looking forward to taking on new challenges and continuing to make positive contributions in the Canadian sports community. I will forever be a Warrior and plan to remain active in my support of the department as an alumnus.”

During Copeland’s tenure he led the development of a comprehensive strategic plan for athletics, the expansion of Warrior Field and increased Athletic Financial Award scholarship support for student-athletes. He championed a new sport model that is currently being implemented across Waterloo's expansive interuniversity sport program and has been successful in attracting to Waterloo some of the best coaches in Canada.

“Bob has made several significant contributions to the University of Waterloo throughout his career. We will miss his passion and determination to advance the university,” said Chris Read, associate provost, students. “During difficult times, Bob provided courageous and steadfast leadership. We wish him the very best and know he will continue to be a valued member of our community.”

Copeland has been an active and respected part of the Canadian sporting landscape and accepted senior leadership roles with Ontario University Athletics and Canadian Interuniversity Sport. He also received the prestigious Taylor’s Award in 2010 from the Taylor Hooton Foundation “for courage in leading the effort to protect young people from the dangers of steroids and other [appearance and performance enhancing drugs].”

Copeland is a graduate of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and received the department’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008.

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A campus community in "full bloom"

by Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor.

There’s only one way I could possibly start July’s update: with a huge thank-you to the team that enabled our biggest, best Canada Day ever.

More than 40,000 of our friends and neighbours came out to the Columbia Lake Fields to celebrate Canada, and to celebrate this wonderful community where we’re so fortunate to live and work.

We promised a “bigger, better Canada Day than ever before,” and our organizers and volunteers delivered beautifully. My sincere thanks to all the student, faculty, and staff organizers who made the day possible, and to each and every one of you who joined us for the event. I’m looking forward to seeing you at next year’s celebration!

If you haven’t already, browse this photo gallery of the Canada Day festivities – they capture the day perfectly.

I’m delighted to report that another major university initiative, the Strategic Plan, is moving ever closer to being fully approved by the university’s Board of Governors, allowing us to begin the implementation phase this fall.

By now you’ve heard me say countless times how vital the Strategic Plan is to our ongoing and future success – because it’s true. We intend to secure a bright and exceptional future for the University of Waterloo, defined by our global leadership in experiential education and entrepreneurship, and built upon a foundation of core academic, research, and organizational strengths.

Developing and implementing a strong Strategic Plan is the cornerstone of my mission as president and central to our work as an institution of higher learning. I know that you share my pride in seeing the plan continue to build momentum – from consultation, to vision-setting, to priority-making, and now, to approval and implementation.

Achieving the level of growth and success called for in our Strategic Plan will require the commitment of a broad range of stakeholders both on and beyond campus. The federal government – the level of government responsible for the lion’s share of funding for research and innovation – is a key partner, and we sent our congratulations to key members of the new federal cabinet following #shuffle13.

One of our local Members of Parliament in Waterloo Region, the Honourable Gary Goodyear, continues to serve as Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario, and the Honourable Greg Rickford, from northern Ontario, has been appointed Minister of State for the  Science and Technology portfolio – an important ministry for a science and tech powerhouse like Waterloo. We congratulate these and all other newly appointed ministers, and look forward to keeping the lines of communication open, and building awareness about the value Waterloo brings to Canada's communities and economy.

As we roll into August, I can’t help but observe something special about this university, which I’ll leave you with.

Many universities and colleges more or less shut down for the summer. They slip into a bit of a trance, or turn most of their attention to the year ahead. But not here.  Our university is in full bloom during the summer months, in countless ways.

The grounds look spectacular, thanks to the efforts of our maintenance staff; our community is engaged, and truly grateful for the wonderful Canada Day we gave to local families; we have many students on campus and many courses being taught, thanks to our year-round academic programming; our dedicated support staff are on the job to make sure our students have every support and opportunity they need to be successful; and our Board of Governors is hard at work supporting our Strategic Plan, and constantly asking me, “What else can we do to help?”

Some universities wind down for the summer, but not this one. We’re in full bloom.

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ChemEd conference comes full circle

For the biennial ChemEd Conference's 40th anniversary, the Faculty of Science's Chemistry Department is bringing it back to where it all began.

The conference, which was established at the University of Waterloo in 1973, will be held from Sunday, July 28 to Thursday, August 1. It is the largest such gathering of educators involved in teaching high school and introductory chemistry in North America.

Held every two years, the conference has been an opportunity for chemistry educators to share their teaching experiences, classroom innovations, and laboratory experiments with their peers. Attendees learn valuable insights from outstanding educators, and engage in hands-on workshops and chemical demonstrations.

The conference will also feature the final "So You Think You Can Demo" competition, with the three finalists competing in front of a panel of judges during the conference's open ceremonies.

Over the past 40 years the conference has been held at universities on both sides of the border, from Queen's and York to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia and Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. The long-lived event has developed some traditions of its own including the Reg Friesen lecture, an ice cream social, a children/family program, the Mole Day breakfast and Mole Day run.

The conference will also provide attendees with an opportunity to vote in-person for their favourite elemental tile design to be added to the Chemistry department's Periodic Table Project after the recent discovery of two new elements, flerovium and livermorium. Voting winds up on August 1.

The enthusiasm and energy of past conferences is captured in an online photo history.

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