Former Arts dean Robin Banks remembered

Retired psychology professor and former Dean of Arts Robin Banks died Tuesday, March 19. He was 78.

Banks was one of the early members of the Faculty of Arts, joining the university as a lecturer in psychology in 1962. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1966. As a professor in 1971, he began a longtime chairmanship of the psychology department, and was named dean of the Arts faculty in 1979, serving for three terms until 1991.

From October 1987 to June 1988 he served as acting vice-president, academic and provost of the university, and as Associate Provost, Academic Affairs from 1993 to 1996.

"Banks's sense of fairness, integrity, and service to the University of Waterloo marked a long and distinguished career," writes Distinguished Professor Emeritus Kenneth McLaughlin, whose own roots in the Faculty of Arts go back to 1961. "Under his leadership, he moved Arts fully into co-operative education in a program then known as Arts Applied Studies, strengthened other departments and led the way to establishing the University’s unique School of Accountancy. He also initiated the agreement which saw the Arts Faculty and the “colleges” at Waterloo develop harmonious and very successful cooperative relationships."

Banks retired in 1996, and according to McLaughlin, "continued his outstanding sense of service as an active member of the University's Retirees' Association."

Visitation will take place at the Erb & Good Funeral Home in Waterloo on Saturday, March 23 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., The funeral service will be held in the funeral home's chapel on Sunday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m., with a reception to follow.

"Robin Banks always saw his career as one of service to the University of Waterloo, its faculty, staff and students," McLaughlin concludes. "He will be sorely missed by all of us at Waterloo."

 

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Networking for success at St. Jerome's

"With job prospects being what they are these days, students and alumni alike need to capitalize on the soft skills that a recent Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) stated 450 Canadian employers value in employees," writes Student Advisor Sarah Bumstead. "So Tuesday night St. Jerome’s Advancement and Student Success Office hosted an Alumni/ Student Mixer, Networking for Success."

Business coach and consultant Troy Treleaven with Dale Carnegie led 50 staff, students and alumni in an interactive discussion on networking and how to build upon those soft skills that employers desire in employees.

"Students and alumni practiced the conversation stack – a super visual device that helps start and continue conversations," Bumstead writes. "Troy also reinforced to the audience it’s no longer about what you know or who you know but who wants to know you."

 

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Budgets, bootcamps, and other notes

The latest federal budget, or "action plan," if you prefer, was delivered yesterday by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and included a few items of interest for the higher education sector. The big ticket items include a $37 million increase in funding for the three federal granting councils - the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), $165 million in multi-year support of genomics research through Genome Canada, and $141 million to the National Research Council to help grow innovative businesses.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation will be getting $225 million aimed in part at supporting advanced research infrastructure priorities.

Canada's International Education Strategy will receive $23 million over two years, with $10 million allocated to international marketing activities, and $13 million to the Mitacs Globalink Program "to attract highly promising students from around the world to Canadian universities and to allow Canadian students to take advantage of training opportunities abroad."

The budget also promises $10 million over two years to Indspire to support bursaries and scholarships for aboriginal students, and establishes entrepreneurial awards as part of a strategy for helping build an entrepreneurial culture in Canada. "Outstanding and high-potential" incubator and accelerator organizations in Canada will find $60 million over five years allocated to help them expand their services to entrepreneurs.

The Centre for Career Action's Further Education Bootcamp takes place tomorrow, March 23, in the Tatham Centre. The day-long event features 19 workshops, experts from health, business, law, and teaching sectors, and information about application requirements and admissions tests. Information about the event is available on CECA's website.

Co-op students recently profiled on the University of Waterloo's Facebook page as part of National Co-op Week include software engineering student Didier Smith and recreation & business and therapeutic recreation student Vanessa Thomas.

Darkness, everybody, darkness is spreading: Tomorrow is Earth Hour, which will take place from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Held annually, the event encourages homeowners, businesses and other organizations to turns off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness about climate change. The University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP) has organized a variety of activities in the Student Life Centre from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., including zumba, yoga, an Open Bazaar including merchandise from Value Village, UWSP, ESS, local vendors, performances by Whites & Colours and Acabellas, and a jam session, where students are being invited to bring their own instruments, and much more. So make sure to turn your office lights out before leaving this weekend.

Here's the latest nutrition "myth vs. fact" from Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace:

"Myth:" Coconut water is the best workout drink.

"Fact:" This popular beverage, which is the liquid found in green coconuts, has been marketed as the ideal sports drink. Coconut water is a rich source of potassium but contains much less sodium. Since more sodium than potassium is lost in sweat, strenuous or endurance exercisers may be better off sticking to a sports drink specifically formulated for athletes that contains electrolytes and carbohydrates in the right amounts, including more sodium to replace sweat losses.  One study found that coconut water, bottled water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink were similarly hydrating during a 60 minute treadmill workout. So for average gym-goers, water provides adequate and cheaper hydration during or after a workout.  Coconut water is very low in protein and should not be considered a recovery drink for building muscle.

As a natural product, there is variability in coconut water’s nutrient content. If you like to drink it simply because of its light, refreshing taste, enjoy it in moderation. It is relatively low in calories at about 46 calories per cup/250 mL (11 grams of sugar).

 

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