Our impact: a 9-fold return on investment

For every dollar that the Ontario government spends on the University of Waterloo, the university returns nearly nine times that amount in economic impacts to the province.

That's just one of the many findings of an independent economic impact report, the results of which were announced this morning by President Feridun Hamdullahpur at a community breakfast at the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre in front of an audience of community partners, including corporate, government, and not-for-profit leaders.

The report, commissioned by the University of Waterloo and conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, examines this institution's role in driving prosperity, revealing that Waterloo generates more than $2.6 billion in "total annual spending impacts" and more than 20,000 jobs in Ontario.

In 2011, Waterloo received $297 million in funding from the Ontario government for its operations. In the same year, Waterloo generated $2.614 billion in spending impacts and more than $1.4 billion in labour income in the province. That's about $8.80 for every dollar the province spends on this university.

That $2.6 billion figure includes $556 million in direct spending by the University of Waterloo, $265 million in third-party spending, and $642 million in "Waterloo Region Innovation Ecosystem" impacts. This spending also created an additional $1.151 billion in indirect and induced economic impacts. Of the overall spending impact, 42 per cent, or $1.2 billion, is a result of the university's role in anchoring the region's innovation ecosystem and is spending that would not have likely occurred without the university.

The report also concludes that the University of Waterloo contributes $1.5 billion annually to Waterloo Region's economy.

PricewaterhouseCoopers collected data for the study from the university and many public sources including Statistics Canada, and conducted a comprehensive survey of companies in Waterloo Region in an effort to understand and quantify the university's impact.

The survey identified that around half of the 720 companies in the region's innovation ecosystem said that the university was a key factor in their company's start-up or ongoing operations.

Waterloo spinoff companies represent a diverse range of industries, from information and computing technology (33 per cent), to clean technology (17 per cent), advanced manufacturing (17 per cent), life sciences (17 per cent) and digital media (8 per cent).

PricewaterhouseCoopers also found that Waterloo's co-op education program—the largest of its kind in the world—gives companies in Waterloo Region's innovation ecosystem a significant advantage, given the pervasive shortage for high-skilled labour across Canada.

Among the report's other findings:

• The university is a leading source of highly skilled employees that companies depend on for their ongoing success.
• 72 per cent of companies surveyed in Waterloo Region said they depend on University of Waterloo graduates and students as a source of employment. Of those, 44 per cent said that Waterloo students and graduates made up more than half of their workforce.
• The university fosters a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, which helps facilitate the commercialization of ideas and research.
• The university helps generate and attract a critical mass of talent and highly qualified personnel within Waterloo Region.
• The university facilitates linkages and collaboration across the region's innovation ecosystem, which further enhances the innovation process and generating additional economic impact across Ontario.

“When you look around Waterloo Region – the startups, the tech giants, the innovative centres for research and policy development – you see the University of Waterloo’s influence,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur. “Our university is an economic engine, powering the growth of Waterloo Region and contributing significantly to Ontario’s ongoing prosperity.”

The full highlights of the economic impact report are available online. PricewaterhouseCoopers last examined the university's economic impact in 2001.

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It's Mental Health Wellness Day today

by the Mental Health Wellness Day committee.

From the sea of orange t-shirts across campus it should be clear that today is Mental Health Wellness Day (MHWD), a campus initiative that focuses on ensuring our students know:

• 1 in 5 Canadians will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime;
• uWaterloo is a caring community and is a safe place to ask for help;
• We have the resources to help

Today, faculty members have been asked to share the above messages at the beginning of their lectures, encouraging students to reach out when they need help. The campus community is encouraged to tweet how they stay mentally healthy using the #1in5 hashtag and to follow along with the submissions online. The Feds have also created this video featuring uWaterloo faculty, staff and student leaders talking about mental health.

In support of this campus-wide initiative, student groups and campus partners are hosting events all day. A sample of the events include a welcome snack for commuters in the Davis Centre, a wall of happiness at St. Jerome’s, mental health conversations in the SLC with the Feds Diversity Education team, a mental health yoga class and Burst Your Bubble seminar in residence. Read the full listing of today’s events on the MHWD calendar.

“While Mental Health Wellness Day is a single day where we draw campus-wide attention to this important topic,” says Mark Beadle, Director of Campus Wellness, “we hope this kick starts ongoing conversations and raises awareness that uWaterloo can offer help to students struggling with their mental health.”

If you have any ideas for future activities, please contact Mark Beadle.

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Join the CONVO-sation at convocation

by Dana Ciak.

The one hundred and seventh convocation ceremonies are taking place this coming Friday and Saturday, with more than 2,000 degrees set to be conferred amongst Waterloo’s undergraduate, masters, and doctoral candidates. 

Once again family, friends, faculty, and staff can join the “CONVO-sation” and send messages of congratulation, memories, and words of wisdom to the convocation twitter wall using #uwaterloograd. The wall, which Alumni Relations first launched in June 2012 with tremendous success, will display the countless tweets sent before each ceremony and during the ensuing receptions. New this fall, the wall will also display photos, giving graduates the chance to visually share their personal convocation experiences. The event will also be webcast live.  

The Waterloo Athletics mascot, King Warrior, will be on hand before each ceremony. Graduates will have the opportunity to complete a whiteboard sentence and have their picture taken with King Warrior. You can browse photos from the day’s ceremonies on the Alumni Relations Facebook page, updated each evening.

Convocation is an opportunity to celebrate our graduates as they embark into the new world of a Waterloo alumni. We hope that you will be able to attend and show your support to our graduates.

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Convocation's awards and honours

Humanitarian Steven Lewis is among the honourees at the University of Waterloo's 107th convocation on Friday and Saturday.

Lewis (pictured at right on campus in 2006) will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws on Friday, October 25 at 10:00 a.m. and address convocation about the contributions university graduates make to the world. He is the founder of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. Among his other accomplishments, Lewis was UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, deputy executive director of UNICEF, and Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest honour for lifetime achievement.

Professor Leslie Valiant, the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Computer Science and
Applied Mathematics in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will receive an honorary Doctor of Mathematics degree on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Valiant has made major advances in complexity theory and in artificial intelligence, and is a recipient of computer science’s most prestigious prize, the Turing Award.

Professor Eric Rentschler, the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures and chair of the Standing Committee on Film and Visual Studies at Harvard University, will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree on Saturday, October 26 at 10:00 a.m. Rentschler is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading film scholars. Rentschler will be delivering a public lecture at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night entitled "The Lives of Others: The History of Heritage and the Rhetoric of Consensus."

Professor Thomas H. Lee, a leader in the field of radio-frequency integrated circuit design from Stanford University, will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. His textbook, "The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits," is a leading text in its field. Professor Lee has invented circuits found in everyday devices, including semiconductor memories and personal electronics. He received the Ho-Am Prize in Engineering, and has served as director of the Microsystems Technology Office at the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

In addition, three professors, all from the Department of Psychology (and all who completed PhDs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), will be named Distinguished Professor Emeriti at Saturday's ceremony:

John Holmes, who came to the University of Waterloo in 1972. His groundbreaking work on close relationships has made him a leader in his field. He served the department as deputy chair and associate chair for graduate studies.

Hildy Ross, who came to Waterloo in 1971. Her influential work on social development made her a highly respected developmental psychologist. She served the department as chair of the developmental division and twice as associate chair for undergraduate studies.

Michael Ross, who arrived in Waterloo in 1971. His seminal work in the domain of social cognition made him a leader in the field of social psychology. He twice served as chair of the department.

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School counsellors visit for annual breakfast

By Jody Berringer, Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment

Waterloo is hosting 110 high school counsellors and colleagues from across campus this morning for an annual guidance counsellor breakfast gathering at the University Club.

The theme this year is ‘Entrepreneurship as a Future’ and we are excited to welcome Bud Walker, Special Advisor to the Vice-President, and Mike McCauley, co-founder of BufferBox as our featured speakers. Nancy Weiner, Associate Registrar, Admissions, will provide counsellors with updates about the admissions process.

The morning will be rounded out with a panel of our amazing students and a tour highlighting campus wellness as well as the Quantum-Nano Centre.

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