Celebrating convocation, community & Canada

by Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor.

June was a momentous month for the University of Waterloo on many levels. To begin with, Convocation is without a doubt one of the most refreshing, rejuvenating, and meaningful events of the year, and Spring Convocation 2014 was no different.

It was an absolute thrill to congratulate the Spring Class of 2014 at our Convocation ceremonies which ran from June 10 to June 14. Our several distinguished guest speakers added some inspiring words of wisdom to the event.

For an excellent visual recap of their comments, visit the university’s Facebook page.

On a personal level, I was delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate our graduating class in my own way – through a video message, available now on the office of president website.

To those of you reading this who may have graduated this month, and to those who have loved ones who crossed the stage, congratulations!

June was also significant for another reason: we celebrated the career, and the impending retirement, of Vice-President Academic and Provost Geoff McBoyle.

The Daily Bulletin has covered Provost McBoyle’s retirement extensively, including by way of this article published after Geoff’s farewell celebration. He will be truly missed.

It has been my pleasure, and a true privilege, to work with our outgoing provost over the years. Thank you, Geoff, for your incredible contributions to Waterloo’s success.

That success will be safeguarded and built upon by the University of Waterloo’s incoming provost, Professor Ian Orchard, whose term formally begins July 1, 2014. Ian’s experiences and skills have made him the ideal person to take on the role of Provost and help us carry on with our important work of being recognized as one of the world’s top innovation universities. Ian, welcome to campus!

This month I also had some excellent opportunities to engage our campus and local communities.

On June 18, 2014, I participated in the most recent version of our Strategic Plan Town Halls, this time focused on the Strategic Plan area of “Robust Employer-Employee Relationship”. The Town Hall was a great way to share progress and updates on this aspect of the Strategic Plan, and to hear back from our campus stakeholders about some relevant items of importance to them. Thank you to all who participated and helped to organize.

Last Friday, I was delighted to unveil the University of Waterloo’s community relations framework at our second annual President’s Community Breakfast. Hosted at the Canadian Clay & Glass Museum in uptown Waterloo, the event marked the launch of the university’s first-ever integrated community relations strategy, focusing on the priority areas of arts, culture & diversity, economic development, health & well-being, sustainability, and youth engagement. I look forward to continuing progress on this strategic priority for the university.

As we know, our community is not just a matter of geography, but of the ties that bind us together. This morning I’m heading back home to Waterloo after a terrific visit with our alumni, friends, and supporters in California. This was an ideal opportunity to update our alumni family and industry supporters on the excellent progress this university is making, and to get their feedback and build plans for enhanced collaboration. Hearing our alumni speak about their pride in their alma mater, and their desire to stay connected, was far and away the highlight of the trip.

Last, but not least, I hope to see you all on Tuesday, July 1 for the University of Waterloo’s 30^th Annual Canada Day Celebration! Take in our featured musical performances, children’s activities, family-friendly programming and our outstanding fireworks display. Our Canada Day celebration is one of our best opportunities every year for giving back to this Waterloo region community that we love and call home. Join us on Columbia Lake Field and help us welcome our neighbours to campus!

All the best to you for an excellent — and extended — Canada Day weekend.

Sincerely,

Feridun

 

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This Tuesday, it's Canada Day 2014

The latest in a series of #UWCommunity weekly features that highlight Waterloo in the community.

Don your black and gold University of Waterloo gear and come out and celebrate Canada’s 147^th birthday, Tuesday, July 1, 2014, at Columbia Lake Fields.  

This year’s celebration will mark the 30^th year of a strong partnership between the University of Waterloo and its Federation of Students, coming together to deliver this fun-filled event as an opportunity to give back to our community each year. This long-standing tradition has become a fixture on calendars throughout Waterloo Region and has seen multiple generations of families attend throughout the years. 

Considered the Region's premier summer event, Canada Day is Waterloo’s opportunity to provide the community with a family-friendly day on our campus.  Bringing the community to our campus helps break down barriers and strengthens our shared connection.

Festivities for this free event get underway at 4:00 p.m.  Programming offers a range of activities for all members of the family.  

Highlights include:

• Fantastic fireworks display
• Musical performances by the Born Ruffians and Steven Page
• Magician Scott Hammell
• TVOKids Stage, hosted by TVOKids' personality, Kara;
• Children’s performance by Treehouse's Splash'N Boots and The Silly People
• National anthem video performance by one of the most beloved Canadians on the planet
• Food vendors and a beer garden sponsored by Brick Brewing Company 
• Connect Hub featuring fun video and photo booths, life-sized Jenga game, and lounge space
• Mascot dance off with King Warrior and his fellow University of Waterloo mascot friends 
• Aboriginal Dancing and Drumming
• Field programming including, inflatable rides, face painting, The Stilt Guys, and children’s activities presented by a number of community partners

More information about the event can be found on the University of Waterloo website. Social media followers can share their Canadian community spirit on Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #UWCanadaDay.

All University of Waterloo campus parking lots are available and free of charge on Canada Day. Accessible parking is available off of Frank Tompa Drive within the OpenText parking lot. Columbia Street West from Westmount Road to Hagey Boulevard will be closed on July 1, 2014.

Canada Day celebrations began in 1984 as a partnership between the University of Waterloo and the Federation of Students and has continued annually since that time.

 

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Student portal tests with Environment

by the Student Portal Project team.

The student portal is getting closer to launch. The new, mobile-friendly student communication tool that will deliver the UWaterloo information students need, just when they need it, is currently being tested with Faculty of Environment students.

These students have been invited to test the portal and offer feedback about what they like, what could be improved and report any bugs. They join 200 other student testers who have been using the portal over the last few months.

This larger-scale testing phase allows the portal project team to ensure the portal continues to perform well with an increase in users while gathering more student feedback. The ultimate goal is to create a dynamic, high-value tool for students to use on a daily basis, and over time, allow student developers to create their own content for the portal.

Watch this video to learn more about the student portal.

The portal team has been focused on functionality and incorporating student feedback, and recently addressed a reoccurring student request: to add more colour. Students can now visually customize their portals by selecting colourful themes using the faculty colours and UWaterloo campus photos for the background.

As customization is key, students can now select the type of events that are pulled into their events widget. If you are a WCMS web maintainer, this is a good time review the process for entering event content types to ensure your events are being pulled into the portal. Widgets focused on awards, services, opportunities, clubs and societies are on the horizon, as well as enhancements to current widgets.

Starting this fall, the portal will roll out to more students, faculty-by-faculty. Faculties will be contacted in advance of their portal release date to ensure the proposed timelines fit with the faculty priorities.

The portal team will keep the campus community up-to-date via the Daily Bulletin and the student portal web site. If you would like to be included on the campus partner email updates, please email Jude Doble, Portal Project Manager.

 

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