Orientation Week underway for 8,200 students

Orientation activities at the University of Waterloo are in full swing with events including undergraduate students, international students, their parents and community members.

The University is welcoming more than 8,200 new students this fall, and Orientation introduces new undergraduate and graduate students to academic, social and community life at Waterloo.

Orientation got started on Sunday and Monday with first-year students moving into residence. Members of Waterloo's senior administration, deans, faculty and orientation leaders helped students move into their new homes on campus.

“Beginning university is a major life change for both the new students and their families, and we have events and supports in place to help ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible," said Jessica Bondy, manager of new student transition.  “Orientation provides a wonderful opportunity for new students to connect with the campus and for all levels of the campus community to welcome them.”

Also taking place on the move-in days was Family Send-Off, a casual reception on both Sunday and Monday afternoon. Faculty and staff welcomed all students and their families to the Waterloo community and parents attended orientation sessions planned specifically for them.

Additional programming for off-campus, graduate, international, transfer, and exchange and study abroad students, as well as students at nearby satellite campuses in Cambridge in Stratford, is also scheduled for the rest of the week. There will also be welcoming events for new faculty members.

In addition, a new community-focused event will be taking place during Orientation this year. Called World of Waterloo, hosted by the Student Success Office and the Federation of Students on Wednesday, September 3, will allow students to explore Uptown Waterloo and track their activities in provided passports. They'll learn fire and personal safety tips from representatives of the fire department and law enforcement, and meet local councillors and merchants while attending a business fair.

That same day, students and community members will have input in a collaborative public art project at Waterloo Public Square. A joint initiative between the City of Waterloo and Button Factory Arts, it involves adorning trees with tags on which participants will write the reasons they choose to call Waterloo home. The completed project will be on display at Button Factory Arts, Waterloo's city hall and the University following the event.

Orientation is a partnership between the Federation of Students, the Graduate Student Association, College Pathways, Waterloo International, the Student Success Office, all six Faculties and the Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo.

More information on Orientation and a list of events is available online.

Faculty-specific events happening today include:

Applied Health Sciences - "Amazing Ahssie Day" from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and "Choose Your Own Adventure" at 7:00 p.m.

Arts - "Earn Your Shades" from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and "Choose Your Own Adventure" starting at 7:00 p.m.

Engineering - "Earn Your Hardhat" from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., a class aerial photo from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the St. Paul's green; and "Choose Your Own Adventure" at 7:00 p.m.

Environment - "Oh the Places ENV Will Go" from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and "Choose Your Own Adventure" at 7:00 p.m.

Mathematics - "Final Frontier" at 4:00 p.m. and "Choose Your Own Adventure" at 7:00 p.m.

Science - "Science Olympics" from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., "Learn the SSD" from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and "Choose Your Own Adventure" at 7:00 p.m.

Photograph courtesy of the University of Waterloo Orientation Facebook page.

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Research veep committee seeks members

As required by Policy 68 – Vice-President, University Research, the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel is preparing to constitute the Vice-President, University Research Nominating Committee.

Nominations are being requested for the following seats on the nominating committee:

• One senator of professorial rank from each Faculty, elected by a vote within that Faculty; and
• One staff member elected by and from the regular staff in the Office of Research.

At least three nominators are required in each case. Completed nomination forms should be submitted to the Chief Returning Officer, Secretariat & Office of General Counsel, Needles Hall, Room 3060, no later than 3:00 p.m., on Friday, September 12. Elections will follow if necessary.

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Tuesday's notes

A new report in Entrepreneur magazine places Waterloo among the top 50 universities for venture capital-backed entrepreneurs and innovators. The University of Waterloo ranked 16th in the list, which catalogued the number of graduates who launched companies backed by venture capitalists over the last five years, the total number of startups founded by alumni, and amount of capital raised. Topping the list was California's Stanford University, followed by UC Berkeley and MIT.

While the University welcomes its incoming students this week, it also bids farewell to a number of staff and faculty who have retired recently:

Effective September 1:

Staff:

• Lynda Connolly, who started at the University in September 1970 and retired as Administrative Manager in Environment and Resource Studies.
  

Faculty, effective July 1:

• Professor Donald McLeish of Statistics and Actuarial Science retired July 1. Professor McLeish started at the University as associate professor in July 1982 and was named professor with tenure in July 1984.

Effective September 1:

• Professor Javier Cuenca of Economics, who started at the University in September 1978 as Assistant Professor, and was appointed Associate Professor in July 1983;
• Professor Ioannis Chatzis of Chemical Engineering, who started as Assistant Professor in June 1982, and who was made Associate Professor with tenure in July 1988;
• Professor Chetat Ng of Pure Mathematics, who started as Assistant Professor in September 1971, became Associate Professor in July 1976, received tenure in July 1977, and became full Professor in July 1982;
• Professor Jonathan Sykes of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who began working at Waterloo as Assistant Professor in September 1975, was named Associate Professor with tenure in July 1981, and was made full Professor in July 1986; and
• Professor Forbes Burkowski, Associate Professor (tenured) in the School of Computer Science, who started at the University in July 1982.

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