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University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Tuesday, April 16, 1996

Canadian studies professorship

A reception on Parliament Hill tonight will launch the Stanley Knowles Visiting Professorship in Canadian Studies at UW as "an important leadership initiative for the country" and an enhancement to the Canadian studies program on campus.

Named in honour of Knowles, who had a 41-year career as a federal New Democratic Party member and currently is an honorary member of the House of Commons, the professorship will "enrich the educational experience of graduate and undergraduate students", a UW news release says, by bringing to Waterloo people with a diversity of views and backgrounds. The professorship will be based at St. Paul's United College, where the Canadian studies program is based.

"The professorship program will include many voices that have already been heard in Canada, and will provide an opportunity for new voices that need to be heard," says Bob Needham, director of the Canadian Studies program. It will attract high-profile people who have been, or who are currently involved in, important Canadian issues, he said.

The Knowles Professor will be present on campus for at least one term each year. Leaders from government, business, labour, academia and national community groups will be possible candidates for the professorship, bringing their expertise here in a variety of ways such as participation in seminars and classes in Canadian studies and other disciplines, acting as resource persons for students doing research, and giving special lectures.

Holders of the professorship will also give at least one special-occasion lecture as part of a Canadian Themes Lecture Series that will be open to the campus and the wider community. Efforts will be made to host some of the theme lectures in other cities, such as Toronto and Ottawa. Covering a wide variety of topics, the theme lectures will address "heritage and cultural issues as well as the social, political, economic and other considerations relevant to crucial public policy problems and their solutions".

Attracting Canadian leaders who share the humanistic outlook of Knowles is a priority for the professorship, Needham said. Candidates may include Native leaders such as Ovide Mercredi or Elijah Harper, former United Church moderator Stan MacKay, or politicians such as Bob Rae or Joe Clark.

Aglukark isn't coming

A concert by northern-Canadian folk singer Susan Aglukark, which was scheduled for May 21 in the Humanities Theatre, has been cancelled. Peter Houston of the UW theatre centre said tickets were to have gone on sale yesterday.

Saying goodbye to retirees

Quite apart from the campus-wide party on April 25, honouring 338 people who are taking early retirement this spring, there are lots of individual receptions and tributes taking place. Announced in the last few days:

Thursday (April 18) from 3 to 6, in Davis Centre room 1301, an open house for five people retiring from the purchasing department: Helga Hartman, Duane Cook, Roma Rastel, Don Gardener, Marian Warren.
Wednesday, April 24, from 5 to 7 at the University Club, a goodbye reception for Gary Embro of the Math Faculty Computing Facility.
Tuesday, May 7, from 4 to 6 at the University Club, a reception for five people retiring from the faculty of engineering: Marion Cutler, Art Key, Ken Riepert, Elaine Thorne, Tom Schmidt.

And talking about retirement: the new "Concerned Retirees Association" has announced a meeting for Thursday (3:30 p.m., Math and Computer room 4063) to continue its pressure for health benefits for retirees who take their money out of the pension plan. "President Downey has refused to meet with us," writes organizer John Towler, "and we must now consider our next steps. We have retained a consultant to speak about legal alternatives."

Chris Redmond -- credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004

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