W tells future students they're welcome

It was "an exciting summer" designing a new set of printed material as well as an overhauled web site, says Tina Roberts, director of undergraduate student recruitment.

She describes the new products: "The design has changed dramatically, the shape/size of the brochures has changed, and for most brochures, we've also significantly reduced the number of pages (for example, our 'Admissions 2002' brochure is 59 pages in length; last year's brochure was 89 pages).

"The new suite of pre-application brochures consists of a search piece, a view book, and eight stage 3 brochures. Our search piece is titled 'Find out more' and is used predominantly at the Ontario Universities' Fair and is given out to younger students. Our view book is titled 'Admissions 2002' and it is used predominantly at high school liaison presentations and it's mailed from the Visitors Centre to student who are university bound for 2002 and 2003. Our stage 3 brochures consist of a brochure for each of our six faculties, Independent Studies, and Renison College and they're distributed to students asking for specific program information."

She says the work actually started more than a year ago, with teams that included recruitment staff (both in the registrar's office and in the faculties and colleges), graphic designers, and others, including students.

"It was important," she says, "that we developed a new design that had a longer life span, it needed to mirror UW's position, it needed to be versatile so that it could be applied to all print and web strategies, the design had to be based on research, it needed to be distinctive from our competitors, and that needed to take into account the importance of the web in recruiting students.

The next big step in the recruitment process this year will be You@Waterloo Day, the fall open house, on Saturday, October 27.

"Recent studies show that the following recruitment strategies are the most effective in attracting the right kinds of students -- #1, campus visit, #2, university's web site, #3, Info magazine, and tied at #4, publications and liaison visits to high schools."

By last fall, three "teams" working on the project had come up with designs that could be tested on high schoolers and UW first-year students. "The results of our focus groups, plus great ideas from the Publications Working Group, resulted in a new design that incorporated elements from virtually all the designs."

What's pictured above is the table of contents from the biggest of the publications, the "view book".

Surfing for the news Biosafety degree proposed at Winnipeg lab University of Phoenix will teach through AOL Ambitious plans for Nova Scotia's art college Disaster recovery costs New York U millions Comment on US policy brings academic freedom controversy at UBC

For profs interested in on-line teaching

Title of the series: "Redesigning for Learning: Engaging Students with Online Activities".

"Please note," says Tom Carey, director of LT3, "the focus on this series is the design of online learning and feedback activities. It is not a 'how-to' session for designing web pages or putting course notes on line. No prior experience in online instruction is necessary.

"Upon completion of the series, faculty will have a template, customized to the online learning and feedback activities they create to meet their specific course needs."

Two parallel morning sessions will be held on Monday and Thursday mornings for three consecutive weeks starting on October 22. Details about the workshop series and registration are available on the web, and Diane Salter of LT3 (dianesalter@lt3, phone ext. 6832) can provide more information.

Pre-registration is essential so that LT3 staff can do the preliminary work on the customized templates. Enrolment is limited.

Engineering gives alumni awards

• Anthony P. Franceschini (BASc civil engineering, 1975), President and CEO, Stantec Inc. Franceschini was cited "for his remarkable success in the engineering profession and his many accomplishments while progressing through positions of increasing leadership in the consulting engineering industry".
• David S. McLeod (BASc systems design engineering, 1979), vice-president, health issues and member relations, Ontario Hospital Association. McLeod was cited "for his continuing support to the enhancement of the medical profession and his many contributions to his community as a doctor, leader, and volunteer, particularly in the athletic sector."
• Mark P. Turchan (BASc systems design engineering 1983, MASc systems design engineering 1985), managing director, Seurat Corp. Turchan was cited "for his academic excellence, his continuing contributions to the education of others, and his remarkable professional achievements through multiple careers and across multiple industries."

A student environmental network Students from all faculties are invited to get involved in a "sustainability project" based in the Federation of Students environment commission, and professors are also being asked to help. "Integrating all the different faculties and their research is crucial to solving environmental problems," says Sandy Kiang of the environment commission. "UWSP's existence would bring students together, whether to volunteer in their spare time, or as a component of an independent project course." The Waterloo Environmental Studies Endowment Fund is providing funding for a pilot project, and the Student Life Centre has space available, Kiang says. "I'll be working actively on getting this office operational come January. "Now I need environmentally conscious students and their professors to help bridge the gap and take part in a campus network." She'd like to hear from both students and faculty members by e-mail at sandeebeach@yahoo.com.

We're back after a chilly weekend

And while you're talking to Quest, you might want to change your address. "All students," says the registrar's office, "can now update their address, telephone, and e-mail address information on the web."

The United Way campaign continues on campus, and at last count the gifts and pledges received had reached $83,434, which is 55.7 per cent of the $150,000 goal. The United Way, including the UW campaign, sponsors dozens of local charities and agencies, from the Central Ontario Developmental Riding Program to the K-W Friendship Group for Seniors. A number of special events will help raise funds for the cause, including a "bake and loonie sale" in computer science tomorrow (Davis Centre room 2314 starting at 9:30).

The "Bridging the Gap" lecture series in the faculty of engineering continues today with a talk by James Lin, head of bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He'll speak on "The Biological Effects of Wireless Communication Radiation", at 11:30 today in Carl Pollock Hall room 3385.

The joint health and safety committee will meet at 1:30 this afternoon in Health Services room 126. Agenda items include bicycles on sidewalks, air quality in Needles Hall (as usual), recent accidents and fire alarms, and a video on workplace violence.

The arts faculty council will meet at 3:45 in Humanities room 373, with the meeting preceded by a reception (3:00) in honour of new faculty members in arts.

A session on "dining etiquette", specifically how to get through business meals without disaster, is scheduled for 4:30 this afternoon. "Refreshments will be served," says the flyer -- well, I should hope so. There's a $5 fee, and the career resource centre in Needles Hall is taking reservations.

Something called the "End the Sanctions on Iraq Cross-Canada Caravan" hits town today, brought to campus by the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group. "Members of the caravan," a WPIRG announcement says, "will speak about the terrible effects of the UN sanctions on the Iraqi people which have killed over 1.5 million Iraqis over the past 11 years." British journalist Felicity Arbuthnot is the key speaker, at 7:00 in Davis Centre room 1302. The "caravan" is on its way from Victoria to Halifax, publicizing its case along the way.

Looking ahead to tomorrow: the staff association will hold its "town meeting" at 12 noon Wednesday in Davis Centre room 1302.

A "work-study abroad fair" is scheduled for tomorrow from 11:00 to 3:00 in the Student Life Centre, with displays and presentations about opportunities to spend time in other parts of the world. I'll say more about this event in tomorrow's Bulletin.

CAR