![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
UW had applied for $26 million to put up a new classroom building that officials said would have allowed the university to take 325 more first-year students annually.
They also said, when the application was filed early this year, that universities across the province had sent in bids that would cost a total of four times the funding available. The government managed to find some extra dollars, but it still wasn't enough to put UW over the finish line.
Waterloo did get some funding in previous rounds of SuperBuild grants, including $31 million in 2000 for the Centre for Environmental and Information Technology, now under construction. The Co-op and Career Services building and the recent additions to Engineering III and the Rod Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall also had SuperBuild financing. And SuperBuild is providing the provincial share of infrastructure funding for the north campus research and technology park.
This time round, Wilfrid Laurier University is one of the winners, with a grant of $11.3 million towards a $21 million "Undergraduate Accessibility Project". A WLU news release says that's "just over half of the funding it requires for various double-cohort projects", including the "learning centre" that's already under construction on Bricker Street.
Other universities getting money this time include Toronto, York, Ryerson, McMaster, Brock, Guelph, Western, and Ottawa. Several of the colleges are also involved.
"Submissions," says a government news release, "were . . . evaluated on the following criteria: Demonstrated need for space; Number of student spaces created; Cost per student space with a minimum partnership contribution of 30 percent; and Financial plan viability. . . .
"In addition to the Eves government's investment, it is expected that partner contributions of $202 million will be made to support the projects, bringing the total investment in post-secondary institutions to $382 million."
Today, it's the Euclid contest, for senior high school students (born in 1983 or later): "The paper is 2 1/2 hours in length, and is to be written during the morning of Tuesday, April 15, 2003. It consists of 10 questions, each worth 10, for a total of 100 points. Questions are divided into answer only and full solution parts. There are no multiple choice questions. Competitors are reminded that marks for the full solution questions are assigned for form and style of presentation, as well as for answers."
Then tomorrow it's something new: the Fryer, Galois, and Hypatia Contest, aimed at students in grades 9 through 11. It's only 75 minutes long, and with just four problems.
Altogether that makes, let's see, 10 contests that the CEMC will be operating this year, and a note on its web site says some sort of "mathematics problem solving activity for grade 5 or 6 students" is under consideration.
The Committee (identified below) plans to meet again in late April to finalize the advertisement that will appear in various outlets, including University Affairs and the CAUT Bulletin. By then members hope to have identified the important issues facing the Faculty so that the characteristics to be sought in the next Dean can be developed in context.
The Committee would very much appreciate receiving input on this phase of its work and, accordingly, invites you to make your views known to any member of the Nominating Committee. Members intend to consult broadly, so don't be surprised if your views are sought. If you prefer to respond in writing, your submission should be directed to John Bullen, University Secretariat, Needles Hall; jbullen@uwaterloo.ca; fax 519-888-6337. However you respond, your comments will be held in confidence within the Committee.
Collecting for Iraq relief"As you may know," says a note from Hamid Tizhoosh in UW's systems design engineering department, "the Canadian Red Cross has launched the Iraq Humanitarian Assistance program to collect donations and help the Iraqi people. In cooperation with the CRC, I have organized a fundraising activity for this week." Today through Friday, collectors for the campaign will be at Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall from 2 to 9 p.m. |
Another correction, by the way: I said the other day that Jeremy Taylor, one of the winners of a Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award this year, was a student in English and cultural management. In fact, he's in English and drama.
At noontime today, the faculty and staff credit union presents a talk in the Student Life Centre (multi-purpose room) on "What Is Estate Planning and Why Do I Need One?" RSVPs go to ext. 3574.
Columnist and author Russell Smith will give a reading at 1:30, sponsored by the Germanic and Slavic department. James Skidmore of G&S explains why: "Smith's Noise was on the reading list for this semester's graduate seminar German 645: Canada and Germany, a course in comparative literature. The novel, which contrasts the vacuously hip Toronto media scene with a decidedly provincial 'New Munich' (i.e., Kitchener-Waterloo), went over very well." Everyone's invited to the reading, which will take place in the new Co-op and Career Services building, room 2118A.
A workshop on course design is scheduled for today, 1:30 to 4:30, sponsored by the teaching resources and continuing education office, and aimed mostly at graduate teaching assistants.
Karen Gregory of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation will be on campus today to talk about CMHC's research programs. She will make her presentation from 2 to 4 p.m. in Environmental Studies I room 221. "This session," I'm told, "will be of primary interest to people who intend to work on urban-oriented issues and housing."
There's work scheduled on the campus water system all day tomorrow, slightly affecting all buildings inside the ring road: "Water supply pressure will not be affected; however, softened water systems and domestic hot water may run hard," the plant operations department warns.
Tomorrow at 3:00, the smarter health seminar series presents a talk by Martin Sumner-Smith of Open Text Corp., speaking on -- take a big breath -- "Two Heads (and a Computer) Are Healthier Than One: Knowledge and Collaboration Tools from Drug Discovery to Patient Treatment". Location: Davis Centre room 1302.
And . . . results from last week's English Language Proficiency Examination are ready. "We have been delayed," writes Ann Barrett from the English proficiency program, "because we still had a few students writing last Saturday. Results are posted in the undergraduate offices and here in PAS room 2082."
CAR