![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Flags billowing behind him]](/images/2004/0922otext.gif)
UW president David Johnston at yesterday's open-air ceremony. Open Text news release and building design. |
The future headquarters of this locally grown global technology company will amalgamate almost 300 employees into 84,000 square feet of customized office space. "Open Text is a community leader in joining the other prestigious companies in UW's North Campus, companies that have built their success on radical innovation," said a release from UW's media relations office.
"Open Text's roots began with the University of Waterloo and today we're cementing those roots with a new home for our headquarters," said Tom Jenkins, the company's CEO. "Our new facility will give us room to grow locally and provide a great foundation as we continue to extend our reach around the world."
Open Text was born out of UW's project for computerization and indexing of the Oxford English Dictionary, which dates back to 1984. The project led to the creation of the first search engine technology for the Internet in the early 1990s. The company was incorporated in June 1991 and began shipping products in September 1991.
![[All are dancing]](/images/2004/0922carib.gif)
The islands
are represented at UW through the
Association of Caribbean
Students, which sponsored this Summer Fete late last term.
And now: Yasid Gilbert, president of the ACS,
writes that "We are conducting a food and clothing drive
for the victims of Hurricane Ivan that
ravaged a few
of the islands." A booth will be open in the Student Life Centre
daily through September 30, and "anyone wishing to get more info
can pass by our table."
|
It quoted UW president David Johnston: "This is wonderful news, and we welcome Open Text to the University of Waterloo Research and Technology Park. It demonstrates that we have come full circle -- from the innovative first steps of our UW researchers who created the New Oxford English Dictionary database, to the evolution of Open Text as a successful technology spin-off, and now to locating in our world-class park as a company with global markets. We look forward to many more years of successful collaborations."
Ken Seiling, chair of Waterloo Region, spoke at yesterday's ceremonies at the north campus site. He said: "This significant investment by Open Text further enhances Waterloo Region's reputation as a worldwide leader in technological innovation and reflects the vitality of this community's high tech sector."
Yesterday's audience was shown renderings for the future office space by RHL Architects, responsible for design. Ball Construction Inc. is the builder.
Some 70,000 visitors stopped by UW's booth during last year's
Ontario Universities Fair in Toronto. This year's Fair opens Friday.
![[Crowds, bright colours, movement]](/images/2004/0922fair.gif)
"Close to 120" staff members, faculty, students and alumni will be at the booth for part or all of the weekend, says Julie (Primeau) Kalbfleisch, manager of liaison and external relations for the student recruitment office. "UW's liaison team will give 24 presentations over the three days to approximately 2,500 people," she added.
The Waterloo booth saw about 70,000 visitors last year, and a similar crowd is expected this year. The event, with representation from all the province's universities, is aimed at high school students and their parents. Admission is free.
Kalbfleisch said the Centre for Learning and Teaching Through Technology "has generously loaned 3 tablets, 4 BlackBerries and 9 laptops for the OUF so that staff can collect students' contact information. A follow-up e-mail will be sent out to students on the Monday following the fair to thank them for visiting our booth and to provide them with ways to request further information."
The fair is the beginning of this year's student recruitment season, which also involves visits to high schools in other parts of the province, as well as work through web sites and by e-mail and phone. The central spot providing information for would-be students is the 'findoutmore' web site, which includes a form allowing students to request the 2005 admissions brochure.
The Ontario Universities Fair will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 9 to 6 Saturday, and 10 to 5 Sunday.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Volunteer fair 11:00 to 2:00, Student Life Centre.
'Benefits of Yoga' interactive session sponsored by Employee Assistance Program, 12 noon, PAC Studio 2, register with Johan Reis, health services. Smarter Health seminar: "My Care Source: A Web-Based Patient Portal", Glen Kearns and Claudette Delenardo, Grand River Hospital, 3 p.m., Davis Centre room 1302. Waterloo-Germany exchange program information session 3:30, Modern Languages room 245, more information online. Graduate studies in mathematics: information session for third and fourth year undergraduates, today 4 p.m., Davis Centre room 1350; scholarship information meeting for grad students and fourth-year undergrads, Thursday 3:30, Math and Computer room 2065. Math Society beginning-of-term event for undergraduate mathematics students, 4 p.m., outside Math and Computer building. Sports today: Men's rugby vs. Windsor, 4 p.m., north campus. Men's volleyball 6:30 vs. Guelph (exhibition), PAC main gym. Baseball vs. Guelph, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Jack Couch Park, Kitchener. Also: women's hockey at Guelph, women's volleyball in Stratford. Curling Warrior team organizational meeting (men and women), 5 p.m., PAC room 1001. Aboriginal elders visit to campus tomorrow, as announced. 'Motivating Students', teaching resources workshop, Thursday 12 noon, repeated Tuesday, September 28 -- details online. Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology presents Dave Boswell of XJPartners, "Highlights from the Essential Guide to the Software (or Any) Business", Thursday 12 noon, RSVP by today to ext. 7167. Graduate Apartments at St. Paul's, official opening, Thursday 4 p.m. 'The Internet: Problems and Future Directions', distinguished alumni speaker series, David Cheriton of Stanford University, Thursday 4:15, Davis Centre room 1302. School of planning Induction into Professional Planning Education, first-year students and families, Saturday 11:30 to 3:30, ceremony in Theatre of the Arts, then lunch and demonstrations. |
| POSITIONS AVAILABLE |
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On this week's list from the human resources department:
Longer descriptions are available on the HR web site. |
Also at Monday's senate meeting, Catharine Scott, associate provost (human resources and student services), reported on the success of this year's orientation program. About 4,000 new students took part, she said, with the support of 1,000 volunteer leaders from among upper-year students. She offered one reassurance in particular: "we had very little trouble with alcohol, very few people charged with underage drinking," even at the end-of-week Toga Party. As for first aid and hospital trips, what few incidents did happen were all the result of sports injuries, Scott said -- nothing serious.
The Waterloo Public Interest Research Group is helping to sponsor a week-long festival, currently under way, under the title "In Town Without a Car". It is, organizers say, "celebrating green modes of transportation" -- hence several events about bicycles, as well as a panel discussion held Monday on "designing the city for accessibility". Today is billed as Walking Wednesday, with a noontime panel at Kitchener City Hall about "the secret to downtown revitalization"; tomorrow is Transit Thursday (and tomorrow night the women's Take Back the Night march, starting in Victoria Park), next day is Fitness Friday, and the week ends with Car Share Saturday. Details of the week's events are available on the web.
Mari-Beth Davis writes from the UW bookstore that "an exciting event" begins today: "We will be featuring a great selection of statistics books at a 20% discount. These titles are features from the recently held Joint Statistical Meeting in August. The Joint Statistical Meeting is the largest gathering of statisticians held in North America. This year the conference was held in August in Toronto with over 5,000 people attending. This year's event included oral presentations, panel sessions, poster presentations, continuing education courses and an exhibit hall with state-of-the-art statistical products and displays. The Springer Stats Sale, starting on Wednesday in the UW Bookstore, features titles from the Joint Statistical Meeting."
The yellow and orange totem-pole sculptures that belong in the Humanities building courtyard, but were removed during brick work earlier this year, "should be reinstalled in the next month or so", the plant operations department promises. . . . Monday's meeting of the UW senate approved, as expected, a BA program in Italian studies to be offered at St. Jerome's University. . . . The Graduate Student Association has announced a golf tournament at Kitchener's Rockway Golf Course next Tuesday, September 28. . . .
CAR