![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Monday, December 5, 2005
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Pounce watching her from behind]](/images/2005/1205nov2004.jpg)
Last year's post-Maclean's event was held in the Davis Centre great hall; Becky Wroe, then president of the Federation of Students, was among the speakers. |
Says the invitation, distributed across campus by e-mail last week: "It's time to celebrate and to thank our students, faculty, staff, alumni and retirees for helping the University of Waterloo to attain tremendous successes in 2005! President David Johnston invites you to attend a celebration for the entire UW community to highlight UW's successes, including our recent #1 'best overall' ranking in Maclean's magazine. . . .
"There'll be giveaways, a chance to pick yourself out in a 'digital yearbook', as well as cake and refreshments! Come out for some pre-Christmas celebrating!"
The event will run from 1 to 2 p.m. in the great hall of the Student Life Centre. UW president David Johnston is expected to speak, as well as Michael Makahnouk, president of the Graduate Student Association, and Lawrence Lam, vice-president (internal) of the Federation of Students.
Today is the last day of classes for the fall term; exams for the term will run from Thursday through December 22. Extended library hours continue through exam season (the Davis Centre library is open 24 hours a day, and the Dana Porter Library daily to 2 a.m.). Effective tomorrow, Mudie's cafeteria in Village I will be open 24 hours a day until December 17, and REVelation cafeteria in Ron Eydt Village will be open to 10 p.m. nightly.
The IST department is organized into six "groups" -- currently called Administrative Support. Applications Technology, Client Services, Electronic Workplace, Production Support, and Systems. A number of staff are moving to different areas, and three of the six are getting new names, George has announced.
Says a memo to his staff, issued late in November: "You will recall earlier this year that I indicated that there would be a review of the organization of IST, with the objective of moving the organizational structure more in line with our major responsibilities. The Group Directors, Strategic Consultants and I have had numerous discussions over the past few months. . . . The reorganization is still a work in progress, and this note is simply intended as a general progress report. Some changes will be effective December 1, 2005, while others will happen later, as further discussions occur."
One change, which George called "significant", involves an interchange of staff members between two of the groups, Systems and Production Support. Says the memo: "Those in Production Support who are involved in support of the voice network and the data network will move to Systems, with a change in name of that group to Network Services. Those in Systems who are involved in computing systems and related activities will move to Production Support; that group will be renamed Computing Systems Services."
Similarly: "There are overlaps in services covered by Client Services and Electronic Workplace. More recently, there is an increasing IST responsibility in the area of instructional support, driven by the rapid adoption of UW-ACE. Accordingly, some staff currently in EW will move to Client Services, and some staff currently in Client Services who are engaged in the support of UW-ACE will move to EW, which will be renamed Instructional Technologies and Services. Staff in Production Support involved in I/O operations and desktop deployment will move to Client Services, and responsibility for managing software site licensing will move from EW to Administrative Support."
Finally, "The DBAs [database administrators] who are currently in Production Support will move to Applications Technology. Our judgment is that there is merit in having the DBAs and the application administrators under the same umbrella. Further changes to the organization of the Applications Technology group are currently under review, and will be communicated later."
"This outcome reflects the dramatic improvement in the conditions of the School since the last review in 2002," says Rick Haldenby, the school's director. "The support of the Faculty of Engineering, the University of Waterloo and the City of Cambridge has been crucial in bringing about this turnaround."
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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White Ribbon Campaign to end violence against women, displays
in Student Life Centre sponsored by counselling services, today and Tuesday.
Sun Tech Day with experts from Sun Microsystems, 1:00 to 7:00, Davis Centre room 1302, registration online. WatITis annual conference for computing support staff, Tuesday, Rod Coutts Hall. English Language Proficiency Examination strategy sessions Tuesday, 10:00 or 11:30 in Davis Centre room 1350, 1:30 or 3:00 in PAS room 2083. ELPE will be offered Wednesday 5 or 7 p.m., Physical Activities Complex. Bring WatCard. First-year review session organized by Economics Society, mini-lectures by upper-year students followed by question sessions, Tuesday afternoon, CEIT room 1015: Economics 101, 1:00 to 3:00, Econ 102, 3:00 to 5:00. Maple Day with demonstrations of Maple software, Tuesday 1:30 to 3:00, Math and Computer room 5158. Electronic grade submission demonstration Tuesday 2:30, Rod Coutts Hall room 112. Faculty association fall general meeting Tuesday 3:00, Davis Centre room 1302; reception for new faculty 4:30, Davis lounge. Action on Violence Against Women: remembrance event at Cambridge Centre for the Arts, Tuesday 6:30, bus sponsored by Graduate Student Association leaves South Campus Hall 5:30, reserve seats at Graduate House. Christmas at the Davis Centre: annual concert by music department choirs, with public carol-sing, Wednesday 12 noon, Davis great hall. Technology workshop: "Engaging Students with Online Activities", Wednesday 12 noon, Flex Lab, Dana Porter Library, registration online. Conrad Grebel University College Sawatsky Visiting Scholar Lecture: Ron Mathies, Mennonite Central Committee, "Responding to the Tsunami and Civil War Crises", Wednesday 7 p.m., Grebel great hall.` Geography professors Phil Howarth and Len Guelke retirement reception Thursday 3:00 to 5:00, Environmental Studies I courtyard; dinner follows, information ext. 2433. Carol-sing in Modern Languages foyer, conducted by Jake Willms, Monday, December 12, 12:00 noon. Winter term fees due December 19 if paid by cheque, December 28 by bank transfer. |
The biggest change for architecture has been its move a year ago from cramped quarters in Environmental Studies II on the main campus to its new building beside the Grand River in Cambridge. The school has maintained its accreditation through the difficult times, but officials acknowledged the less-than-adequate facilities, which were also noted in a UW internal review in 2000. The move to Cambridge helped, and the school has also finished the introduction of a master's degree as its main professional qualification, a change under way since 1999.
Says Haldenby: "The team that came in 2002 found the facilities, budget and administrative support inadequate. It also visited at a time when the programme was in transition and we were still in the inadequate facilities in ES II. Now the new programme is fully in place, the School is in its beautiful new facility in Cambridge and in a new academic relationship with the Faculty of Engineering."
He continues: "The main continuing concern is a serious gender imbalance in the faculty. But the School had not had a hire since the last visit in 2002. We are currently in the process of hiring at least four new faculty members. The team also recommends that Architecture join the planning process currently underway in the Faculty of Engineering and improve its performance in research grants and publications."
One other note: "This is the first time the accrediting team actually visited an off-campus programme. The team chair, Murray Gallant, president of the Canadian Architectural Certification Board, spent five days visiting the Rome Programme. He pointed out to us that this is the only international facility operated by a school of architecture in Canada. It is also one of only a handful of programmes in North American schools of architecture that can accommodate the entire class, meaning that every student who graduates has international experience."
CAR
