![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Friday, November 25, 2005
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Fransen]](/images/2005/1125fransen.jpg)
David Fransen (right), who is currently
assistant
deputy minister (policy
sector) in Industry Canada, will be at UW "for an initial term of
two years" under the government's
Executive
Interchange Program, a memo from provost Amit Chakma
announces.
Chakma stressed later that the arrangement is a temporary
one, with Fransen keeping his status in the public service.
Fransen will also have the title of associate vice-president (strategic relations) for UW.
Physics professor Ray Laflamme holds the title of Director of IQC, and Michele Mosca of combinatorics and optimization and St. Jerome's University is deputy director. Tom Brzustowski, former UW provost and more recently retired from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, is "senior advisor" to IQC on a part-time basis.
"As the Executive Director," said the provost's memo, "David will have overall strategic and management responsibilities for IQC. In his role as Associate Vice-President, he will provide us with critical leadership in establishing strategic relations and partnerships with key industry sectors and firms, research institutes, and community, provincial, national and international economic development leaders."
That doesn't supplant Gerry Thompson, associate vice-president (strategic initiatives), Chakma said later. Fransen will be dealing mostly with IQC, including its building project and its national role, the provost indicated. Thompson has a more general mandate, from the university's new Manhattan office to the planned health sciences campus in Kitchener.
Fransen is a UW graduate (BA and MA in history) and holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. "Since then," the memo goes on, "David has served in various capacities with different federal departments including the Department of National Defence, the Privy Council Office, Health Canada, and Industry Canada.
"[President] David Johnston and I are delighted to have someone of David Fransen's calibre in place during this critical stage of IQC's development. I am sure that you will welcome him to Waterloo and extend your support in his new role."
![[Mitchell]](/images/2003/0325mitchell.gif)
The book -- Sustaining Our Futures: Reflections on
Environment, Economy and Society -- celebrates 35 years at UW
for Bruce Mitchell (left), who is a professor
of geography, specializing in water management, and currently
the university's associate provost (academic and student affairs).
That's the number three position in Needles Hall, working beside
the president and provost and often filling in for one or other of them.
"That he is an outstanding teacher and educator is beyond refute," say the editors of the book -- Dan Shrubsole (now of the University of Western Ontario) and Nigel Watson (University of Lancaster, England), both former PhD students with Mitchell. "Yet Bruce's contribution is much greater than these collective activities suggest. He has also played a pivotal role in mentoring his students, particularly his graduate students, and is considered an ally and friend to many."
| New FRSCs: A ceremony will take place Sunday in Ottawa to induct this year's new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, including three from UW: Bruce Mitchell of geography, Edward Sudicky of earth sciences, and David Jackson of combinatorics and optimization. |
In the end the book has essays from 14 of Mitchell's protegés, on topics that range from the management of water, floodplains and entire river basin systems through to resource conservation, local knowledge systems, protected area legislation, cumulative impact assessment and feminist environmental geographies.
"Without his patience and support," the editors write, "many dissertations would not have been completed and subsequent careers would not have been possible."
One chapter of the book reflects Mitchell's interest in economic development in Indonesia, with a study by Chui-Ling Tam (now at Wilfrid Laurier University) on "Communication, Context and Coasts". Other chapters draw on places as distant as Laos, and as close as Alberta, the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, and the Grand River floodplain.
Pension meetings set for next weekThree public meetings will be held next week to offer information about the UW pension and benefits programs and how they compare to those at other universities.The pension and benefits committee invites staff and faculty members to attend any of them: Tuesday (November 29) at 10 a.m., Wednesday (November 30) at 3 p.m., or Wednesday at 9 p.m., all in Davis Centre room 1302. |
| WHEN AND WHERE |
|
Arts research seminar: Kate Willink, drama and speech
communication, "Creating Oral Histories," 10:30, Humanities
room 373.
Vehicular technology: Yu Cheng, University of Toronto, "Quantitative QoS and Efficient Resource Allocation in Differentiated Service Networks," 11:00, CEIT room 3142. Japan Video Topics: "Musical Instruments" and other cultural videos, 12:10, chapel lounge, Renison College. Benefit concert for Unicef's children Against AIDS campaign: classical, some African, two original student compositions, Saturday 2:00 (not Sunday as stated yesterday), Conrad Grebel University College chapel, donations invited. Iranian Students Association event Saturday 7 p.m., Humanities Theatre. Music ensemble end-of-term concerts: UW Choir, Saturday 8 p.m., St. John's Lutheran Church, Waterloo. UW Stage Band, Sunday 2 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College great hall. UW Chamber Ensembles, Monday 7 p.m., Grebel chapel. Tourism lecture series: Richard Butler, University of Surrey, UK, "Whither Tourism in the 21st Century?" Monday 9:30, Arts Lecture Hall room 105. Music student recital Monday 12:30, Conrad Grebel University College chapel. 2005 Hagey Lecture: John Meisel, Queen's University, "The Curse and Potential of Greed," Monday 8 p.m., Humanities Theatre, free tickets at Humanities box office. Student colloquium, Tuesday 10:30 a.m., Needles Hall room 3001. The Starlight Tour: The Last Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild by Susanne Reber and Robert Renaud, reading and signing, Wednesday 7 p.m., Arts Lecture Hall room 116, admission $2, sponsored by UW bookstore and Aboriginal student office. Orchestra@UWaterloo winter concert, Thursday, December 1, 8 p.m., Humanities Theatre, Beethoven and Tchaikowsky, free tickets available from Humanities box office. |
I wrote a couple of days ago that "academic department heads" had been invited to breakfast and conversation with provost Amit Chakma on Thursday, December 8. Umm, there's a key word missing there: should have said "academic support department heads". That's the official name for the units -- otherwise known as "non-academic" departments, "support" departments, "administrative" departments -- that provide the university's infrastructure, from plant operations to the library to us here in communications and public affairs. And it's the heads of those units who have been invited to the provost's informal meeting two weeks hence.
It's the second and final day for the staff association craft sale, which will be doing business from 9:00 to 3:00 in the Davis Centre lounge. . . . A booth in the Student Life Centre today will be drawing attention to the International Day for Eradication of Violence Against Women, and there's a talk at 3:30 in the "Womyn's Centre" office in SLC room 2102. . . . Buy Nothing Day brings a "swap table" to the SLC, as well as free food at noontime at the Modern Languages building. . . .
![[Man displays poster]](/images/2005/1121miniature.jpg)
Today's the day
for the fine arts department's (ninth) annual Miniature Art Sale and
Silent Auction. Scores of little works have been on display all week on
the walls of East Campus Hall -- some by students, others by faculty
members, local artists and friends of the department. Buying (and
bidding on items listed for the auction) runs from 4:30 to 9:00 this
evening. "The Framing Experience will be on hand with beautiful frames
made especially to fit these miniature works," Lesley Hartley of fine
arts adds. "This year we also have a few ceramic pieces and quilt
pieces for sale -- prices are great!"
|
It's a Warrior Weekend in the Student Life Centre, with activities tonight and tomorrow night -- including Battle of the Bands this evening and "Rezality Finals" tomorrow. Also planned: free coffee and cookies, a paper airplane contest, aromatherapy, "craft corner", and midnight movies, "Madagascar" tonight and "Red Eye" tomorrow. Details of the "holiday kick-off and stress relief" weekend are online.
Richard Leggott, a former member of UW's staff, died November 21. He was a technician in the engineering machine shop, from 1965 until his retirement in August 1982.
Don Henderson, a baker in UW's food services department since 1988, will officially retire on December 1. . . . Tomorrow brings the "Residence Only Dodgeball Tournament" in the Columbia Icefield, sponsored by the campus recreation program. . . . The posters around campus advertising Monday night's show at Federation Hall by Tony Lee, "XXX-rated hypnotist", are about the biggest playbills I've ever seen. . . .
Tricia Mumby of UW Graphics sends this reminder: "This is the time to submit your materials for Winter courseware Come by our office in the Commissary between 8:30 and 4:30 and we'd be glad to get your books into production before the rush. Alternatively, you can submit your books online and submit the order online as well. If your pack is ready in hard-copy, you can mail it to Courseware, COM. Give Heather Calder a call at ext. 3996 for details." And what's Courseware? According to the web site, "a comprehensive custom publishing service. We help faculty and staff create custom learning materials, thereby ensuring that UW students have concise and informative course information. We organize and compile your learning tools, including notes, diagrams, journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, out-of-print materials, and anything else that may be required to create a useful custom book."
Sports this weekend: Men's hockey vs. Royal Military College tonight at 7:30, and vs. Queen's tomorrow at 2:00, both games at the Icefield (and the Saturday game will be webcast by CKMS). Women's hockey at Guelph Saturday, then back to campus to host Brock on Sunday (2:00 at the Icefield). Basketball vs. Brock tomorrow, women at 1:00, men at 3:00, in the Physical Activities Complex. Figure skating, today at the Queen's Invitational. Swimming, tomorrow at Guelph.
CAR