Monday, November 3, 2008

  • Staff moving into Pharmacy building
  • Federal government comes here to hire
  • Other notes for a whole new month
  • Editor:
  • Chris Redmond
  • Communications and Public Affairs
  • bulletin@uwaterloo.ca

[PEACE on the Porter windows; University Avenue black]

Last night: "Someone decided to make creative use of the windows and curtains in the Dana Porter to perform public art," says an overnight e-mail message from a student who signs itself just "peaceontheporter". The view is westward up University Avenue.

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Staff moving into Pharmacy building

by Martin Van Nierop

Staff will start moving into the new home of the School of Pharmacy at UW's Kitchener health sciences campus today.

The unique building, at the corner of King and Victoria Streets, is still undergoing final touches and including landscaping, readying for the arrival of staff who will move in throughout November, and for students at the start of the January winter term. There are currently 90 students already enrolled, out on co-op terms. They return in January, along with an additional intake of 120 students.

The building cost comes to approximately $48 million, not including completion of the fourth floor, which will become faculty research labs and is still being tendered. Total budget for the campus site to date is $78 million.

Siamak Hariri, of Hariri Pontarini Architects, said that the Pharmacy building and the site in general will be a campus of which the whole community will be proud. He said the building is unique, from its glass curtain depicting various medicinal herbs, to its interior use of tall windows allowing lots of light, to its extensive use of space for common areas where students and faculty can meet and interact. It is designed to be an exciting addition to the downtown area that will establish a connection with the community.

"A great school of pharmacy should have the capacity to lift your spirits. It's important that it not be just a building that solves a functional problem, but it actually has something that you feel as if you've come to this school and you want to be here. That's something that has a lot to do with being able to attract talent, but mostly makes you aspire to excellence." Hariri said.

The School of Pharmacy is also known as Building A on the health sciences campus site. Building B is the one currently rising next to it that will house the satellite medical school and an Optometry Clinic. The Pharmacy building is comprised of 120,000 square feet of space, in a seven-story tower, four-storey wing, finished basement, plus mechanical penthouses on top.

Building B totals 66,000 square feet and will have three storeys and a finished basement. A "quad" area between the two buildings will be a space for meeting, interacting and resting.

Inside the Pharmacy building workmen are putting finishing touches on labs, teaching spaces, reception areas and a small café. Anyone who walks into the building is struck by the amount of light that pours in. Hariri said it has been purposely designed with lots of light, in part to lift the spirits of everyone who enters, studies or works in the structure.

At full capacity, the pharmacy school will have 30 faculty members — 16 in the pharmaceutical sciences or "wet bench" fields, and 14 clinical or "dry science" — plus 20 staff members. Plans for the pharmacy school also call for about 70 graduate students working on master's degrees and doctorates.

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Federal government comes here to hire

“One employer, thousands of opportunities” is the promise of a “career expo” to be held tomorrow to show off the job possibilities offered by the Government of Canada.

“In the public service,” a federal web site says, “you can apply what you’ve learned in school. With more business lines than any other sector in Canada, the PS offers thousands of opportunities both nationally and internationally where you can put your talent to work. Whether you studied in computer science, biology, sociology, political science, commerce, law, medicine, business or information management, mathematics, engineering or public administration, there’s a job for you!”

To help prove it, the country’s top civil servant — Kevin Lynch, clerk of the privy council — will pay a visit to campus to speak at the expo. So will Liseanne Forand, deputy minister of the federal agriculture department.

And, in a departure from traditional government hiring practices, so will the Second City comedy troupe, who will greet students arriving at the expo, to be held at Federation Hall.

It’ll run from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. and is aimed at students from UW and at the neighbouring post-secondary institutions: Laurier, Conestoga and Guelph. Some 23 federal departments and agencies will have booths at Fed Hall, where students can chat with federal staff members and, if they’re interested, set up job interviews to be held later in the week at the Tatham Centre.

The booths will shut down from 3:30 to about 4:50 so participants can hear words of welcome, including some remarks by Lynch, as well as watching a public service video and a couple of Second City sketches. Food and draw prizes are also on the plans for the afternoon.

The “career expo” is something new for the Public Service of Canada, which has traditionally done its hiring in more formal and drawn-out ways. It’s one of four special events being held at selected Canadian campuses this fall and winter to attract an increased number of new graduates into the federal civil service.

Ottawa is now in the second year of a Public Service Renewal Action Plan, which includes these goals for the current year: “By the end of March 2009, Deputy Heads will make offers to at least 4,000 post-secondary graduates for indeterminate positions.

“To accelerate closing the gap in representation of visible minority Canadians in the public service, overall recruitment in this area will exceed workforce availability.

“Each new recruit will have an orientation and learning plan to facilitate their effectiveness in the public service, including consideration of measures to strengthen second official language skills early in their career.

“During 2008-09, the Canada Public Service Agency (CPSA), in cooperation with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and departments, will pilot a new public service-wide approach to career fairs at no fewer than four universities across Canada. Managers will be equipped to make conditional job offers on the spot for suitable candidates.”

The government’s jobs site offers these five “reasons to join the Public Service of Canada: Make your mark (You can make a meaningful difference to the future of Canada); Kick-start your career (You can explore countless opportunities and career paths); Never stop learning (You can expand your skills and knowledge through continuous learning); Be part of a community (You can join supportive teams and professional networks); Get the balance you want (You can enjoy an attractive compensation package and flexible work arrangements).”

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Other notes for a whole new month

[Ali]Beth Ali (right) has a new title: associate director, athletics, in the department of athletics and recreational services. Ali came to UW a year and a half ago, after a decade at the University of Toronto, to take the job of Interuniversity Sport Manager. "Beth will continue with oversight of the interuniversity program," says athletics director Bob Copeland, "and will play a key leadership role in strategic planning for the department moving forward. Beth is an accomplished coach and administrator with a track record of success in managing and leading high performance sport." That includes roles in field hockey administration at the Ontario and national levels.

UW staff who order their stationery supplies online from Corporate Express will be receiving an email message advising them of the company’s new “E-way” website, which launches today, according to Donna Foreman-Braun of the procurement and contract services office. “There is an online tutorial,” she points out. “Your current Corporate Express login and password will remain the same.” Questions can be directed to her at ext. 32027. Corporate Express is linked with the well known Staples office supply chain, with the result that “You now have access to over 15,000 stocked products,” according to its web site — not to mention such conveniences as “Live stock status during order entry”.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence is taking applications for this year's Course Internationalization Grants, jointly sponsored by CTE and Waterloo International. "The purpose of the grants," says a memo, "is to encourage faculty members to bring international perspectives into existing courses and to incorporate international components in their teaching and learning activities. Grant recipients are asked to use the internationalization strategies that are best suited for their courses. Examples of possible strategies include developing course-related international case studies or simulations; designing intercultural group work activities; hiring an RA to help locate course materials with an international focus, and inviting students with international experiences as guest speakers." Details are online, and grant applications are due by November 24. Up to eight grants of $1,500 each will be awarded this year, CTE says. Questions: email staraban@uwaterloo.

Robert Yi-Min Huang, who was a faculty member in chemical engineering for more than three decades, died October 6 in Waterloo. A specialist in polymer membrane separation processes, he came to Waterloo shortly after earning his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1963, and retired in 1996, though he continued to serve as a professor emeritus. He is survived by his wife, Ritsuko, as well as children and grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Foundation.

"Did you have trouble voting in the recent federal election?" asks an e-mail message that recently went from the Federation of Students to nearly 16,000 undergraduates. "If you had any issues, the Federation would like to know about it. Please contact Andres Fuentes, Vice-President (Education) of the Federation, at vped@feds.ca, and tell us your story."

CAR

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Link of the day

Amaryllis Month

When and where

Kitchener Public Library lecture: Maria Liston, UW department of anthropology, “Infant and Child Health in Ancient Athens”, 12:00, KPL main branch.

Career workshops: “Writing CVs and Cover Letters” for careers in academia and research, 12:00, Tatham Centre room 2218; “Work Search Strategies for International Students” 4:30, Tatham 1208. Details.

Senate executive committee 3:30, Needles Hall room 3004.

Panel discussion: “The Future of Information Technology in the Federal Government”, with senior IT executives, 5:00, Tatham Centre room 2218; refreshments.

Pitfalls and Possibilities: “An Entrepreneurial Workshop” led by economics professor Geoff Malleck, sponsored by Arts Student Union, 7:30 p.m., Arts Lecture Hall room 208.

Business Valuation Workshop sponsored by Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Tuesday 9:00 to 5:00, 295 Hagey Boulevard. Details.

Career workshops Tuesday: “Exploring Your Personality Type, Part I” 10:30, Tatham Centre room 1112; “Are You Thinking About Dental School?” 4:30, Tatham 1208. Details.

Hot chocolate sale to support UW Campus Response Team, Tuesday 11:00 to 1:00, Student Life Centre.

UW Recreation Committee presents “Creating a Winter Urn Arrangement” Tuesday 12:00, Math and Computer room 5136.

GarageBand drop-in demonstration of Apple iLife software Tuesday 12:30 to 1:30, Campus TechShop, Student Life Centre.

Germanic and Slavic studies presents Alex Statiev, department of history, “Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in the Western Soviet Borderlands 1944-49”, Tuesday 1:30, Modern Languages room 245.

Classical studies lecture: Mark Golden, University of Winnipeg, “Greek Games and Gladiators” Tuesday 4:00, Davis Centre room 1304. Details.

New faculty lunch-and-learn session: “Fostering Academic Integrity”, Wednesday 11:45 a.m., Flex Lab, Dana Porter Library. Details.

Town Hall meeting with president David Johnston and provost Amit Chakma, Wednesday 3:00, Humanities Theatre.

Department of sociology Hammerly Memorial Lecture: Hugo Meynell, Calgary, “How to Destroy a Don” (workplace mobbing), Wednesday 4:00 p.m., Arts Lecture Hall room 208.

Management sciences graduate studies information session Wednesday 5:00 to 7:00, Carl Pollock Hall room 4335A, pizza.

Psychogeographies Graduate Student Conference “The Terrain of Spectacle and Affect” at University of Guelph, November 7-8. Details.

St. Jerome’s University Lectures in Catholic Experience: Mark McGowan, St. Michael’s College, “Refusing Fulton Sheen: The Challenge of Religion on Canadian Television” Friday 7:30 p.m., Siegfried Hall.

Math Society charity ball Saturday from 6:00, Federation Hall, tickets at Math Society office, proceeds to Grand River Hospital Foundation.

Flu shot clinic November 11, 12, 13 and 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Student Life Centre multipurpose room.

Centre for Teaching Excellence faculty workshop: “Navigating Supervision Across Cultures” November 11, 10:00 a.m., Flex Lab, Dana Porter Library. Details.

‘Banana Boys’ by UW alumnus Terry Woo, presented at Hart House Theatre, Toronto, November 12-15 (8 p.m. nightly, 2:00 Saturday), discount for UW alumni, tickets 416-978-8849.

Ralph Nader gives the keynote address for 35th anniversary of Waterloo Public Interest Research Group, November 13, 7:00, Humanities Theatre, admission free.

Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ presented by UW department of drama, Theatre of the Arts, November 13-15 and 20-22 at 8 p.m., plus preview by invitation, November 12 at 7 p.m., school matinees November 14 and 21 at 12:30, tickets $12 (students $10) at Humanities box office.

‘A Changing Melody’ workshop and forum on early-stage dementia, sponsored by Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program, November 14-15, 89 Chestnut, Toronto. Details.

Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship sponsored by Laurel Centre, November 14-16, events at UW and Wilfrid Laurier University. Deadline for discounted registration fees is October 17. Details.

Alumni day at Raptors: Toronto vs. Miami at Air Canada Centre, November 16, 1:00 p.m., discount tickets available, bus transportation from UW. Details.

International Education Week November 17-21, with international cuisine at St. Paul’s College Monday noon, Tuesday supper and Friday noon; international study opportunities display all week at Renison University College library; other events as listed.

QPR for suicide prevention training sessions available November 17, 11:30 to 1:00, registration call ext. 33528.

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