A dozen or so Canadians snacking at Tim Hortons — nothing unusual there, except that this particular branch of Tim's has just opened on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It's the first Tim's in the Gulf region. "Several faculty went over" for Sunday's grand opening, along with family members and a crowd of other expatriate Canadians, says Peter Douglas, director of Waterloo's Dubai campus. That's him in the yellow hat, second from left, standing next to Eric Croiset of chemical engineering.

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Honours announced for fall Convocation

The university will install its Sixth President at its 103rd Convocation next month, officials have announced, and will also honour three other Waterloo people as well as a noted scientist from the University of Guelph.

Awards to be given at Convocation, which will take place in morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday, October 22, were announced at Monday’s meeting of the university senate. Approval of honorary degrees and other Convocation distinctions came during confidential sessions at earlier senate meetings.

The presidential installation is scheduled for the morning session, starting at 10 a.m. in the Physical Activities Complex. Mechanical engineering professor Feridun Hamdullahpur, who came to Waterloo initially as vice-president (academic) and provost in 2009, became interim president in October 2010 and was given a full term as president and vice-chancellor effective March 11, 2011. Chancellor Prem Watsa will conduct Hamdullahpur's installation at next month’s ceremony, and the new president will give the main Convocation address.

To be honoured on the same morning is Lois Claxton, who served as secretary of the university from 1991 to 2011 and is now a key adviser to Governor General David Johnston. Claxton, who served in the university library and then the secretariat for a total of 32 years, will receive the title of honorary member of the university.

As university secretary for 20 years, Claxton worked with four presidents and six provosts, guiding the university through a period of significant growth. The secretariat, which she heads, is responsible for the working of the university's governing bodies, policies, committee proceedings and legal matters, as well as police and safety services.

The morning Convocation session will see degrees presented to students in applied health sciences, arts and social work.

At Convocation's afternoon session, starting at 2:30, two people will be presented with honorary degrees. One is Paul Hebert, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Guelph, who will address graduating students in engineering (including MBET), environment, mathematics, and science. Hebert, dubbed the "father of DNA barcoding," leads a global effort to DNA barcode all species on the planet. His methodology has helped to identify hundreds of species previously unknown to science. He is also the director of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario and the Canadian Barcode of Life Network, and holds a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity.

The other honorary degree recipient is David Roulston, an internationally recognized researcher in bipolar semiconductor devices and integrated circuits, who was a faculty member in Waterloo’s electrical engineering department from 1967 to 1996. Roulston will be the central figure of a “celebration” October 20-22 that will include several social events and a Friday afternoon public lecture.

Roulston (right) developed the BIPOLE fast computer program for numerical simulation of semiconductor bipolar devices, which now is used by industry and universities worldwide. The retired Waterloo professor has published more than 100 technical papers and holds six patents.

Also to be honoured at the afternoon Convocation ceremony is Harry Panjer, a retired professor of statistics and actuarial science, who will be named a distinguished professor emeritus. One of only two academics ever elected president of the Society of Actuaries, Panjer played a leading role in nurturing Waterloo's reputation as a centre of actuarial education and research. He joined the faculty in 1980 and retired in 2008.

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Some notes from senate and other places

The university senate gave approval on Monday — unanimously and without any debate — to a redesigned diploma that had been recommended by a committee. Registrar Ken Lavigne showed the subtle ways in which the new design differs from the existing one, and student senator Mariam Gill moved that the governing body accept the recommendation. The new design will be in use starting with next June's spring Convocation, "if possible", senate was told.

Among other items of business at Monday's meeting, senate approved a rewriting of some of the information on graduate student funding that appears in the official calendar. International applicants "must provide evidence of financial support to cover study and living costs", the calendar will now say. And: "The annual minimum level of financial support provided for doctoral students whose admission is effective May 1, 2010 or later will be not less than $19,650. This commitment applies to the first three years of full-time enrollment in a doctoral program." In answer to a question, the associate provost (graduate studies), Sue Horton, said a committee has discussed making a similar commitment of funding for students at the master's degree level, but at present the money just isn't there to guarantee it.

Here's news that the folks in the faculty of environment were glad to hear on Monday: the Environment and Business undergraduate program has been ranked number 1 in Canada for the fourth year in a row. "Our program has been recognized," says communications officer Betty Bax, "for its strong focus on the environment and sustainability in required coursework and collaborative approach to education." The citation comes in the annual education issue of Corporate Knights, a Canadian publication that promotes innovation and market solutions for the environment, society, and economy. Its annual survey ranks the effectiveness of schools in "training the business workforce of the future to adhere to principles of sustainability". Says Bax: "In addition to the top spot for our EB undergrad program, our Master of Environment and Business program was specifically mentioned for best practice in the area of Internships and Consulting programs as part of the ENBUS 402 course."

The Organizational and Human Development office has announced that registration is now open for its fall 2011 workshops, "featuring full offerings of our Inclusivity courses, our Leadership for Results series featuring the new intro course Principles of Leadership, as well as the popular Writing Matters I & II, and Getting Things Done." A full course listing is, of course, online. To register for OHD workshops, staff can visit the MyHRinfo system, which allows attendees to view spaces available in workshops, register online and receive immediate registration notification via e-mail, and view workshops for which they are enrolled and those they have completed.

Says the Centre for Teaching Excellence in an e-mail message to faculty this week: "Do you teach or co-ordinate a really large class? These large classes can pose many challenges, such as co-ordinating multi-section courses, providing opportunities for active learning, and assessments for hundreds of students. Although challenges exist, large classes can be full of energy, provide diverse learning opportunities, and inspire us to find new and creative teaching strategies to support our students. We formed the Really Large Classes learning community this past winter and, for the fall, would like to expand our membership. If you teach and/or co-ordinate a really large class (we are not defining this by number of students, instead, it is a really large class for your discipline), please consider joining our group. Discussion topics will include: using online discussion forums to encourage learning; enriching the student experience through connections with international researchers; and technology to help with the administration of these really large classes." More information is available from CTE's Veronica Brown, e-mail vmbrown@ uwaterloo.ca.

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Grebel event tonight links peace and food

from a news release issued by Conrad Grebel University College

Is food a human right? Is the famine in east Africa just a symptom of something bigger? Does buying locally actually promote peace? How does a discussion on food relate to the International Day of Peace?

Inspiration from a visiting art exhibit called “Just Food” and concern regarding the ongoing crisis in east Africa has spurred an event that will tackle these tough questions on issues of food and peace.

Conrad Grebel University College’s celebration of the UN declared International Day of Peace takes place today. The public is invited to view the “Just Food” exhibit in the atrium and main floor beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by a panel discussion in the Great Hall at 7:30.

Moderated by Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director at Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, the diverse panelists include Doug Amstutz, recently returned MCC Ethiopia country representative; Clare Schlegel, farmer, former president of the Canadian Pork Council; Steffanie Scott, associate professor, geography and environmental management, uWaterloo; Efrem Seifu, project officer of EKHC Integrated Rural Development Department, Ethiopia, and guest in Ontario of Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

The art exhibit was commissioned by the Mennonite Committee on Human Rights and is based on pieces from 19 visual artists from Canada and around the world who were asked to add their voices to a growing number of people connecting the right to food with a faith-based response to hunger.

“The ‘Just Food’ art exhibit reminds us that a culture of global peace means that everyone has the right to food and that no one should go hungry,” says Marlene Epp, history and peace and conflict studies professor at Grebel. “When people are hungry or when food is not distributed equitably, there is insecurity and unrest. Human security means enough food for all."

The International Day of Peace is a global holiday to highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace. As a Day of Ceasefire it provides an opportunity to make peace in our own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our day. This event is hosted by the peace and conflict studies department at Conrad Grebel. It is sponsored by the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union’s Stewardship in Action program.

CAR

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