Retired prof wins escarpment award

a news release from the Niagara Escarpment Commission

Professor Greg Michalenko has received the Niagara Escarpment Commission’s (NEC) Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of education and scientific research in the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve.

As Assistant Professor Emeritus of the University of Waterloo’s (UW) Department of Environment and Resources Studies, Michalenko helped to establish a partnership between UW and the NEC to implement forest biodiversity monitoring in permanent study plots along the Niagara Escarpment.

Pictured above (left to right) are: NEC staff Anne Marie Laurence and Lisa Grbinicek, Greg Michalenko, his wife Carol Klein, and NEC Acting Chair Joan Little.

With Greg’s input, a third-year Environmental Monitoring course was established at the University of Waterloo in 1996. The annual, week-long course studies forest biodiversity change in the Escarpment’s protected areas. Under UW and NEC staff leadership, course participants assess an Escarpment study plot, collecting tree, shrub/sapling, ground cover and forest health data. Data are compiled and analyzed to evaluate trends and report on the state of Escarpment forests. The course has received worldwide attention as an academic-government collaborative success story.

“Greg has brought the Niagara Escarpment to life for hundreds of students over sixteen years,” said NEC’s Senior Strategic Advisor Lisa Grbinicek. “We are delighted to acknowledge his efforts to further our understanding of the Niagara Escarpment with this award.”

Designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990, Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment is recognized for its spectacular landscapes and waterfalls, as well as its complex ecosystems and unique species. The Niagara Escarpment Commission’s Achievement Awards recognize individuals and groups for outstanding accomplishments, including exceptional building design/site landscaping, environmental restoration projects, and lifetime achievement for outstanding contributions to the conservation and stewardship values embodied in the Niagara Escarpment Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve.

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VP Advancement starts today

Today marks the start date for Ken McGillivray, the university's new vice-president, advancement.

The position of Vice-President, Advancement is one of two successor positions to the office of Vice-President, External Relations. The other is Vice-President, University Relations, now held by Tim Jackson.

McGillivray’s appointment was unanimously recommended by the Vice-President, Advancement Nominating Committee following an extensive North American search.

“As a national and international university of reputation and consequence, it is a privilege for me to be leading the advancement efforts of this outstanding institution on behalf of our students, faculty, and staff and the communities we serve,” said McGillivray.

Read the original news release from the media relations office.

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Waterloo’s International Optometric Bridging Program receives major funding

An excerpted news release from the offices of Stephen Woodworth, MP (Kitchener-Centre) and Hon. John Milloy, MPP, Minister of Community and Social Services

Ontario and Canada are working together to help more than 500 skilled newcomers in Waterloo Region get the training and support they need to find work in their fields and contribute to Ontario’s economy

The McGuinty government is investing $1,682,378 in 3 bridge training projects in Waterloo Region: $942,378 to the University of Waterloo’s International Optometric Bridging Program; $200,000 to Conestoga College’s Bridge to Practical Nursing program for Internationally Trained Health Professionals; and $540,000 to the Immigration Partnership’s New Canadian Employment Connections Program.

Seventy Ontario bridge training projects are being offered across the province.  The projects will provide occupation-specific training, licensure preparation and Canadian work experience to skilled newcomers.

Helping skilled newcomers succeed is key to Ontario’s economic growth and prosperity.  A strong economy creates jobs for Ontarians and protects the services that mean most to families – health care and education.

Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, said:

“More than 200 new Canadians have completed the International Optometric Bridging Program at the University of Waterloo over the past seven years. This program is a preparatory step to becoming registered to practice optometry in Canada, and financial support from the Government of Canada and the province of Ontario has made it more accessible.”

Read the full news release on the website of Hon. John Milloy, MPP.

 

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