McLaughlin appointed sustainability advisor

a news release from the media relations team.

The University of Waterloo has announced the appointment of David McLaughlin (right) as strategic advisor on sustainability in the Faculty of Environment.

McLaughlin is the former president and CEO of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), and is a leading public policy expert in Canada with more than 25 years of top-level experience including as a chief of staff and deputy minister at both the federal and provincial levels of government. McLaughlin headed the NRTEE from 2007 to 2013.

Prior to its disbandment in March 2013, the NRTEE was created to gather diverse and competing interests to create consensus and viable suggestions for sustainable development in Canada.

McLaughlin’s part-time role will be to promote the Faculty of Environment and School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) as Canada’s innovative centre for sustainability, policy thinking and convening. He will teach as a guest speaker and lecturer and supervise students in the areas of sustainability, public policy and governance.

“I am delighted to be joining the Waterloo team, known for its excellence and commitment to innovative public policy thinking and application in the field of sustainable development,"said McLaughlin. “There is a great need in Canada to keep bringing the environment and economy together on behalf of Canadians, and the University of Waterloo is a real leader in this field.”

McLaughlin will participate in organizing events on campus and forming partnerships with the private and public sectors, along with sustainability think tanks and environmental thought-leaders across Canada, the United States and Europe.

“As the fastest growing faculty at Waterloo we look forward to David McLaughlin being an ambassador and advocate on behalf of the Faculty of Environment and SEED,” said Professor André Roy, dean of the Faculty of Environment. “His experience and expertise will raise the profile and influence of the Faculty in public policy and sustainable development on the national scene and beyond.”

While at Waterloo, McLaughlin, who is an honorary fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, will also conduct research activities and develop material for a book on the future of sustainability policy in Canada.

McLaughlin has served in a variety of senior positions in the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick, including as chief of staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. He was deputy minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Policy and Planning, and secretary to the Cabinet Committee on Policy and Priorities in the government of Premier Bernard Lord, as well as serving as his chief of staff during the period 1999 to 2003. From 2003 to 2005 he was appointed as the deputy minister for the Commission on Legislative Democracy, charged with recommending reforms to New Brunswick’s political system. He was chief of staff to the federal Minister of Finance in 2006 and 2007, which followed an assignment with the Council of the Federation studying fiscal imbalance for Canada’s premiers.

McLaughlin is a published author and regular commentator on political and sustainability issues having been published in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Maclean's, Postmedia News, the CBC and The Huffington Post.

 

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Quality assurance framework coming

One of the key recommendations of the Staff Life Cycle project is going ahead as the University of Waterloo establishes a quality assurance framework that will help put quality standards and practices, procedures and governance into place on campus.

A memo sent from Vice-President, Academic & Provost Geoff McBoyle outlines the details of the framework initiative, which stems from the final report of the Staff Life Cycle project, completed in June 2013.

The quality assurance framework will be based on the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness (EIW) framework offered by Excellence Canada. The program aligns with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other international quality standards.

The framework is interactive and brings together the following areas:

• Planning and Strategy;
• Process and Project Management;
• Customer Experience;
• Partners and Supplies;
• People Engagement; and
• Leadership and Governance.

“As we work to realize the EIW Standard, Waterloo will follow the Progressive Excellence Program (PEP); a progressive implementation model that provides a planned, target-driven approach to sustaining performance, wellness and excellence,” says a support document provided by the Provost’s Office.

The PEP program has four levels, starting at Bronze (Level 1 – Foundation), where organizations satisfy established requirements, then Silver (Level 2 – Advancement), Gold (Level 3- Role Model) and Platinum (Level 4 – Sustained World Class Performance).

“Over the next 12 months, Waterloo will work towards achieving the Bronze level, demonstrating a clear commitment to excellence, innovation and wellness,” says the Provost’s document.

The aim is to collectively implement a long-term strategic focus on excellence, innovation and wellness that promotes good principles and practices, and demonstrate and foster a commitment to continuous improvement.

This collaborative approach, according to the provost, will result in:

• Broad team support of the vision, mission, and values.
• Recognition of the importance of embedding excellence, innovation and wellness principles in decision making at all levels of the organization.
• Policy statements related to excellence, innovation, and wellness.

The first step in the process is the establishment of an Executive Advisory Team, chaired by Dave Wallace, Chief Information Officer, which will include key leaders from the university community who will provide guidance to the initiative. Supporting this team will be a task force led by Dave Kibble, Director of Portfolio Management in IST, that will be made up of representatives from across campus, including members of the Staff Life Cycle Project. These task force members will help to adapt the EIW framework to meet the needs of the university.

One of the first tasks of these two groups will be to conduct a pre-assessment of the campus in terms of the Bronze Level requirements. Following this, a gap analysis will be done to determine what actions are necessary to satisfy those Bronze requirements.

The provost indicates that regular progress updates will be shared with the university community as the initiative goes ahead.

“As we work towards achieving the EIW standard, excellence will become an innate component of who we are as an institution,” the provost states. “Together we can contribute to making the University of Waterloo a highly attractive destination for staff, faculty and students alike, while facilitating continuous development and growth.”

 

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Giving thanks this weekend and other notes

The Thanksgiving Weekend is upon us, and that means that Monday is a holiday. University offices and most services will be closed, and classes will not be held.

The Physical Activities Complex and Columbia Icefield are open from 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and are closed Monday.

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open normal hours on Saturday and Sunday, and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

All Retail Services stores and media.doc locations will be closed Saturday and Monday.

Food services outlet closings can be found on the Food Services website.

As always, the university police (519-888-4911 or ext. 22222) will be at work, the Student Life Centre (519–888-4434) will be open, and the central plant will monitor campus buildings (for maintenance emergencies call ext. 33793). Campus-wide, it's back to normal on Tuesday morning.

The Waterloo Warriors aren't going to let turkey dinners get in the way of some exciting home games this weekend, including:

Friday, October 11

• Men's rugby vs. Brock at 7:00 p.m.
• Football vs. Queen's at 7:00 p.m. (Senior's game)

Saturday, October 12

• Women’s Hockey vs. Laurier at 2:00 p.m.
• Men’s Hockey vs. Queen’s at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 13

• Women’s Soccer vs. UOIT  at 1:00 p.m.
  
• Men’s Soccer vs. UOIT  at 3:15 p.m.

Enjoy the long weekend, everyone.

 

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