A bike in a tree? Makes sense to me. Pam Smyth of Communications and Public Affairs snapped this pic of a treed two-wheeler in front of Needles Hall yesterday.

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The gang's all here for Reunion 2013

Reunion, that annual opportunity for alumni to return to their alma mater, connect with their old classmates, and participate in a full roster of events, is set to take place tomorrow, September 28.

Highlights of the event include:

• The AHS Fun Run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• The 10th Annual St. Paul’s Pow Wow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. St. Paul’s University College
• The East Asian Festival from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Renison University College

In addition, a number of building tours and open houses have been organized:

• Engineering 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• Math 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• Environment 3 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• QNC (registration required) from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Many faculties are hosting class-specific reunions in addition to events open to all alumni:

Applied Health Sciences alumni from the classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993 and 2003 will have an alumni banquet starting with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Waterloo Inn.

Mathematics alumni can attend Welcome Back presentations in Mathematics 3 starting at 9:45 a.m. Saturday.

The Faculty of Engineering's reunion events begin today with a 50th Anniversary Iron Ring Obligation Renewal ceremony for the class of 1963 in Engineering 5, followed by an Iron Ring Dinner at the University Club. On Saturday, Dean Pearl Sullivan will deliver a Reunion Keynote Address at 10:00 a.m. entitled "The Engineer of the Future." A Reunion Dinner will be held for alumni celebrating their 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45-year reunions at 6:00 p.m. at the Waterloo Inn.

In the Faculty of Environment, alumni of the ERS and Man-Environment programs will have a pub night at the University Club from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The SURP class of 1983 will be holding an event in the EV1 Courtyard from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and a dinner at the University Club at 6:00 p.m.

St. Jerome's and Conrad Grebel also have Reunion programming.

The Federation Orientation Committee will reunite at the Bombshelter Pub from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the Campus Response Team will celebrate with a 15th anniversary event in the Student Life Centre's Multipurpose Room from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

This year the Alumni VIP Tent will complement the Warrior's football team as they take on the Guelph Gryphons at Warrior Field. The game starts at 1:00 p.m., but the tent is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The full Reunion 2013 schedule is available online.

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Experts gather for summit on education's future

As alumni gather on campus to celebrate their experiences in classrooms past, a high-profile international conference aimed at crafting a blueprint for the classroom of the future begins this weekend.

The Equinox Summit: Learning 2030 is hosted by the Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI), which is a partnership between the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. The Equinox Summit is the second in a series of major conferences, put on every two years, to catalyze what WGSI calls “long-range policy and investments in technological solutions for the future.”

Beginning Sunday, a multidisciplinary panel of experts on education will be working with a forum of young leaders and a group of industry and policy advisors to develop a road map for transforming education. Waterloo participants include Christine McWebb of the Waterloo Stratford Campus and Ed Jernigan of the Centre for Knowledge Integration.

The conference will feature plenary discussions, working sessions, and a nightly live broadcast of TVO's "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" from the Mike Lazaridis Theatre.

Opening ceremonies begin on Sunday, September 29 at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and will feature remarks by Jatin Nathwani, executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), Neil Turok and Feridun Hamdullahpur (in their roles as WGSI Chair and Vice-Chair), a video message from Governor General of Canada David Johnston, the Honorable John Milloy, and TVO CEO Lisa de Wilde. The day's keynote address will be delivered by Brandon Busteed, executive director of Gallup Education.

Summit participants will attend a reception, tour and dinner at the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre at 5:00 p.m. Sunday.

From the discussions and working sessions over the course of the four-day event, a summary document, called the Equinox Communiqué, which will outline the proposals, approaches, and initiatives agreed upon by the summit's participants. This summary will be presented to an audience of "key influencers" in the education sector at the summit's closing session on Thursday, October 3. This communiqué will lead to the Equinox Blueprint: Learning 2030, a more detailed document that will take a few months to produce. The blueprint aims to "inform, advise and inspire education influencers, government and private sector leaders globally."

Several of the events will be open to the public throughout the conference, either by registering for tickets or by viewing livestreams. Links to the livestream will be available in the Daily Bulletin this week.

The Equinox Summit brief is available for download and outlines the summit's format, participants, and schedule of events.

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VeloCity celebrates its fifth anniversary

VeloCity, the university's pioneering residence incubator, celebrates its fifth birthday this Saturday.

Located in the 45 year-old Minota Hagey residence, the "innovative and entrepreneurial environment" was established in 2008 as a student startup incubator and currently provides 70 resident students and two dozen start up teams with resources and tools that connect to a vast network of entrepreneurs each semester. VeloCity's residence program has been joined by the VeloCity Garage, launched in 2010 at the Tannery on Charles Street in Kitchener to provide space for students and alumni to build their startups, and VeloCity Campus, launched in 2012, which provides all Waterloo students with access to workshops and resources associated with launching a business idea.

VeloCity's 5-Year Celebration will be taking place on the Minota Hagey Residence green on Saturday, September 28 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. "Come celebrate VeloCity's 5th anniversary and catch up with VeloCity alumni under the big tent on the MHR green," says a statement about the anniversary party. "Grab a snack, snap pic at the photo booth, enjoy some entertainment and reminisce about the good ol' days!"

While the parking is free, the food is not.

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A September statement from the President

by Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor.

What a start!

Waterloo’s 2013-2014 academic year is up and running with incredible momentum.

You received an email from me on Wednesday outlining our approach to implementing the Strategic Plan. This will continue to be a major point of focus for the institution over the next few months, as we pivot from concept to action. Implementing a plan this ambitious, at an institution this large, requires immense teamwork. I know this team is up for the challenge.

In fact, Waterloo’s reputation as a constant leader in higher education is precisely what drew Twitter and Square founder Jack Dorsey to campus this month, for an address he delivered at Hagey Hall about the importance of curiosity and creativity to innovation and entrepreneurship.

When he took the stage, he immediately looked at our students in the audience, saying “I’d like to hire all of you…”

And he wasn’t just being nice. When he was on campus to give his talk, he announced that Square, Dorsey’s mobile-payments company, is going to open a new office right here in Waterloo, so that they can better capitalize on all the talented students and graduates this institution produces, and benefit from the continuing growth of one of Canada’s highest-regarded centres of innovation.

“We’ve seen this in a lot of other college towns around America. This one (Waterloo) is quite special.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

We were also incredibly fortunate to have Professor Margaret MacMillan on campus, for our 2013 Hagey Lecture. Professor MacMillan, one of the world’s leading historians of the British Empire, delivered a lecture entitled “Choice or Accident: The Outbreak of World War One.” In light of all the tragic conflicts currently unfolding around the world, her wisdom should be well-heeded by all.

In addition to @Jack and Professor MacMillan, we had other visitors to campus this month, who brought equally high praise for Waterloo with them.

In partnership with Communitech, we hosted Tony Clement, a top federal government minister, at the David Johnston Research + Technology Park. Minister Clement came to Waterloo to get this region’s feedback on the federal government’s Open Data initiative, a key plank of the Government of Canada’s commitment to accountability.

The minister was very impressed with the work being done at this institution, in partnership with the broader community. He was particularly impressed by the size of our positive economic impact, by our dynamic combination of deep, fundamental research with high-impact innovation, and by this university’s leading contribution to developing Waterloo’s world-renowned innovation ecosystem.

That contribution will be front and centre next month, as we officially unveil Waterloo’s new economic impact study to the broader community. I’m hosting a community breakfast event where we’ll tell the story of Waterloo’s regional economic leadership, backed up by hard data and major entrepreneurial successes. I am extremely proud to help tell the story of just how powerfully and positively our students, faculty, and staff are supporting Waterloo Region’s economy and communities.

And that impact is geared not just to economic impact, but social change as well. In September we hosted the United Way Kitchener Waterloo’s campaign kick-off, in which it announced its fundraising goal of $5.1 million dollars, a campaign chaired by our vice-president of university relations, Tim Jackson. Our own University of Waterloo campaign officially kicks off on October 1, and I extend heartfelt thanks to the many student, faculty, and staff volunteers driving the initiative, and the many more of you who plan to give of your resources, time, or energy to support United Way’s important goals. Let’s show the community how much we care, and have some fun doing so!

For more updates about the kind of month it’s been at Waterloo – including our strong showing in the annual rankings, the addition of major research powerhouses to our professoriate, and the major awards earned by some of Waterloo’s outstanding researchers – visit Waterloo’s News webpage.

Thank you for a great month – of studying, researching, teaching, learning, working, and steady progress on our core priority, the Strategic Plan. Please stop me to say hi if you see me, and follow the Office of President on Twitter, @uWaterlooPres.

Best wishes,

FH

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