Student portal: shifting into high gear

An update from the Student Portal Project Team.

The student portal is shifting into high gear. Students from two faculties – Environment and Arts – now have access to the portal.

This mobile-friendly student communication tool is enhancing the student experience by delivering the UWaterloo information students need, just when they need it. Feedback has been positive from Environment and Arts students, with targeted promotion in both faculties helping to increase student engagement. Student societies have also been helpful by championing the portal with their student groups.

In January, Engineering students will be invited to the portal, department by department, to ensure that as more students are added, the portal infrastructure continues to respond well. The portal has proven to be technically scalable, so we can confidently continue to invite the remaining faculties (Mathematics, Applied Health Sciences and Science) in the coming months.

Two central elements to the portal are customization and student feedback. Customization ensures students can select the content that is most relevant to them. Currently, the portal delivers content based on a student’s WatIAM credentials, pulling in relevant information based on their faculty, program, undergraduate/graduate status and classes.

Feedback from student users drives the development and evolution of the portal. A new version of the portal is published every few weeks allowing us to act on their feedback fairly quickly.

New content currently underway includes awards information, customized by eligibility requirements, and campus services, featuring hours, locations and service descriptions. Next term, we’ll focus on creating student development guidelines so interested students can build their own content for the portal.

If you are a WCMS web maintainer, now is a good time to review whether your news and event content is up-to-date, and to also tag your content with audience and category taxonomies to ensure your content is pulled into the portal.

Stay update on the portal’s progress by reading regular news updates on the student portal web site. If you would like to be included on the campus partner email updates, please email Jude Doble, the student portal project manager.

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Remembering the December 6 tragedy

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the December 6, 1989 shooting deaths of 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montreal. The incident has been the focus for remembrance and reflection ever since.

To mark this solemn occasion, the university is hosting an event commemorating the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is held annually on December 6.

The vigil will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Sedra Student Design Centre in Engineering 5. All members of the campus community are invited to attend the remembrance event.

Speaking at the event will be Pearl Sullivan, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Diana Parry, associate professor in Applied Health Sciences and Special Advisor to the President on Women's and Gender Issues, and Mary Wells, associate dean, outreach and professor in the Faculty of Engineering.

Following remarks, the candlelight vigil will begin, with candles being lit and information shared about each of the women who lost their lives on December 6, 1989. A moment of silence will also be observed.

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Keystone Profile: Follow your dreams!

by Gloria Pageau, Keystone Volunteer.

Volunteerism has been a part of Melika Bozorgi’s life from an early age. In high school, she was involved with the Red Cross Society as well as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, where she had the opportunity to help the less fortunate. These experiences made a lasting impression on Melika and confirmed what she had envisioned since she was a young child: that she wanted a career in which she could help people and that her calling was to become a pharmacist.

Melika’s path led her to the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Science. Now in her third year, she has received an Upper Year Scholarship and is excited to enter the School of Pharmacy in January. She is looking forward to playing a role in the health of her future customers.

Looking for a way to balance her academic life with her personal life, Melika volunteers on campus.

Having come to Canada from Iran, the chance to be involved with the Iranian Students Association of Waterloo is a perfect fit, especially given her love of helping other people. In her role with the association, she helps engage fellow students in Iranian culture and heritage, while also helping newcomers adjust to living in Waterloo and learn about the benefits our campus offers.  

Waterloo is proud to have students like Melika, who want to make a difference in our community and scholarships, like the one she’s received, help us attract these students. Thank you to all who support our students through the Keystone Campaign!

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Waterloo grad wins accounting gold

Akash Kapoor of Waterloo's Master of Accounting program (MAcc) has won the prestigious Governor General’s Gold Medal and the Ontario Gold Medal for having achieved the highest standing in Canada on the Chartered Accountancy Uniform Final Examination (UFE).

The UFE gold medal is one of the many achievements in his academic career. In 2012, Kapoor was named the Arts Co-op Student of the Year for developing a tool that created efficiencies, saving 6500+ administrative hours. The tool was integrated into the employer’s polices and is now used all over Canada.

“The CPA designation is a passport to stepping into challenging roles and allows us to have the opportunity to perpetually learn,” Kapoor said. “I believe that the designation adds tangible credibility and opens doors to countless experiences."

Considered one of the most challenging professional examinations in the world, the UFE top mark comes with a cash prize of $5,000. George Nicholas Tsia (MAcc ’13), Juliana Yuen (MAcc ’11) and Vicky Au (MAcc ’10) have also reached the same high achievement in 2013, 2011, and 2010 respectively.

In the last five years, four recent graduates from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) at the University of Waterloo have won the national and Ontario gold medals for the Chartered Accountancy Uniform Final Examination (UFE). 

Overall, 3,576 graduates from across the country passed the UFE, with another MAcc graduate, Julian Lo (MAcc ’14) who placed well on the prestigious 54-member National Honour Roll. SAF is planning a celebration for all of the honourees in January 2015.

“Akash accumulated many honours during his time at Waterloo, but winning the UFE gold medal is his biggest accomplishment,” said Greg Berberich, Director of the MAcc and Diploma programs. “The SAF is proud of his tremendous achievement and very pleased that he has joined George, Juliana, and Vicky as SAF graduates who have won the gold medal in the past five years.”

The three-day examination is a critical component of the CPAs qualification program. It assesses a person’s knowledge, ability to think analytically, and gauges their professional judgment and ethics. In addition to the UFE, the CPA qualification program requires a person to successfully complete prescribed practical work experience, before they are entitled to use the internationally recognized CPA designation. 

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Friday's notes

Friends and colleagues of Lynn Judge, formerly the director of graduate academic services, are invited to a retirement celebration in her honour to be held on Wednesday, December 17 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the University Club. The deadline to RSVP is Wednesday, December 10.

Here are today's 5 Days of Christmas Re-Gifting clues:

• Staff have a voice here
• There is no fish served with these “megabytes”

Don't forget your passport! Check this document for more details.

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