Discussion on dictatorship and democracy

by Lori Straus.

Fascism, Communism, the Iron Curtain, peace, democracy, open borders. All in 90 minutes.

Three European consuls (ambassadors’ representatives in Canada) will take part in a panel discussion on Tuesday, October 28 entitled "100 Years Since World War I: Dictatorship and Democracy in an Age of Extremes."

It’s been 100 years since World War I, and 20^th century Europe experienced everything from dictatorships and war to peace and democracy in less than 100 years.

The consuls of Poland, France, and Germany—Grzegorz Morawski,
Jean François Casabonne Masonnave, and Walter Stechel—will first present their countries’ perspectives on recent European history and current developments. Gary Bruce, the chair of Waterloo’s History Department, will offer some historical reflections on a ravaged century. The final 30 minutes will be dedicated to questions from the audience.

The discussion will take place on Tuesday, October 28 at 5:00 p.m. in Arts Lecture Hall room 113. The event has been organized by the Waterloo Centre for German Studies in cooperation with the Departments of French, History, and Germanic and Slavic Studies.

 

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Go ENG Girl this weekend

 

This weekend, Grade 7 to 10 girls along with their parents and guardians will be visiting the University of Waterloo to learn all about engineering at the annual Go ENG Girl event.

Go ENG Girl is a free event that encourages girls to have fun as they learn about current programs of study and careers in engineering. Hands-on workshops allow participants to experience the creativity, imagination and teamwork involved in engineering design. This year, participants will be constructing a robotic arm. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend and talk to students, faculty and alumni.

This year's keynote speaker is Vanessa Guido, an undergraduate student at Waterloo pursuing a degree in systems design engineering with a focus on biomedical and human factors systems applications.

Also speaking is industry representative Allaa Hilal, R&D Software Developer and member of the innovation and emerging technology team at IMS, a world-renowned expert in connected car technology. The industry speaker session, followed by a panel discussion, is intended for parents and guardians of Go ENG Girl attendees.

After the keynote addresses and hands-on activities, the showcase will take place with student groups organizing booths and displays. Lunch and a student panel follows.

Go ENG Girl takes place at several locations across Ontario, including Waterloo, and is organized by the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering. The Go ENG Girl event at Waterloo is the largest in the province.

 

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Renison announces staffing changes

 

A number of staffing changes have taken place at Renison University College this month.

As of October 1, 2014, Professor Doug Cowan has taken on the role of Academic Dean.

Cowan been with the Renison community since 2006. Prior to his arrival he was an associate professor of Religious Studies and Sociology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Cowan specializes in the study of religion and popular culture. Doug has served the college and the university communities in a variety of ways, including Renison Promotion and Tenure Committee, Curriculum Committee, College Council, and the Board of Governors. He regularly chairs doctoral defences in a range of University departments. He is a former Director of the Joint Laurier-Waterloo PhD Program in Religious Studies. 

Cowan is replacing Professor Tom Brenner, who was Renison’s Academic Dean for the past year and a half.

In Renison’s Registrar’s Office, Maria Vermeer has been named the new Registrar. Also starting her role on the first of October, Vermeer is an alumna of Renison University College who completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Professional Writing.

In her different roles since joining the Renison staff over the years, Maria has taken on a number of responsibilities, including developing and managing a number of administrative systems for scheduling and classroom management, transfer credits, academic progression, and academic integrity. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Literary Studies.

Tanya Missere-Mihas has been named Associate Director of International and Inter-Cultural Development, effective October 1. After earning her BA (Honours English) at the University of Guelph, Tanya studied her B.Ed (TESL) at Brock University. For several years Tanya has administered Renison's non-degree credit programs in English Language Studies, as Director of the English Language Centre.

 

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OHD fall workshops and other notes

 

There are still spaces available in Organizational & Human Development's (OHD) Fall 2014 workshops.

Courses with available spots include the Principles of Inclusivity courses that explore the various facets of diversity and inclusion, as well as the Integrity Matters workshop, an experiential session that uses the six values of integrity to facilitate discussion and self-exploration. Further, OHD is offering the Personality Dimensions workshop, which reveals personal styles and temperaments to create a common language of understanding of yourself and others.

And if you want to prepare for an employee appraisal a little bit early this year, in December, OHD has two offerings of Performance Conversations about preparing for the conversation.

• October 21, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Integrity Matters (OHD120)
• October 23, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Principles of Inclusivity (OHD502)
• October 29, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Generational Inclusivity (OHD505)
  
• November 4, 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. - Accessible Communities (OHD507)
  
• November 6, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Exceptional Service (OHD301) *Limited Seats
  
• November 11, 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. - Sexual Orientation & Gender ID (OHD506)
  
• November 18, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Personality Dimensions (OHD601)
  
• November 26, 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. - Inclusivity Capstone (OHD508)
  
• December 4, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Performance Conversations (OHD405)
  
• December 11, 1:00 p,m, to 4:00 p.m. - Performance Conversations (OHD405)

To register for OHD workshops, visit MyHRinfo. Full course descriptions of the workshops are available on the OHD website.

Key Control, located in the GSC across from the Davis Centre, will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. today for a staff meeting.

 

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