University of Waterloo

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University of Waterloo
Motto: Concordia cum veritate
(In harmony with truth)
Established 1957
Type: Public
Endowment: $172 million[1]
Chancellor: Mike Lazaridis
President: David Lloyd Johnston
Faculty: 963
Staff: 2,167
Undergraduates: 23,729
Postgraduates: 3,013
Location Waterloo, ON, Canada
Campus: Urban/Suburban, 4km2 (1000 acres)[2]
Sports teams: Warriors
Colours: Gold, black, and white
Website: uwaterloo.ca

Coordinates: 43°28′20″N, 80°32′50″W

The University of Waterloo (also referred to as UW, UWaterloo, or Waterloo) is a research-intensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957.

Contents

[edit] Enrollment

The enrollment for 2006 was 23,729 undergraduate and 3,013 graduate students, with 963 full-time faculty members and 2,167 staff.[3] The school has approximately 130,000 alumni in 141 countries.

[edit] History

The University of Waterloo was originally conceived in 1955 as the Waterloo College Associate Faculties (WCAF), a semi-autonomous entity within Waterloo College (now Wilfrid Laurier University).

The university's first president, Gerry Hagey, gathered teachers of engineering and basic sciences, and also obtained an initial grant of $625,000 from the government. The first 74 students began classes on July 1, 1957, in makeshift temporary buildings on the Waterloo College campus. In January 1958, Hagey and colleagues purchased 184 acres of farmland a kilometer west of Waterloo College's main campus in order to meet the growing expansion needs[4]. Soon, construction began of the first academic building on the new site, known as the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Building, later renamed Engineering 1 and now named after Douglas Wright, UW's first Dean of Engineering. [5] Through a series of delicate negotiations which turned into bitter hostilities, the "Faculty of Science and Engineering" broke free from Waterloo College, partly due to the fact that the two campuses were now disjoint. Hagey himself was opposed to the break, as his dream had been to establish a world-class university built on the strengths of Waterloo College's liberal arts strengths and the applied science education of WCAF. In early 1959, the government established three universities: Waterloo Lutheran University, University of St. Jerome's College, and the University of Waterloo. Initially, St. Jerome's and Waterloo Lutheran were both expected to federate with the new UW, but in the end Waterloo Lutheran chose to remain independent. UW then quickly created a faculty of arts in order to gain respect as a university. In the same year, arts students joined the science and engineering students in the new campus.

Three more church colleges ended up joining the university: Renison, Conrad Grebel, and St. Paul's. Waterloo created the first Faculty of Mathematics in North America, and the first co-op programs outside of engineering soon followed. The co-op system then was revised in involving four-month terms rather than the initial three-month terms. In 1967, the College of Optometry of Ontario, at the moment an independent institution in Toronto, moved to Waterloo and became affiliated with the university. In 1967 the world's first Department of Kinesiology was created, which later grew into the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. The Faculty of Environmental Studies was created soon after.

More recently, in 2004, the School of Architecture was relocated to downtown Cambridge in an effort to enhance the school's facilities and strengthen its community ties. The School, located in a former industrial building on the Grand River, is an important part of plans to bolster the economy of Cambridge's downtown area.

In 2001, the University of Waterloo announced its intentions to develop a Research and Technology Park on the university's north campus. The park intends to house many of the high-tech industries in the area and maintain the partnership between university and private-sector innovation. Sybase/iAnywhere Solutions and Open Text Corporation were the first two tenants, and the multi-tenant Accelerator Centre building opened in April 2006.

[edit] Campus

The brutalist Math and Computer Science building, as seen from the B2 Green.
The brutalist Math and Computer Science building, as seen from the B2 Green.
The Student Life Centre courtyard.
The Student Life Centre courtyard.

The main campus is located along University Avenue in Waterloo, Ontario on, what was until the 1960s, farmland. Since its creation, a considerable level of commercial and residential development has built up around the Waterloo campus, notably with many offices of high-tech firms.

The geographical coordinates of the main UW campus are 43°28′14″N, 80°32′50″W.

The School of Architecture was relocated to a former mill in Cambridge, Ontario, in 2004.

A new campus for the health sciences program is being built in Kitchener, Ontario and will include a satellite of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Completion is scheduled for January 2008.

South entrance to Main Campus. From left to right: Hagey Hall of the Humanities, Tatham Cooperative Education Centre, South Campus Hall.
South entrance to Main Campus. From left to right: Hagey Hall of the Humanities, Tatham Cooperative Education Centre, South Campus Hall.


A panoramic view of the campus from the MC Green. From left to right: Davis Centre, Math & Computing, Student Life Centre, & Physical Activities Complex.
A panoramic view of the campus from the MC Green. From left to right: Davis Centre, Math & Computing, Student Life Centre, & Physical Activities Complex.

[edit] Reputation

More Canadian high-tech and knowledge-based spin-off companies trace their roots to the University of Waterloo than to any other school, and as such, the University of Waterloo and the Waterloo region is often called the "Silicon Valley of the North".[6]

This is reflected in the performance of its students in academic competitions such as the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest.In the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, Waterloo students have won gold medals in 2000[7], 2001[8], 2002[9] and 2005[10].

Great emphasis is placed on furthering the growth of research by quick and steady expansion of resources. The Institute for Quantum Computing, established in 2002, is one of a number of institutes and centres for research established, and has already begun to attract international scientists and a nobel laureate to the university.

The university became a leader in environmental education and research by creating the first Faculty of Environmental Studies in Canada. The Green with Innovation website highlights the many environmental programs, student groups, and research at UW.

[edit] Maclean's rankings

Waterloo prides itself on its high performance in Maclean's magazine's Canadian university rankings - the Canadian counterpart to America's US News annual ranking of universities. The university routinely places in the top three in the numerical Comprehensive ranking,[11] and in the reputation survey it placed first as best overall 13 out of 15 times that the ranking was published.[12] Maclean's describes the university as "strong in math, engineering and computer science," as well as being "internationally recognized for the unparalleled success of its more than 100 undergraduate and graduate co-op programs."[13]

[edit] Co-operative education

Waterloo is famous for being a groundbreaking proponent of co-operative education in Canada and currently maintains the largest co-op program in the world. In the official annual national university report by Maclean's, the University of Waterloo has placed best overall out of 47 universities in Canada for the past 13 of 15 years since the survey began.[13]

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Beavers killed on campus

In November 2006, four beavers were trapped and killed on the university campus after they gnawed down several trees. The beavers were considered a safety risk, and a licensed trapping company was contracted to install traps to kill the beavers by drowning. [14]

The local and national press coverage of the university's actions resulted in a storm of public condemnation. Over 300 letters of complaint were sent to the city newspaper, and numerous alumni contacted the university in protest and cancelled their donations. [15]

[edit] Professor Elmasry's remarks on Michael Coren Show

During a television show in 2004, Professor Mohamed ElMasry stated that anyone in Israel over the age of 18 was a justifiable target of Palestinian attacks, since all adult Israelis are "part of the Israeli army, even if they have civilian clothes. The same, if they are women in the army . . . . Everybody above 18 is a combatant." [16] The university's investigation concluded that the remarks made by Professor Elmasry were "entirely unacceptable and inconsistent with the values of inclusiveness and tolerance for which the University of Waterloo stands." [17] However, no disciplinary action was taken. Professor Elmasry has now retired from teaching. [18]

[edit] Agreement with Microsoft

The university announced a controversial agreement with Microsoft in 2002. [19] As part of this agreement, the University of Waterloo was to receive $2.3 million in funding from the Microsoft Canada Academic Innovation Alliance in exchange for introducing Microsoft's C# programming language in some programs at UW. UW's School of Computer Science declined to participate, and currently teaches Java and Scheme in its introductory courses.[20] The university administration asserted that this agreement would not jeopardize academic integrity at the institution, though the University president acknowledged making mistakes in announcing the Microsoft deal. [21]

[edit] Ties with industry

Through its large co-op program (the largest in the world) and many spin-off companies, the University of Waterloo maintains close ties with the high-tech industry.

UW has a long-standing intellectual property policy[22] that leaves ownership rights with the inventor, rather than the university, which has helped create many spin-off companies that maintain a good relationship with UW. In particular, it has a strong connection with Research In Motion that goes beyond its close physical proximity. Co-founder and CEO Mike Lazaridis was a UW student before he started RIM, and is currently the chancellor of the university. RIM hires hundreds of UW co-op students each term and a large proportion of its employees are UW alumni.

During his visit to Waterloo in October 2005, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stated, "Most years, we hire more students out of Waterloo than any university in the world, typically 50 or even more."[23]

Some students and faculty have been critical of the level of corporate involvement in UW's academics. The university came under harsh criticism in August 2002 when the Faculty of Engineering accepted funding from Microsoft to develop courses using Microsoft's .NET Framework.[24]

[edit] Spin-offs

Several companies have roots in, or have been spun off from the university. Some of the most notable include:

[edit] Notable companies founded by alumni

[edit] Future plans

With a lake and a conservation area on campus, Waterloo is home to a variety of vegetation and wildlife.
With a lake and a conservation area on campus, Waterloo is home to a variety of vegetation and wildlife.
The fields just north of the University of Waterloo, pre-development of the technology park.
The fields just north of the University of Waterloo, pre-development of the technology park.

The Faculty of Engineering, citing a shortage of space compared to the undergraduate and graduate enrollment and number of faculty members, is planning a $150M expansion between 2008 and 2012 in the form of three new buildings. Two are to be located outside Ring Road and linked back to the main campus by a walkway, while one will be built inside Ring Road in proximity to the current Engineering side of campus. The Iron Warrior reports that the Faculty has secured funding and received approval for the first of these three buildings, to be called Engineering 5, which will house a Student Design Centre showcasing the Waterloo Engineering student teams, along with space for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, and the Department of Systems Design Engineering. The latter's original hopes for an exclusive building just for Systems are now dead according to Dean of Engineering Adel Sedra, as they were not able to locate the sufficient funds.[5]

The university and the City of Kitchener are constructing a health sciences campus, including a School of Pharmacy, in the central Kitchener warehouse district. The project will cost $34 million for the first phase. The Honours co-operative Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program begins in January 2008.Preliminary operations, including staffed medical and optometry clinics, are based out of the former Victoria Public School in Kitchener's downtown.

The Kitchener site will also host a satellite campus of McMaster University's medical school, bringing 15 first-year medical students to Waterloo Region each year to study. They will remain until the end of the three-year McMaster program, and have the option of continuing as a resident in the area.

On October 16, 2006, President Johnston announced that the university has entered discussions with the City of Stratford and the Stratford Festival of Canada exploring the possibility of establishing a satellite campus in Stratford. On the same day, Stratford City Council unanimously endorsed a memorandum of understanding to continue exploration of the issue. The nature of the academic program offered at a satellite campus is yet to be discussed, though it is expected to be a liberal arts program.

With donations by alumni and matching contributions from government, the university announced in April 2004 the founding of the Institute for Quantum Computing.[25][26]

Construction will begin in October for the Quantum-Nano Centre, a massive building which will house the Institute for Quantum Computing as well as the new Nanotechnology Engineering undergraduate program. The building will be located in the centre of campus and its cost will exceed $100M. It is planned to be opened in September 2010.[27]

The university is also planning a new building to house the School of Accountancy, expected to be ready for occupancy by March 2008. The School of Accountancy's expanded space will be constructed between the Arts Lecture Hall, Tatham Centre, and Hagey Hall.

The university is currently planning for its sixth decade (2007 - 2017) with an "ambitious plan".[28] According to the plan's documentation, some objectives are benchmarked by the following targets:

  • By 2017, at least 12 UW academic programs will be the best in North America
  • By 2017, at least 12 out of 44 departments/schools will be ranked top 12 in North America
  • By 2017, at least 20 UW departments/schools will be ranked top three in Canada
  • Each department/school will participate in a doctoral program
  • All departments/schools will be ranked top 25% in Canada
King Warrior, the athletics mascot
King Warrior, the athletics mascot

[edit] Mascots

  • The University's athletics mascot is a lion named King Warrior. The Warriors are the University's sports team and King Warrior's initials, K-W, reflect a common nickname for the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo.
  • The mascot for the undergraduate students' Mathematics Society (MathSoc) is the Natural Log (see natural log), which is a wooden log about 60 cm (two ft) long, often mistaken as the Faculty's mascot.
  • The mascot for the Faculty of Mathematics is a 12.2 m (40 ft) long and 3.4 m (11 ft) wide pink tie, often mistaken as MathSoc's mascot.
  • The mascot for the Faculty of Engineering is a 60" (1.5 m) pipe wrench called The TOOL, formerly the RIDGID Tool, because it was donated by the Ridge Tool Company in 1968.
  • The mascot for the Faculty of Arts is a statue of a boar which was donated to the University of Waterloo Math Faculty in 1978, and in turn donated to the Arts Faculty. It is one of several copies of Italian sculptor Pietro Tacca's (1577-1640) "Il Porcellino" statue. Some students claim that rubbing the Boar's nose brings luck. [29]
  • The mascot for the Faculty of Environmental Studies is The Big Banana, which is actually a designated orientation leader dressed in a banana costume.
  • The mascot for the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences is a Kangaroo.
  • The mascot for the Science Society (SciSoc) is Arriba the Amoeba, a giant human-sized amoeba dressed in a lab coat.

[edit] Coat of Arms

University Logo

The coat of arms of the University of Waterloo was granted in 1987. The shield's blazon is as follows:

Or, on a chevron Sable between three lions rampant Gules a chevronel Argent.

The full blazon of the arms (rarely used) continues:

Above the Shield is placed an Helm suitable to an Incorporation (a Salade proper lined Gules) with a Mantling Sable doubled Or, and on a Wreath of the Liveries is set for Crest between two maple branches in saltire a trillium displayed and leaved all Proper, and in an Escrol over the same this Motto "CONCORDIA CUM VERITATE".

Representing Waterloo's location in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, the double-chevron is taken from the coat of arms of Earl Kitchener, and the red lions are taken from the symbol of Arthur, Duke of Wellington, the victor at the Battle of Waterloo.

[edit] Administration

[edit] Chancellors

[edit] Presidents

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ More than $1 million a week. UW Daily Bulletin (2006-12-18). Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
  2. ^ About UW. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
  3. ^ About UW. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
  4. ^ How the Offer of 180 Acres of Farmland Changed the Identity of UW. The Iron Warrior (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
  5. ^ a b $150M Engineering Expansion to Begin Next Year. The Iron Warrior (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  6. ^ Seizing Opportunities. University of Waterloo (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
  7. ^ 2000 ACM ICPC World Finals. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  8. ^ 2001 ACM ICPC World Finals. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  9. ^ 2002 ACM ICPC World Finals. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  10. ^ 2005 ACM ICPC World Finals. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  11. ^ 2005 Overall Rankings Chart: Comprehensive ranking. Maclean's Magazine (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  12. ^ UW's historical rankings in Maclean's magazine. University of Waterloo Communications and Public Affairs (2004). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  13. ^ a b Danylo Hawaleshka (2005). Comprehensive winner: University of Waterloo. Maclean's Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  14. ^ Drowned beaver tales draw out student suffrage. Imprint Online (2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
  15. ^ Fur flies after beavers killed by University of Waterloo. The Globe and Mail (2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
  16. ^ Transcript Of Dr. Mohamed Elmasry's Remarks On Michel Coren Show. www.montrealmuslimnews.net (2004). Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
  17. ^ Elmasry statement from UW. University of Waterloo (2004). Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
  18. ^ Prof. Mohamed I. Elmasry. University of Waterloo (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
  19. ^ More about the Microsoft alliance. University of Waterloo (2002). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
  20. ^ CS 135: For Prospective Students.
  21. ^ Johnston acknowledges 'mistakes' in announcement of Microsoft deal. UW Gazette (2002). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
  22. ^ Policy 73 -- Intellectual Property Rights. University of Waterloo Secretariat (1997). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  23. ^ Bill Gates draws a crowd at Waterloo university. CTV.ca (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  24. ^ Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Waterloo and Microsoft Canada. University of Waterloo (2002).
  25. ^ UW welcomes federal investments in research and innovation. University of Waterloo (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  26. ^ UW welcomes provincial government's investments in research and innovation. University of Waterloo (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  27. ^ Completion of Quantum-Nano Centre Set for September 2010. The Iron Warrior (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
  28. ^ Pursuing Global Excellence: Seizing for Canada University of Waterloo (UW) Sixth Decade Plan. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
  29. ^ [1]

[edit] External links

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Schools in Waterloo Region

Post-Secondary: Conestoga College · University of Waterloo · Wilfrid Laurier University

School Boards: Waterloo Region District School Board · Waterloo Catholic District School Board

Secondary: Bluevale Collegiate Institute · Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute · Eastwood Collegiate Institute · École secondaire Père-René-de-Galinée · Elmira District Secondary School · Forest Heights Collegiate Institute · Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School · Grand River Collegiate Institute · Huron Heights Secondary School · Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School · Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School · Resurrection Catholic Secondary School · Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School · Southwood Secondary School · St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School · St. David Catholic Secondary School · St. Mary's High School · Waterloo Collegiate Institute · Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School

Elementary: Courtland Public School (Kitchener) · Elizabeth Ziegler Public School · John Darling Public School · Queensmount Public School  · Suddaby Public School · Westheights Public School
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University of Waterloo
Faculties Applied Health Sciences · Arts · Engineering · Environmental Studies · Mathematics · Science
Schools Accountancy · Architecture · Computer Science · Optometry · Pharmacy · Planning · Social Work
Colleges Conrad Grebel · Renison · St. Jerome's · St. Paul's
Organizations Elliott Avedon Museum & Archive of Games · Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing · Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research · Institute for Quantum Computing
Student life Federation of Students · Waterloo Warriors · Imprint · CKMS-FM
Other Notable alumni and faculty · JobMine
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G-13 Universities

Alberta • UBC • Calgary • Dalhousie • Laval • McGill • McMaster • Montréal • Ottawa • Queen's • Toronto • Waterloo • Western
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Universities in Ontario
Brock · Carleton · Dominican · Guelph · Lakehead · Laurentian · Laurier · McMaster · Nipissing · OCAD · Ottawa · Queen's · RMC · Ryerson · Toronto · Trent · UOIT · Waterloo · Western · Windsor · York
See also: Colleges in Ontario
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Waterloo"
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