Everything about University Of Waterloo totally explained
|chancellor =
Mike Lazaridis
|president =
David Lloyd Johnston
|city =
Waterloo
|state =
ON
|country =
Canada
|undergrad = 24,342
|postgrad = 3,636
|faculty = 977
|staff = 2,251
|alumni = 130,000
|campus =
Urban/
Suburban,
(1000 acres)
|free_label = Sports teams
|free =
Waterloo Warriors
|colours = Gold, black, and white
|nickname = the Loo
|affiliations =
AUCC,
IAU,
COU,
ATS,
CIS,
CUSID
|website=
uwaterloo.ca
|}}
The
University of Waterloo (also referred to as
UW and
Waterloo) is a comprehensive public
university in the city of
Waterloo,
Ontario,
Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs.
Gerry Hagey and
Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff. The school is notable for being the first accredited university in North America to create a
Faculty of Mathematics, and for having the largest co-op program in the world. The school is also known for having more company spin-offs than any other Canadian university, and as such, the university has been called the "Silicon Valley of the North". The enrollment for 2006 was 23,729
undergraduate and 3,013
graduate students, with 963
full-time faculty members and 2,167 staff. The school has approximately 130,000 alumni in 141 countries.
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 74nbsp;hectares (184nbsp;acres) of farmland a kilometer west of Waterloo College's main campus in order to meet the growing expansion needs. 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.
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.
Campus
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 .
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.
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 has been called the "Silicon Valley of the North".
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.
Computer Science and Mathematics
The international reputation of Waterloo in mathematics and computer science 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, 2001, 2002 and 2005. Since the ACM contest began in 1977, Waterloo teams have accumulated the second most ACM first-place finishes (tied with six other schools). Since the inaugural Putnam competition in 1938, Waterloo teams have accumulated the sixth most top-five finishes ahead of Duke, Chicago, WUSL, Yale, Berkeley, Cornell, Stanford, Colmubia and Carnegie Mellon among others.
Maclean's Rankings
Waterloo prides itself on its high performance in
Maclean's magazine's
Canadian university rankings - the Canadian counterpart to the American
US News annual ranking of universities. The university routinely places in the top three in the numerical Comprehensive ranking, and in the reputation survey it placed first as best overall 13 out of 15 times that the ranking was published.
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."
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.
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.
Agreement with Microsoft
The university announced a controversial agreement with Microsoft in 2002.
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. However, the
School of Computer Science declined to participate, and currently teaches
Scheme and
C in its introductory courses. The university administration asserted that this agreement wouldn't jeopardize academic integrity at the institution, although the university president acknowledged making mistakes in announcing the Microsoft deal.
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 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."
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.
Spin-offs
Several companies have roots in, or have been spun off from the university. Some of the most notable include:
Notable Companies Founded by Alumni
Research in Motion
QNX
Sandvine
MKS Inc. (formerly Mortice Kern Systems)
NexJ Systems (same alumni founded Janna Systems, which was acquired by Siebel Systems, which subsequently was acquired by Oracle Corporation)
Digital Leisure
Future Plans
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.
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. This was clarified further on March 26, 2008, following a funding commitment in the previous day's provincial budget; the campus is to specialize in digital media and global business, and also has a funding commitment from Open Text corp. (External Link)
With donations by alumni and matching contributions from government, the university announced in April 2004 the founding of the Institute for Quantum Computing.
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.
The university is also planning a new building to house the School of Accountancy. The building is expected to be completed in late August 2008, ready for the beginning of the fall term. The School of Accountancy's expanded space will be constructed between the Arts Lecture Hall, Tatham Centre, and Hagey Hall. It includes state of the art classrooms, lecture halls and office space for the School of Accountancy and Finance.
Though in preliminary discussion there also has been talks for the initiation of a law program.
The university is currently planning for its sixth decade (2007 - 2017) with an "ambitious plan". 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
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. This mascot was stolen by another University in 1982 and returned encased in a 45 gallon drum of concrete. Engineering students worked tirelessly for 6 hours using sledgehammers to free it.
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.
The mascot for the Faculty of Environmental Studies Orientation Week 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.
Coat of Arms
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.
Administration
Further Information
Get more info on 'University Of Waterloo'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://university_of_waterloo.totallyexplained.com">University of Waterloo Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
