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• President's Forum set for October 6
• Moving beyond invention towards equitable innovation
• A championship mindset powered by alumni support
• Beyond Digital special event with Microsoft and RBC coming up soon
• If Trauma Could Echo project seeks stories

President's Forum set for October 6

Join the virtual President’s Forum for a conversation with President Vivek Goel as he shares his perspectives and opportunities for the University.��

This forum is the first of three sessions that will explore themes from the University’s strategic plan. On October 6, President Goel will be joined by a panel of ��ݮ��Ƶ senior leaders to explore the future of work and how the University develops talent for a complex future.��

The panelists include:��

• David DeVidi, Associate Vice-President, Academic
• Jeff Casello,��Associate Vice-President, Graduate��Studies��and Postdoctoral Affairs
• Norah McRae, Associate Provost, Co-operative and Experiential Education
• Sanjeev Gill, Associate Vice-President, Innovation

Following the discussion, President Goel and Provost James Rush will give an operational update on the fall term and discuss the University’s plans the winter term and beyond.��

Get your questions answered during the live Q&A, moderated by Marilyn Thompson, associate provost, human resources.

The event takes place Wednesday, October 6 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. online.��

Ask a question as part of registration, send your questions to��coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca��or tweet to #UWforum.

Moving beyond invention towards equitable innovation

By Stephanie Longeway. This article was��originally published on ��ݮ��Ƶ News.

“Innovation is not invention,��and is not only new high-tech gadgets,” said��Dan��Breznitz,��as he kicked off his keynote at the����ݮ��Ƶ Innovation Summit��on September 28.��It is��"the complete process of taking new ideas and devising new or improved products and services.” 

Breznitz��is the��chair of Innovation Studies at the University of Toronto and author of a new book��titled,��Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World.��He joined��the��Summit on social and economic prosperity��in conversation with����ݮ��Ƶ’s��President,��Dr. Vivek Goel, to discuss the process of innovation and challenge the audience to look at new models of innovation-based growth that enable communities to recognize their own advantages��in the global market.��

Breznitz��told to��a��virtual crowd of more than 150 that leaders and policymakers��often��aspire to copy the high-tech model created in Silicon Valley, but not only is Silicon Valley impossible to recreate, it is fraught with inequities. He explained that��“the miracle”, or��breakthrough��idea, is just one stage of the innovation process.��It��does not��on its own��drive localized social and economic��prosperity��because��inventions do not create jobs or local re-investment��unless they are nurtured and developed further.

The innovation challenge for Canada, said��Breznitz,��is that we’re very good at invention��and research, but we need to move beyond invention to scale prototypes for commercialization.��

Reducing barriers to innovation��

Dynamic change happens when policy transforms alongside the communities and innovators shaping our��nation.��The Summit’s panel explored how businesses and governments��must��do a better job at��engaging��new voices and��reducing��barriers��if we want to move beyond��our��current��innovation��models�����Ի���champion��equity and��social impact.��

Jacob Glick, vice president��of��public policy at TELUS�����Ի���senior executive fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation��(CIGI), explained that “innovation isn’t an end goal, but a means to an end” that benefits society. He noted that our current��Canadian��process is not equitable, particularly when it comes to infrastructure. Rural and Indigenous communities have less access to infrastructure, like broadband and 5G technologies,��that��are��readily available in urban centres. He noted��that��this is��a solvable problem��that can be fixed with better policy and planning.

Tabatha Bull, CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, agreed that policies supporting more equitable infrastructure needs��to��be��prioritized. She added that equitable access to financing needs to be addressed. She��has seen that��Indigenous innovators are far too often��viewed��as “riskier” from a lender perspective, putting them at a disadvantage.��

The panelists discussed��how��Canadian businesses and governments��should��prioritize more voices and diverse thinking when it comes to innovation.��Bessma��Momani,��professor at the��University of ��ݮ��Ƶ�����Ի���senior fellow at��CIGI, said that Canada should “tap into the talent” already within our society. She noted that racialized and immigrant communities bring different perspectives and experiences that challenge our old ways of thinking and spur��more��innovation.��

“Build back better”��

As we move through the pandemic, Momani noted that “build back better” has become a global mantra��— a��recognition that our old models were not working and need to be improved. �ճ����great��news, she said, is that there is no shortage of good ideas or talent��in Canada, but we do need political will and��social protection��policies��to make meaningful��economic��change.��

The pandemic has shown us just how resilient and innovative we are when faced with a global challenge. It has also shined a spotlight on the issues and inequities in our society that can no longer be ignored.��The conversations��at the ��ݮ��Ƶ Innovation Summit��have��articulated��how��we can change our��innovation��models to be more equitable��and prosperous.��Industries and governments must embrace new perspectives and policies that support��innovation��that improves the quality of life for all Canadians. 

A championship mindset powered by alumni support

A message from the Office of Advancement.

Support from ��ݮ��Ƶ alumni allowed Warriors football stars Tre and Tyrell Ford to devote themselves to academics and athletics — and become leaders on and off the field. Now, the brothers are helping the team��pursue a provincial championship��while attracting other promising student-athletes to ��ݮ��Ƶ.

In the 2020-21 Report on Giving, you’ll find more stories about donors who are investing in ��ݮ��Ƶ talent — so both individuals and communities can thrive.

Read the digital report.

Beyond Digital special event with Microsoft and RBC coming up soon

By Matthew King.

Preparing for the workforce of the future and being ready to thrive in Canada’s digital acceleration means developing the work-ready skills that are in demand now and in the future. There are many ways for students, new graduates, and professionals to invest in developing these relevant skills including work-integrated learning, industry certifications, and post-secondary education.

“Our country is on the brink of a skills revolution,” says RBC president and CEO David McKay who believes our workforce is in the midst of a skills overhaul.

McKay, along with Microsoft Canada president Kevin Peesker will join University of ��ݮ��Ƶ President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel in an expert panel. Moderated by Norah McRae, associate provost, co-operative and experiential education (CEE), the panel will examine the skills needed as we head towards a technological transformation.

Beyond digital. Accelerate with the skills you need��will be a virtual discussion, open to the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ community, as well as students and young professionals across Canada, on��Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT).

“In the digital economy, every job is a tech job and every Canadian student should have the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the workforce, regardless of their area of study” says Peesker. “To accomplish that goal, private and public sector organizations must work together to provide students with the skills, experiences and agility they need to land their first job and succeed throughout their careers.”

A key part of the discussion will centre around how industry and universities can work together preparing the next generation of workers to think about their career path in a new, ever-changing way.

“This workforce is going to need foundational skills to prepare them for several different jobs and roles, as opposed to a single career path.” McKay went on to say, “This is setting up a quiet crisis across Canada – and virtually every nation around the globe – with future, young and established workers feeling unprepared for what the jobs of the future will look like, let alone the skills needed to do them.”

If Trauma Could Echo project seeks stories

A message from Conrad Grebel University College.

If Trauma Could Echo is a community-based project that acknowledges and grieves the untold stories of trauma collected from students, staff, and faculty at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. This project accompanies Yasmeen Nematt Alla's exhibit at the��Grebel Gallery,��Not Traumatic Enough for a Shock Blanket.

When creating��Not Traumatic Enough for a Shock Blanket, Yasmeen Nematt Alla posed the question to her community: What stories do we begin telling with, “I wouldn’t call it traumatic but...”. Using some of the answers to her question, Yasmeen took��narratives that are not seen as worthy of being traumatic experiences and placed��them on objects that carried the words’ magnitude and weight while letting the audience bear witness to the truth of these experiences and, by extension, carry some of the weight of the narratives.

Through the If Trauma Could Echo project, Nematt Alla invites the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ community to share their stories that they begin with "I wouldn’t call it traumatic but...” and as gratitude for the offering, provides a small blanket embroidered with an abstracted excerpt from the story. This exchange offers an opportunity for Nematt Alla to embrace the community from afar, acknowledging their pain and grief as significant and "enough". During a time where we have become accustomed to living with distance and without the embrace of those we care for, this exchange offers participants the care and caress of a blanket made with love, especially for them.

For more information and to participate in the project, please visit the��If Trauma Could Echo website.