University of Waterloo
Encyclopedia
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...

 in the city of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey
Gerry Hagey
Joseph Gerald "Gerry" Hagey was a Canadian businessman, academic, and a founder and first president of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario....

 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 university in North America to create a Faculty of Mathematics
University of Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics
The Faculty of Mathematics is one of six faculties of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. As of Fall 2010, it has 5,741 undergraduate students and 629 graduate students, 200 full-time professors, and offers over 500 courses in mathematics, statistics and computer science.The Faculty...

, and for having the largest co-operative education program
Cooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...

 in the world.

Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...

 Reputational University Rankings for Canadian universities has consistently ranked UW first in the "Most Innovative" and "Leaders of Tomorrow" sections, and second in the "Highest Quality" section. As of Fall 2009, there were 26,451 full-time (1,628 part-time) undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...

 and 3,505 full-time (921 part-time) graduate students
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...

, with 1,047 full-time
Full time
Full-time employment is employment in which the employee works the full number of hours defined as such by his/her employer. Full-time employment often comes with benefits that are not typically offered to part-time, temporary, or flexible workers, such as annual leave, sickleave, and health...

 faculty members and 2,184 staff. The school has approximately 151,000 alumni in 143 countries. The university's newspapers include Imprint
Imprint (newspaper)
Imprint is a publication created by Imprint Publications, Waterloo and is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo.-Printing:Imprint prints weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and bi-weekly during the spring semester...

, The Iron Warrior, and mathNEWS.

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
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....

, formerly known as Waterloo Lutheran University). The non-denominational school was founded in 1957 by Dr. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles in Waterloo, Ontario. The Waterloo College of Arts became affiliated with the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

 in 1925.

This university was established in response to community demand for improved education facilities, particularly in technical and scientific fields of study. Renowned for the success of its cooperative education programs, it now has the largest engineering school in Canada.

A plaque was erected just inside the entrance to the university on University Avenue West across from Seagram Drive, Waterloo:
Today Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....

 is reputed for its business and liberal arts programs while the University of Waterloo is reputed for its engineering and math programs. The university's first president, Gerry Hagey
Gerry Hagey
Joseph Gerald "Gerry" Hagey was a Canadian businessman, academic, and a founder and first president of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario....

, 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 1958, the University of Waterloo established an extension department.

In January 1958, Hagey and colleagues purchased 74 hectares (182.9 acre) of farmland a kilometre 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.

The University of Waterloo in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 was incorporated and granted a university charter in 1959. In early 1959, the government established three universities: Waterloo Lutheran University, University of St. Jerome's College
St. Jerome's University
Saint Jerome's University is a public Roman Catholic university in Waterloo, Ontario. It is federated with the University of Waterloo.St. Jerome's, within the University of Waterloo, combines academics and a residence. Students may both reside at and take classes through St...

, and the University of Waterloo.

The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society. The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a senate (faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (citizens) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the 2 bodies and to perform institutional leadership.

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. Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada affiliated with the nondenominational Wilfrid Laurier University, located in Waterloo, Ontario.-History:...

 is currently an affiliate of the nondenominational Wilfrid Laurier University and offers several programs at the master's level and a Doctor of Ministry in pastoral counselling and marriage and family therapy. The Waterloo Lutheran seminary established the Institute for Christian Ethics in 1986.
UW then quickly created a faculty of arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...

 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. These carried the name of "College" for many years, but this was later changed to the somewhat cumbersome "University College" designation in order to reflect the degree-granting nature of these affiliated institutions. These colleges are: Renison, Conrad Grebel
Conrad Grebel University College
Conrad Grebel University College is affiliated with the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The college is owned by Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and named for early Anabaptist leader Conrad Grebel...

, and St. Paul's
St. Paul's United College
St. Paul's University College is an affiliated college of the University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The college has two functions: first, it is a residence for both undergraduate and graduate students of the University; and, second, it offers classes to all University...

. Waterloo created the first Faculty of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 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
Optometry
Optometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...

 of Ontario, at the time an independent institution in Toronto, moved to Waterloo and became affiliated with the university as the School of Optometry
University of Waterloo School of Optometry
The School of Optometry is one of the professional schools at the University of Waterloo. It is housed in the Faculty of Science. It is the larger of the two optometry schools in Canada, and the only facility for English-language optometry instruction in the country...

. 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
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...

 was created soon after. It was renamed the Faculty of Environment in 2008.

The University of Waterloo launched its program in architecture in 1967.
More recently, in 2004, the School of Architecture was relocated to downtown Cambridge
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...

 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
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...

, is an important part of plans to bolster the economy of Cambridge's downtown area. Additionally, Architecture is now part of the Faculty of Engineering. It formerly fell under Environmental Studies.

In 2001, the University of Waterloo announced its intentions to develop a Research and Technology Park on the university's north campus. The RT Park intends to house many of the high-tech industries in the area and maintain the partnership between university and private-sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...

 innovation. Sybase
Sybase
Sybase, an SAP company, is an enterprise software and services company offering software to manage, analyze, and mobilize information, using relational databases, analytics and data warehousing solutions and mobile applications development platforms....

/iAnywhere Solutions and Open Text Corporation
Open Text Corporation
OpenText Corporation Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. As Canada's largest software company, it produces and distributes computer software applications designed to enable Enterprise content management solutions for large corporations across all industries....

 were the first two tenants, and the multi-tenant Accelerator Centre building opened in April 2006. Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

 has since established an office in the RT Park. The RT Park continues to grow with 2- and 3-storey multi-tenant buildings, again surrounded by ample parking lots. Earlier suggestions to include medium- and high-density residential facilities, with the hope of enabling employees in the RT Park to have the option of not having to commute to suburban detached houses, have so far not come to fruition. In 2010, it was announced that the RT Park would bear the name of David Johnston
David Johnston
David Lloyd Johnston is a Canadian academic, author and statesman who is the current Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation....

, who departed Waterloo on October 1, 2010 to become Governor General of Canada.

University of Waterloo's Arms and Flag were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority
Canadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...

 on February 15, 2001.

Campus


The main campus is located along University Avenue in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 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. This has resulted in a major urban expansion into the surrounding rural areas, with a consequent loss of prime farmland and degradation of natural areas.

Over a period of five years (2003–2008), the University experienced its second largest building boom since the 1960s. New buildings completed include the Tatham Building (Co-op Education), the Environmental and Information Technologies Building (chiefly Earth Sciences and Electrical Engineering), expansions to Burt Matthews Hall (Applied Health Sciences) and J.G. Hagey Hall, a building for the School of Architecture, a new Solar Technologies Building, a major addition to the School of Optometry Building, and sundry additions to several Engineering buildings. Currently (2011) under construction are the Quantum Nanotechnology Building, the Engineering 7 Building. Construction of the Math 3, the Environment 3, and Engineering 6 buildings have reached completion and opened their doors in the fall of 2011.

To commemorate individuals who have made major contributions to the University of Waterloo, some buildings, most notably in the Engineering realm, have been renamed. Three examples include Engineering 4 becoming Carl Pollock Hall, Engineering Lecture Hall becoming Rod Coutts
Rod Coutts
Rod Coutts was born in Cookstown, Ontario. He graduated from University of Waterloo in 1964 with a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Electrical Engineering....

 Hall, and the aforementioned Engineering 1 becoming the Douglas Wright Engineering Building. Some buildings, such as the Davis Centre (William G. Davis Computer Research Centre), the J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities, and Ira G. Needles Hall (Administration) were named after people at their time of inception.

The geographical coordinates
Geographic coordinate system
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position...

 of the main UW campus, using the NAD 83 datum, are 43°28′14"N 80°32′50"W.

The School of Architecture
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
The School of Architecture is one of the professional schools of the University of Waterloo. It offers a professional program in architecture accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board at the master's level . It is part of the Faculty of Engineering and is located on a satellite...

 was relocated to a former mill in Cambridge
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, in 2004.

A new campus for the health sciences program has been built in Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and includes a satellite of McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...

’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy. The building opened in December 2008. The building has unique elements, such as a colourful curtain wall featuring images of medicinal plants and its use of natural materials such as wood.

University of Waterloo has a series of residences: University of Waterloo Place; Wellesley Court North; Wellesley Court South; William Lyon Mackenzie King Village; Tutors' Residence; Columbia Lake Townhouses; Minota Hagey Residence; and Sweeney Hall. Conrad Greble University College has a Residence Building. St. Jerome's University College has J.R. Finn Residence and Sweeney Hall.

Faculties

  1. University of Waterloo Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    University of Waterloo Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    The Faculty of Applied Health Sciences is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is also one of the smallest faculties within the university. The current Dean of AHS is a professor from Recreation and Leisure studies, Dr. Roger Mannel.- Departments :The...

  2. University of Waterloo Faculty of Arts
    University of Waterloo Faculty of Arts
    The Faculty of Arts is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.- Departments :The faculty presently houses sixteen academic departments and the School of Accounting and Finance.Academic Departments:...

  3. University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering
    University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering
    The Faculty of Engineering is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. As of 2010, it has 6,346 undergraduate students, 1,844 graduate students, and 264 professors. It had over 27,000 alumni in 2006, making it one of Canada's largest engineering faculties...

  4. University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment
    University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment
    The Faculty of Environment is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.The faculty was established in 1969. During its 40th anniversary at the start of the Fall 2008 term, its name was changed from Faculty of Environmental Studies to the current name, Faculty...

  5. University of Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics
    University of Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics
    The Faculty of Mathematics is one of six faculties of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. As of Fall 2010, it has 5,741 undergraduate students and 629 graduate students, 200 full-time professors, and offers over 500 courses in mathematics, statistics and computer science.The Faculty...

  6. University of Waterloo Faculty of Science
    University of Waterloo Faculty of Science
    The Faculty of Science is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo. In 2004-05, Science attracted almost $42.5 million in research funding in areas such as aquatic ecology, microbiology, solid state chemistry, environmental biology and groundwater contamination clean-up.- History :In the...


Rankings and reputation

The University of Waterloo has topped the charts in the Maclean's reputational survey.

Great emphasis is placed on furthering the growth of research by quick and steady expansion of resources. The Institute for Quantum Computing
Institute for Quantum Computing
The Institute for Quantum Computing, or IQC, located in Waterloo, Canada, is an affiliate research institute of the University of Waterloo with a multidisciplinary approach to the field of quantum information processing.-IQC's Mission:...

, 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 of Waterloo ranks 15th among the top 50 research Universities in Canada.

2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked the University of Waterloo in the 91-100th by reputation along with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Nanyang Technological University.

Computer Science and Mathematics

In the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest
ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest
ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest is an annual multi-tiered computer programming competition among the universities of the world. The contest is sponsored by IBM. Headquartered at Baylor University, with autonomous regions on six continents, the ICPC is directed by Baylor Professor...

, Waterloo students have won championships in 1994 and 1999. They have also won gold medals in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

Even though Waterloo was established in 1957, its teams have accumulated the sixth most top-five finishes in the Putnam competition
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, often abbreviated to the Putnam Competition, is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate college students of the United States and Canada, awarding scholarships and cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,500 for the top students and $5,000...

 ahead of Berkeley, Cornell, Stanford, Duke, Chicago, WUSL, Yale, Columbia and Carnegie Mellon among others.

Engineering

Out of 24 participants in the 2008 North American Solar Car Challenge from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany, the University of Waterloo finished 4th overall and was the top Canadian team in the competition. On September 15, 2004 the Midnight Sun Solar Car Team set the record for Longest Journey by Solar Electric Vehicle The University of Waterloo Nano Robotics Group
University of Waterloo Nano Robotics Group
University of Waterloo Nano Robotics Group is an undergraduate group from the Mechatronics, Nanotechnology, Electrical, Computer, Software Engineering, and Arts programs at the University of Waterloo. The group is known internationally because it won the Microassembly Challenge at the 2011 Mobile...

 competed at the Microassembly Challenge at the 2011 Mobile Microrobotics Challenge and placed first place overall. In 2010 they were also successful and placed third place overall. The team was the only completely undergraduate team, as well as the only Canadian team competing. UW_NRG was also participant in the NANOTECH EXPO 2009 TOKYO, JAPAN in 2009, where the group travelled to Japan to represent the Canadian delegation, along with government officials and private organizations. The group was the only undergraduate organization at this international event.

School of Accounting and Finance

The University of Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs. Its Masters of Accounting graduates are well prepared for the UFE exam for Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...

s. The programs offered at the School of Accounting and Finance are Accounting and Financial Management (Public Accounting and Financial Management streams), Computing and Financial Management, Mathematics/Chartered Accountancy, and Biotechnology/Chartered Accountancy.

International rankings

In 2011 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....

 ranked the University of Waterloo 160th overall in the world.
In 2010 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....

 had ranked the University of Waterloo 145th, dropping back 32 places from its position of 113th in the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings (in 2010 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...

 and QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....

 parted ways to produce separate rankings), wherein it came 27th in the world for technology, 56th in the world for the natural sciences, and 114th in the world in life sciences and biomedicine.

According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...

 conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University the University of Waterloo was ranked 151-200 and 52-75 in Engineering Technology/Computer Science.

Globe and Mail Canadian University Report Card

In the annual Globe and Mail Canadian University Report Card, Waterloo was ranked first or tied for first amongst large universities in three categories. Waterloo received the highest grades for career preparation, quality of education, and academic reputation. Waterloo also ranked third in student satisfaction category and second on course availability/variety.

Maclean's rankings

Waterloo prides itself on its high performance in Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...

magazine's Canadian university rankings. 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 with over 10,000 co-op students per year.

Joint Graduate Programs

  • Balsillie School of International Affairs (Waterloo & Laurier
    Wilfrid Laurier University
    Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....

    )
  • Guelph-Waterloo Center for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry (GWC2) is one of Canada’s largest and most successful graduate schools
  • Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute (GWPI) is a joint graduate program offered by the Departments of Physics at the University of Waterloo and Guelph
  • The Guelph-Waterloo MA Program in Public Issues Anthropology
  • Tri-University Graduate History Program (Waterloo, Laurier, Guelph
    University of Guelph
    The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...

    )
  • International joint MA in Intercultural German Studies (IcGS): Joint degree with Universität Mannheim
  • Waterloo-Laurier Graduate Program in Geography

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
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...

 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
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...

, the makers of the Blackberry, that goes beyond its close physical proximity. Co-founder and CEO Mike Lazaridis
Mike Lazaridis
Mihalis "Mike" Lazaridis , OC, O.Ont is a Greek Canadian businessman. He is the founder and co-CEO of Research In Motion , which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. He is also a former chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada...

 was a UW student before he started RIM, and was the chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....

 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
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

 co-founder Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...

 stated, "Most years, we hire more students out of Waterloo than any university in the world, typically 50 or even more."

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
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

 Canada Academic Innovation Alliance and would introduce Microsoft's C# programming language in its Electrical and Computer Engineering programs (also known as ECE.) The university came under harsh criticism for this agreement to develop Engineering courses using Microsoft's .NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...

. The university administration asserted that this agreement would not jeopardize academic integrity at the institution, although the university president acknowledged making mistakes in announcing the deal.

The School of Computer Science
David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science is the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Part of the Faculty of Mathematics, the school comprises 77 faculty members, nearly 300 graduate students, approximately 2100 undergraduates, and 55 staff members.-History:In 1965,...

 was not part of this agreement, and currently offers Scheme and a choice of C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....

 or Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

 in its introductory courses.

Career fair at RIM Park

A collaborative effort between the University of Waterloo, Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier and Conestoga College the Partnerships for Employment Career Fair is the largest in the country.

Spin-offs

Several companies have roots in, or have been spun off from the university. Some of the most notable spin-offs include:
  • Certicom (acquired by Research In Motion) - founded by two Waterloo professors, Scott Vanstone
    Scott Vanstone
    Scott A. Vanstone is a cryptographer who co-authored the Handbook of Applied Cryptography. He is currently on faculty at the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics and a member of the school's Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research. He is also the founder of Certicom. In 1998, he was...

     and Gordon Agnew
    Gordon Agnew
    Gordon B. Agnew is an engineering professor at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada. Agnew's primary research interests are in the fields of encryption and data security....

  • Dalsa
    Dalsa
    Teledyne DALSA is a Canadian company specializing in the design and manufacture of specialized electronic cameras.The company was founded in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in 1980 by imaging pioneer Dr. Savvas Chamberlain, a former Professor in Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo...

     - founded by Waterloo electrical engineering
    Electrical engineering
    Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...

     professor Savvas Chamberlain
  • Maplesoft - founded by two Waterloo professors, Keith Geddes
    Keith Geddes
    Keith Geddes is a professor emeritus in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science within the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. He is a former director of the in the School of Computer Science...

     and Gaston Gonnet
    Gaston Gonnet
    Gaston H. Gonnet is a Uruguayan computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his contributions to the Maple computer algebra system and the creation of an electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary.- Education and professional life :...

  • Open Text Corporation
    Open Text Corporation
    OpenText Corporation Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. As Canada's largest software company, it produces and distributes computer software applications designed to enable Enterprise content management solutions for large corporations across all industries....

     - originated from the university's Oxford English Dictionary
    Oxford English Dictionary
    The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...

     project
  • Watcom
    Watcom
    Watcom International Corporation was founded in 1981 by three former employees of the Computer Systems Group at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...

     - founded by F.W. Crigger, K.I. McPhee and J.B. Schueler of the university's Computer Systems Group
  • Northern Digital Inc. (NDI) - founded by Jerry Krist, also from the Computer Systems Group


Notable companies founded by alumni

  • Research in Motion
    Research In Motion
    Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...

  • QNX
    QNX
    QNX is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. The product was originally developed by Canadian company, QNX Software Systems, which was later acquired by Canadian BlackBerry-producer Research In Motion.-Description:As a microkernel-based...

     (acquired by Harman International, then acquired by Research in Motion from Harman)
  • Quack.com
    Quack.com
    AOLByPhone was an AOL interactive voice service that began in 2000. It was offered to millions of consumers. AOLByPhone started with the America Online acquisition of Quack.com, evolving through the subsequent relaunching of Quack.com's Voice Portal as AOLByPhone. AOLbyPhone expanded as AOL...

     (acquired by America Online)
  • Sandvine
    Sandvine
    Sandvine Incorporated , in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.Sandvine network policy control products are designed to implement broad network policies, ranging from service creation, billing, congestion management, and security...

  • MKS Inc. (formerly known as Mortice Kern Systems)
  • NexJ Systems (same alumni founded Janna Systems
    Janna Systems
    Janna Systems Inc was a Canadian relationship management solutions company. In September 2000, Janna Systems Inc was acquired by Siebel Systems Inc. of San Mateo, California....

    , which was acquired by Siebel Systems
    Siebel Systems
    Siebel CRM Systems, Inc. was a software company principally engaged in the design, development, marketing, and support of customer relationship management applications. The company was founded by Thomas Siebel in 1993. At first known mainly for its sales force automation products, the company...

    , which subsequently was acquired by Oracle Corporation
    Oracle Corporation
    Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...

    )
  • Avvasi
    Avvasi
    Avvasi Inc. is a privately held, venture-backed company in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2008, it currently employs around 50 people. Avvasi was founded by serial entrepreneurs who have extensive business and academic experience in digital video including significant contributions to the...

     (founded by Mate Prgin (Graduate), Michael Gallant (Adjunct Professor) and Alex Leyn (Graduate))
  • Digital Leisure
    Digital Leisure
    Digital Leisure, Inc. is a Canadian publisher of software. The company formed in 1997 with the vision to acquire, remaster, and publish numerous classic video-based arcade games such as Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp and Space Ace. These three games were among the first to use...

  • Desire2Learn
    Desire2Learn
    Desire2Learn Incorporated is a provider of enterprise eLearning solutions and develops online Learning Management Systems used at more than 450 institutions around the world...

  • Teklogix
    Teklogix
    -About The Company:Teklogix was created in 1967 by Lawrence Cragg together with a small group of engineers.The company focused on mini computer applications. It designed and built complete systems based upon DEC's PDP-8 computer, DEC's logic modules and purpose built logic...

     (which was acquired by Psion in 2000, became Psion Teklogix
    Psion Teklogix
    Psion Teklogix Inc. is the operational business of Psion, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.Psion Teklogix is a global provider of solutions for mobile computing and wireless data collection...

    )
  • Nulogy
    Nulogy
    Nulogy is a software as a service company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that develops specialized solutions for challenging problems in the field of supply chain management and contract packaging.- History :...

  • Kik Messenger
    Kik Messenger
    Kik Messenger is a real-time cross-platform instant messenger application for iOS and Android. A version for Windows Phone 7 was released in June 2011.Kik Messenger was released on October 19, 2010 by Kik Interactive...

  • PostRank (acquired by Google
    Google
    Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

     in 2011)

Plans

The Faculty of Engineering is in the midst of a $150 million expansion between 2008 and 2012 in the form of three new Engineering buildings. Engineering 5, which opened in October 2010, houses a Student Design Centre that showcases the Waterloo Engineering student teams. Engineering 5 is also the new home for the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and the Department of Systems Design Engineering. It also houses offices for several members of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Engineering 6 opened on 28 October 2011, and houses the Department of Chemical Engineering. Engineering 7 is still in the planning stage.

The university and the City of Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...

 are constructing a health sciences campus, including a School of Pharmacy
University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy
The School of Pharmacy is one of the professional schools at the University of Waterloo. It was housed in the Faculty of Science, but was re-located to a new $34 million dollar building in downtown Kitchener in 2008. It is located at the corner of Victoria and King.- External links :***...

, in the central Kitchener warehouse district
Warehouse District
-Canada:* Distillery District is located in Toronto, Ontario and is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.-United States :...

. The project will cost $34 million for the first phase. The Honours co-operative Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program began 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
Satellite campus
A satellite campus or branch campus is a campus of a college or university that is physically detached from the main university or college area, and is often smaller than the main campus of an institution....

 of McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...

's medical school, bringing 28 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
David Johnston
David Lloyd Johnston is a Canadian academic, author and statesman who is the current Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation....

 announced that the university has entered discussions with the City of Stratford and the Stratford Festival of Canada
Stratford Festival of Canada
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario...

 exploring the possibility of establishing a satellite campus in Stratford. On the same day, Stratford City Council unanimously endorsed a memorandum of understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...

 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
Open text
In semiotic analysis, an open text is a text that allows multiple or mediated interpretation by the readers. In contrast, a closed text leads the reader to one intended interpretation....

 corp. The University of Waterloo Stratford Campus
University of Waterloo Stratford Campus
The Waterloo Stratford Campus is a satellite campus of the University of Waterloo in the City of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Faculty of Arts...

 together with the Canadian Digital Media Network hosted Canada 3.0
Canada 3.0
The initial Canada 3.0 forum was held in Stratford, Ontario, Canada on June 8–9, 2009. Over 1500 attendees gathered in Stratford to begin discussions on making Canada a world leader in the digital economy. Canada 3.0 brought together industry leaders, researchers and students to discuss digital...

, a digital media forum in Stratford that attracted 1,500 attendees. In February, 2010 the campus opened its doors at 6 Wellington St., Stratford.

With donations by alumni and matching contributions from government, the university announced in April 2004 the founding of the Institute for Quantum Computing
Institute for Quantum Computing
The Institute for Quantum Computing, or IQC, located in Waterloo, Canada, is an affiliate research institute of the University of Waterloo with a multidisciplinary approach to the field of quantum information processing.-IQC's Mission:...

.

Construction began in September 2008 for the Quantum-Nano Centre, a massive building which will house the Institute for Quantum Computing
Institute for Quantum Computing
The Institute for Quantum Computing, or IQC, located in Waterloo, Canada, is an affiliate research institute of the University of Waterloo with a multidisciplinary approach to the field of quantum information processing.-IQC's Mission:...

 as well as the new Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology
Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology
The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology is located at the University of Waterloo and is co-located with the Institute for Quantum Computing in The Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre . WIN is headed by Dr...

. The building will be located in the centre of campus and its cost will exceed $100M. It is planned to be completed in the year 2012.

Though in preliminary discussion there also have been talks for the initiation of a law program.

The university is 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
    Doctor of Philosophy
    Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

  • All departments/schools will be ranked top 25% in Canada


UW has opened, in partnership with the Higher Colleges of Technology, a satellite campus in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

; the UAE Dubai Men's College campus. During earlier media releases of the Dubai plans, the campus had come under scrutiny for its perceived lack of transparency in the planning stages, as well as issues regarding the labour used, as well as UAE laws restricting the conventional Canadian freedoms of female and homosexual members of staff. In particular, debate has come up in both the student Senate, the university's Board of Governors over possible violations of Policy 33, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Logo controversy

In late July 2009, news of a possible remodeling of the university logo surfaced. With a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 group reporting over 4000 members just three days after its creation and an article released in the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...

, the new logo has gathered somewhat large student and media attention. The key points offered by those opposing the new logo are that it lacks professionalism, does not portray Waterloo as the academic institution it claims to be, as well as the lack of student consultation in designing the new logo. Those for the new logo believe that it offers a look into the future of the University of Waterloo, capturing its ingenuity and ability to remain ahead of the times.
In the light of the logo controversy, the University of Waterloo administration has released several other designs and opened the floor to community feedback. After considering the feedback, Waterloo's new visual identity will not entirely incorporate a new logo. Instead, the wordmark will be used on marketing materials, and the traditional seal used where a link to tradition is required.

Mascots

  • The University's athletics mascot is a lion named King Warrior. The Warriors are the University's sports team
    Sport
    A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

     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 (23.6 in) 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 (11.2 ft) wide pink tie, often mistaken as MathSoc's mascot.
  • The mascot for the Engineering Society is a 60 in (152 cm) pipe wrench
    Pipe wrench
    The pipe wrench is an adjustable wrench used for turning soft iron pipes and fittings with a rounded surface. The design of the adjustable jaw allows it to rock in the frame, such that any forward pressure on the handle tends to pull the jaws tighter together. Teeth angled in the direction of turn...

     called The TOOL, often mistaken as the Faculty's mascot. It was formerly the RIDGID
    RIDGID
    Ridgid is the brandname of the Ridge Tool Company of Elyria, Ohio. Founded in the 1920s as a manufacturer of professional plumbing and HVAC tools, it has branched out into more general-purpose hand tools and power tools. It is now a division of Emerson Electric Company.-External links:*...

     Tool, because it was donated by the Ridge Tool Company in 1968. This mascot was stolen by University of Toronto Engineering students 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
    Porcellino
    Il Porcellino is the local Florentine nickname for the bronze fountain of a boar.Originally intended for the Boboli Garden, then moved in the Mercato Nuovo in Florence, Italy. the fountain was placed originally facing east, in via Calimala, in front of the Farmacia del Cinghiale, which is the...

    " statue. Some students claim that rubbing the Boar's nose brings luck.
  • The mascot for the Faculty of Environment Orientation Week is The Big Banana.
  • 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
    White coat
    A white coat or laboratory coat is a knee-length overcoat/smock worn by professionals in the medical field or by those involved in laboratory work. The coat protects their street clothes and also serves as a simple uniform...

    .
  • There is also a pair of 14 ft goggles which the Faculty of Science will be introducing for orientation week 2009, and potentially there will be an ongoing theme of goggles as science's mascot. Long term storage for the massive goggles has not yet been decided.
  • Arts Students also find solidarity through a recognizable pair of sunglasses that all first-year students to the Faculty receive.

Fight song

Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...

, convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....

, and athletic games are: University of Waterloo Seagrams! Seagrams! Vat 69. Warriors, Warriors, Hold that Line! and 'The Black and White and Gold,' with words by K.D. Fryer and H.F. Davis and music by Alfred Kunz.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 of the University of Waterloo was granted in 1987. The shield's blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

 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 a 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
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...

, 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
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...

, the victor at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...

.

Housing and Residence

There are 9 primary residence communities for the University which include; Ron Eydt Village(REV), Village 1 (V1), University of Waterloo Place (UWP), MacKenzie King Village (MKV), Columbia Lake Village(CLV), St Jerome's University (SJU), St Paul's University (STP), Renison University College (REN), and Conrad Grebel College. These 9 residences are divided into 2 categories : Waterloo residences and University College residences. Of these 9 residence communities, 6 are more traditional style and the other 3 are suite-style residences.

The traditional style residences resemble dormitories while the suite-style residences are like an apartment. Students living in the traditional style residences typically pay for a room for either themselves or to be shared while sharing a communal shower, kitchen/cafeteria and lounge with the entire floor or the entire residence. Suite-style residents share a suite that contains its own kitchen, bathroom, living area and bedrooms that are separated from other residents not paying and living in the particular suite.

The University College residences are separated into a different category from the rest of the residences because these residences are independent, founded by religious institutions and have smaller occupancy capacities. All of the 4 University College residences are traditional style yet the number of occupants per room varies and all of them come with a pre-paid meal-plan. St Jerome's, St Paul's and Renison have religious associations that are not mandatory to follow for residents while Conrad Grebel is a little more faith-driven.

The Waterloo residences have both traditional and suite-style residences. The 2 traditional style residences are Village 1, and Ron Eydt Village. REV composes of only one type of room format which is the double room, where there are 2 students sharing a large single room which are split into 2 sides. V1 however has 3 different housing formats which include the double room with 2 students sharing the same room, the interconnected room where there are 2 separate rooms connected by a door which each have 1 student living in them however both rooms have only 1 entrance door, and finally the single room which has 1 student living inside and 1 entrance door. Both these residences have a cafeteria, a community center with athletic facilities such as a gym, table tennis, and pool and finally a laundry room. Each room in the residences have a work desk with a light, a closet for clothes and accessories, and a single bed, even though a bathroom is not provided for each room these is a common bathroom system for each floor.

The 3 suite-style residences are University of Waterloo Place , MacKenzie King Village , and Columbia Lake Village. UWP has a range of suite formats including 3 room suites, 2 room suits, 4 room suites, and finally a combination of double room and single room suites. There is only one housing format within the MKV residence, which are the 4 room suites. And finally Columbia Lake Village has a townhouse suite format where the residences look like houses with 2 floors with the upper floor for rooms and the lower floor allocated to the living room and kitchen. CLV is primarily for upper year and graduate students, while the other 4 residences are for first year students. Each suite in all 3 residences have a living room, a dining table, a kitchen with a stove, oven, and refrigerator, a cleaning closet which include a mop, broom, and a vacuum cleaner, and finally either 1 or two bathrooms. Each room has a work desk with a light, a closet for clothes and accessories, and finally again a single bed. The residence is made up into separate buildings with each building composing of a lounge with a large screen television, and a laundry room. All of these suite-style residences have community centers with public computers, table tennis and billiards tables available for residents.

Each floor within all residences on campus has a figure called a Don. Dons are responsible for the safety of their respective floor as well as making the floor a friendly and social environment. Dons are also responsible for organizing and executing events for the residents on the floor. And sometimes Dons across all residences collaborate to organize campus wide events.

ResCouncil is a council composing of residents that live on campus. Approximately every 2 buildings within residence have a ResCouncil whose primary goal is to set up and organize residence wide events. They must organize 1 building event, and 1 all residence event. Each ResCouncil consists of 1 president, 1 communications representative, and 1 treasurer, floor representatives from each floor within the residences, and finally general council members. In order to have an executive position such as president, communications rep, or treasurer one must apply with their resume and cover letter. After which the board will read these applications and the applications they see worthy they will call the students for an interview from which point they will decide to appoint them the position or not. And almost all residents can become floor representatives or general members by approaching their respective dons.

Work Hard, Play Hard

The University has earned a reputation for its academic rigor as well as its fun loving student body. The culture, as described by students, is that of a "work hard, play hard" mentality. In addition to being a leading academic institution, Waterloo boasts a healthy nightlife scene for students that is easily accessible from the University campus by taxi or walking. This culture is particularly pronounced within the Engineering faculty where the slogan remains part of their faculty chant.

Administration

Histories of the university

  • James Scott 'Of Mud and Dreams: University of Waterloo 1957-1967' (Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1967)
  • Paul Axelrod 'Scholars and Dollars: Politics, Economics, and the Universities of Ontario 1945-1980' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press
    University of Toronto Press
    University of Toronto Press is Canada's leading scholarly publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America. Founded in 1901, UTP has published over 6,500 books, with well over 3,500 of these still in print....

    , September 1, 1982)
  • Professor Brian McKillop, 'Matters of Mind: The University in Ontario, 1791-1951' (Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press
    University of Ottawa Press
    The University of Ottawa Press is a bilingual university press located in Ottawa, Ontario. It publishes approximately 25-30 books annually in both English and French. The UOP is the only fully bilingual university publishing house in Canada...

     © 1951)
  • Dr. Kenneth McLaughlin, Dr. Gerald Stortz, and Father Jim Wahl, 'Enthusiasm for the Truth: An Illustrated History of Saint Jerome's University', (Waterloo: University of Waterloo Press © 2002)
  • Dr. Kenneth McLaughlin 'Waterloo: The Unconventional Founding of an Unconventional University' (Waterloo: University of Waterloo Press © 1997)
  • Dr. Kenneth McLaughlin 'Out of the Shadow of Orthodoxy: Waterloo @ 50' (Waterloo: University of Waterloo Press © 2007)
  • Flora Roy ' Recollections of Waterloo Lutheran University 1960-1973' (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
    Wilfrid Laurier University Press
    Wilfrid Laurier University Press, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is a publisher of scholarly writing and is part of Wilfrid Laurier University. The fourth-largest university press in Canada, WLUP publishes work in a variety of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences — literary criticism,...

    , September 25, 2006)


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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