connecting u - spring 2011 edition

8/6/2019 Connecting U - Spring 2011 Edition

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Connecting U

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About four years ago, I arrived home after a busy day of high school.As I walked through the door, my mother immediately told mesomeone from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)had called and asked that I call him back. I quickly went to my roomand dialed the number she had recorded. Sure enough, the presidentof Oshawas brand-new university answered the phone, introducedhimself as Dr. Ronald Bordessa, and invited me to study at UOIT onscholarship. That phone call changed my life

Four years later, Dr. Bordessas strong leadership has also had an

impact on the lives of thousands of students, faculty and staff, and the Durham Region community and beyond. During this short time,much of Rons remarkable vision has become reality. I have witnessedour campus grow to more than 7,400 undergraduate and graduatestudents who come from all over the globe. I have witnessed former

elds and parking lots transform into state-of-the-art facilities: anAutomotive Centre of Excellence, an Energy Research Centre, aCampus Recreation and Wellness Centre and many more. Whileconstruction continues, this is certainly no longer the mini northOshawa campus I recall during my orientation days.

If Ron wasnt already busy enough, the creation of a new downtowncampus has also become a striking reality. While Ron and I haveshared the stage on many speaking occasions, it seems like everymonth theres an announcement for a new downtown facility, or

the transformation of a historic building all built to the high-techstudent-friendly UOIT standard. As a result of his leadership, Oshawascore is being transformed and revitalized, which is a feat that some of

us Oshawa residents once considered impossible.

Challenging the impossible, innovating post-secondary culture, andconnecting our campus with the local and global community Ronslegacy will clearly go down in history. From saying hello the rst timehe called, to now, I am honoured to say farewell and best of luck

to a great president who time and again embodied UOITs motto: by thinking and doing, we shall lead.

Farewell to Dr. Ronald BordessaBy Anthony Boland, president, Student Association 2010-2011


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UOIT celebrated the grand opening of its downtown Oshawa location

on March 8 during an event held at the historic Regent Theatre.Joining the celebration were Ajax-Pickering MPP Joe Dickson, OshawaMPP Jerry Ouellette, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Of cer of TheRegional Municipality of Durham Roger Anderson, and Oshawa MayorJohn Henry, City Councillors and senior staff.

UOITs expansion in downtown Oshawa has been spectacular, butwe are far from complete, said Dr. Ronald Bordessa, president, UOIT.We are projecting that by 2015 11,600 students will be enrolled

at the university and potentially 5,600 of those students will bestudying downtown. A recent economic feasibility study con rms thatcontinued growth of UOIT and the anticipated economic spinoffs couldmean hundreds of millions injected into the downtown and hundredsof new jobs created. Its de nitely an exciting time for Oshawa and theuniversity.

Attendees of the event enjoyed bus tours of UOITs downtownfootprint, guided tours of the 61 Charles Street building and areception afterwards. Internal and external plaques were alsounveiled to commemorate the City of Oshawas leadership in thepreservation of the Regent Theatre and another external plaquewas revealed to mark the theatre as a designated heritage building.

Historic moment with UOITsdowntown grand opening

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UOITS DOWNTOWN FOOTPRINT INCLUDES: 55 Bond Street building, Faculty of Social Science

and Humanities;

61 Charles Street building;

Regent Theatre;

11 Simcoe Street North building, Faculty of Education; and

2 Simcoe Street South, graduate student of ces andPsychology lab.

Linking the Regent Theatre with 55 Bond Street, plans are underway to transform Victoria Street into an urban park this spring that willinclude a walkway, external seating, a small stage area for outdoor

entertainment and possibly a farmers market.


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Presidential transitionAfter many months of hard work and dedication by the Committee

to Recommend a President, the process to select the next UOITpresident and vice-chancellor has concluded. Dr. Ronald Bordessa willretire on June 30 after leading the university for the past ve years.

Dr. Tim McTiernan was named UOITs third president on February 11.Dr. McTiernan will of cially join UOIT on July 1, 2011.

The Committee to Recommend a President was comprised of board,faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate student representatives.The Board of Governors approved the recommendation of thecommittee as they represent an excellent cross-section of theUOIT campus community. The faculty members were selected by

the Executive Committee of the Academic Council and the studentrepresentatives by their respective student associations.

DR. RONALD BORDESSA,PRESIDENT ANDVICE-CHANCELLORDr. Ronald (Ron) Bordessa wasappointed president of UOIT in July 2006bringing a wealth of post-secondaryadministrative knowledge and teaching experience to the university based ona 35-year commitment to academicexcellence and innovation.

While leading UOIT, Dr. Bordessas vision to expand the universityscampus to the downtown core became a reality with the Faculty

of Education moving in September 2008 and the Faculty of Social

Science and Humanities joining them in September 2010. Thereare now more than 1,300 students, faculty and staff studying andworking in downtown Oshawa.

During his term as president, the General Motors of CanadaAutomotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) and the Clean EnergyResearch Lab of cially opened at the nor th Oshawa location, studentenrolment grew signi cantly each year and construction on theEnergy Research Centre (ERC) will soon be complete. Each of thesesigni cant accomplishments bears the mark of his stellar leadershipand will serve to enhance his legacy.

RONS ACHIEVEMENTS

UOIT at the top of the class in Globe and Mail University Report

Card November 2007; UOIT named to list of Canadas top 50 research universities since

November 2008;

First- and fourth-year students place UOIT ahead of peer groups inNSSE benchmark areas November 2008;

UOIT makes strong debut in Macleans 19th annual UniversityRankings in November 2009;

ERC receives $45.4-million investment from the federal andprovincial governments Knowledge Infrastructure Program May 2009;

ACE receives $28-million investment from the federal andprovincial governments Knowledge Infrastructure Program May 2009;

Memorandums of Understanding with Amal Jyothi College ofEngineering and Chitkara University , both in India and the NanjingUniversity of Technology (NJUT) in China November 2010;
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From 2007 to 2010 Day 10 enrolment numbers increased from5,133 to 7,442 undergraduate and graduate students. First-yearstudent enrolment grew from 1,751 in 2007 to 2,347 in 2010; and

UOIT established strong presence in Oshawas downtown .

DR. TIM McTIERNAN,INCOMING PRESIDENTAND VICE-CHANCELLORDr. Tim McTiernan will become the thirdpresident and vice-chancellor of UOITon July 1, 2011. Dr. McTiernan has heldnumerous academic and leadership roles

throughout Canada in the university,college and government sectors.

Dr. McTiernan has more than 25 yearsof senior-level leadership and administrative experience spanning theareas of innovation; research administration and commercialization;social and economic development; and post-secondary education.Dr. McTiernan has served as assistant vice-president, Government,Institutional and Community Relations; interim vice-president,Research; assistant vice-president, Research and executive director,

The Innovations Group, University of Toronto; acting deputy minister,assistant deputy minister and chief operating of cer, OntarioMinistry of Research and Innovation; president, Canadore Collegeof Applied Arts and Technology in North Bay, Ontario; and deputyminister, cabinet secretary and chief negotiator for Land Claims, Self-Government and Devolution, Yukon government.

Internationally, he serves on the board of Atlantic Corridor Ireland.Nationally, he is a member of the Council of Canadian Academies

Expert Panel on Science Performance and Research Funding, and the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) Advisory Board for the National Research Council. In addition, he serves on a numberof boards, including MaRS, MaRS Investment Accelerator FundInc., Ontario Genomics Institute and the Yves Landry Foundation.He previously served on the founding board of MaRS Innovation,

the board of BioDiscovery Toronto, chaired the Committee of thePresidents of the Ontario Association of Colleges of Applied Arts andTechnology (now Colleges Ontario) and was co-chair of the College-University Consortium Council. He has served as a trustee of theOntario Innovation Trust, a member of the North Bay EconomicDevelopment Commission, a board member of Contact North Canadas largest distance education network, a member of thesecretariat to the National Task Force on Environment and Economy,a founding member both of the Dispute Resolution Board established

pursuant to the Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Actand of the Environmental Impact Screening Committee establishedpursuant to the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act.

Dr. McTiernan has published on innovation, conservation, sustainabledevelopment and post-secondary education policy. He is a frequentconference presenter and panellist and has lectured for the Universityof British Columbia.

From Kilkenny, Ireland, Dr. McTiernan earned his Bachelor of Arts(Mod) in Psychology and Philosophy (1973) from Trinity College inDublin, and his Master of Arts degree (1977) and PhD (1982) inPsychology from the University of British Columbia.
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The Dr. Ronald BordessaEndowed Scholarship

FundEnsuring that UOIT is a catalyst in driving social and economicprosperity throughout Durham Region and beyond is but one exampleof Dr. Bordessas contribution while serving as UOIT president. Frommoving the faculties of Education and Social Science and Humanities

to downtown Oshawa to establishing ACE and the ERC, these are justa few milestones that will mark Rons UOIT legacy.

As a tribute to Dr. Bordessa and his commitment to students,an endowed scholarship fund has been created. The Dr. RonaldBordessa Endowed Scholarship will be presented annually to astudent who achieves a minimum 3.5 GPA in third or fourth yearof their undergraduate program. The recipient will demonstratean exemplary contribution by linking the university to the socialand/or economic prosperity of our community by adding value

through discovery research, inventions, innovations and/or thecommercialization of processes and products.

Contributions to this fund can be made at www.uoit.ca/rbfund 1 .
http://www.uoit.ca/rbfundhttp://www.uoit.ca/rbfund


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Alger Family LobbynamedMrs. Edith Alger and her family were welcomed back home onFebruary 10 during a special event to celebrate their recent gift toUOIT and to announce the main entrance lobby at the universitysnewly restored 61 Charles Street building will now be called the AlgerFamily Lobby.

As former owners, the building is near and dear to the family.They purchased it in 1951 when they expanded the Alger Pressbusiness, which produced the Oshawa Telegram the citys rst dailynewspaper. Over the years, Alger Press grew and developed expertisein the eld of lithography and had one of the most modern and best-equipped plants in the industry. During World War II, General Motorsof Canada used the building for a short time and it is said that AlgerPress printed ordinance literature for the government and armedforces, which was sent all over the world. Alger Press closed its doorsin 1993 after operating in Oshawa for 71 years.


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Moving onTHE FOUNDING DEANOF THE FACULTY OF

SCIENCE RETIRESUOIT will soon bid fond farewell

to the Faculty of Science,founding dean, Dr. WilliamSmith, who will retire from

the university on June 30. Dr.Smith joined UOIT because of its interdisciplinary researchand teaching opportunities,its commitment to laptopand related leading-edgepedagogical technologies anda once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

to build a 21st-centuryuniversity with a unique andpositive impact on society.

In recognition of Dr. Smith and his many contributions to the

university and our students, an award has been established. TheFounding Dean of Science Graduation Award will be presented to

the graduating student with the highest cumulative average from anhonours Bachelor of Science program in the Faculty of Science. If youwould like to donate to this fund please visit www.uoit.ca/wsfund1 .

FAREWELL TOTHE DEAN OF THE

FACULTY OF HEALTHSCIENCESFriends and colleagues willalso say goodbye and wish Dr.Mary Bluechardt continuedsuccess. Effective, July, 1, Dr.Bluechardt, dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, will start her

new role as the vice-presidentof Grenfell campus, MemorialUniversity of Newfoundland.Dr. Bluechardt, an award-winning educator and skilledadministrator with a passionfor research in sport andpeople with disabilities, willbe missed.
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UpdatesUOIT ALUMNI RETURN FOR INAUGURALHOMECOMING

More than 70 alumni returned to campus on October 23 for UOITsrst Homecoming. Attendees of the event enjoyed tours of the

General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence; varsitygames featuring the Ridgebacks mens soccer and womens andmens hockey teams; and an evening concert where three bands Bahamas, Zeus and the Arkells kept the audience entertained.

Thanks to Johnson Inc. Insurance and BMO for sponsoring the event.

W a tc h f or de ta ils a bout our ne x t Hom e c om ing e v e n t on SAT URDAY SE P T E MBE R 17 , 2 0 1 1 .


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UpdatesWINNER OFHAVE A NIGHT

OUT ON US!The Alumni of ce wouldlike to congratulateChrista Andrews,Bachelor of Commerce(Hons), class of 2009,

the winner of a $100Keg gift certi cate for

the draw held on March31, 2011. The Alumniof ce thanks all alumniwho updated their emailaddresses in the lastsix months and wereeligible for the draw.It is important to keep your contact information up to date so youcan receive important information about new services and bene ts

offered to UOIT alumni, and information about your university.Keep in touch with us by visiting the UOIT Alumni websitewww.uoit.ca/alumni or by emailing [email protected] .

ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT WINS $25,000 INNATIONAL CONTEST

UOITs Athletics department celebrated the start of 2011 with a$25,000 prize it won in a nationwide online competition staged bysporting goods company adidas.

UOIT emerged as the winning university in the month-long adidasUniversity Challenge , a showdown between 19 Canadian universities

that are partners of the sporting goods company. Students, faculty,staff and friends voted online for their school in a bracket-stylecontest. Each week, the university receiving the most votes as apercentage of its student population moved on to the next round.When nal votes were tallied on December 27, UOIT had edged outSaskatchewans University of Regina in the nal pairing.
http://www.uoit.ca/alumnimailto:[email protected]://www.adidasuniversitychallenge.ca/http://www.adidasuniversitychallenge.ca/http://www.adidasuniversitychallenge.ca/http://www.adidasuniversitychallenge.ca/mailto:[email protected]://www.uoit.ca/alumni


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UpdatesSO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?GEEKFREAKS CERTAINLY CAN!

GeekFreaks, a dance group within the UOIT student club Hip Hop

in its Essence and Realness (HER), ended McMaster Universitysfour-year championship reign when they won the Ontario UniversitiesCompetition for Hip Hop (OUCH) on November 27.

The GeekFreaks winning dance Like a Boss combined old school tunes with current avour to wow the audience. In addition to winning the dance competition, they also won the Peoples Choice Award andBest Mix.

The 12-member team consisting of Wayne Carrasco; Khaila Charr;

Dominque Cole; Jason Cuison; Cindy Lam; Nakia LF; Fatima Mohammdi;

Aaron Providence; JD Raymundo; Majoire Santos; Jonny Wallace; andPeter Yoon brought the audience to their feet with their funky moves,smooth mixes and sly costumes. The group started in 2006 as friendspracticing breakdancing, popping and locking, and other moves. In2008 they began to dance competitively all over the GTA and DurhamRegion. A year later they won their rst competition at the biggest

post-secondary dance competition in Ontario called the UniversityDance Challenge. They have won other competitions such as HumberHype, Summer Jam and BAM. GeekFreaks continued their successin various dance competitions and capped off an amazing 2010 with

their impressive win at OUCH.

As a student association club, HER aims to inform and express the true essence of hip hop by holding events in the school communityand would like to hold workshops and showcases to show that hiphop is more than just music it is a positive lifestyle. As winners of OUCH, GeekFreaks now have the privilege of acting as hosts for thecompetition in 2011.

Follow them at: http://twitter.com/#!/geekfreakstvhttp://on.fb.me/geekfreaks www.youtube.com/geekfreakstv

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CONVOCATIONThe UOIT convocation will be held on Friday, June 3, 2011 in theGeneral Motors Centre. Three ceremonies will be held to honour theclass of 2011 at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. respectively. If you are available to volunteer for the Alumni of ce before one of theceremonies, please contact Deia Prudencio at 905.721.8668 ext.2324 or email [email protected] .
http://twitter.com/#!/geekfreakstvhttp://on.fb.me/geekfreakshttp://www.youtube.com/geekfreakstvmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.youtube.com/geekfreakstvhttp://on.fb.me/geekfreakshttp://twitter.com/#!/geekfreakstv


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connecting u - spring 2011 edition

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