Interview with Professor Bob Lemieux, Dean of Science, University of Waterloo, Canada And Joanne Shoveller, Vice-President, Advancement
Science and innovation shaping the next normal. The future of philanthropy at the University of Waterloo.
We talked with Vice-President of Advancement, Joanne Shoveller and Dean of Science, Professor Bob Lemieux at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. We discussed how the academic community and the advancement team are working together to shape and deliver this vision in the current environment.
Waterloo has always been at the forefront of innovation, from rolling out student computers in the Sixties to empowering female scientists to achieve at the highest level, most notably Donna Strickland, Nobel Prize winner for Physics.
They and their global partners are now shaping tomorrow’s education, working beyond disciplines to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Joanne and Bob also shared with us news of a major new initiative that will elevate Waterloo’s scientific credentials.
Given the current environment with COVID-19, what are some of the tough decisions the University has had to make quickly to minimise the long-term impact and ensure its viability?
Bob: In the words of Winston Churchill “never let a good crisis go to waste”. Pivoting as quickly as possible to online delivery was a major and difficult decision. But moving online - with some face-to-face teaching in the Fall - was an excellent driver to ensure we developed the highest quality offering. The next normal won’t resemble what we had before. It will be better. I think some people are starting to realise that there are a lot of benefits to this blended model.
Joanne: We’ve focused on keeping full-time staff employed. But this meant tough decisions. We kept vacant positions open, ended some contracts and implemented a 15% hold-back across the University. We’ve cut costs where we can and tried to maximise productivity at every turn, which is beginning to show results. We have excellent governance to make these decisions in a thoughtful, organized, collegial and nimble way.
What is the one thing that has surprised you over the past few months about the adaptability of the University and/or your teams?
Bob: The extent to which people have come together and kept students at the heart of our priorities. We’ve done everything to ensure they have the highest quality Waterloo experience that they deserve and expect. Losing face-to-face conversations and adapting to remote working and physical separation has been challenging. But I’ve seen more examples of innovative and effective teamwork than ever before.
Joanne: I agree with Bob. We now have a weekly Central Advancement Managers meeting that wasn’t in place before. And even if it had been, I wouldn’t necessarily have been part of it. But now it’s my favourite hour in the week! A time to watch the team work across disciplines, where they innovate, create and problem-solve. Their thinking across the boundaries has been incredible. They are designing new ways to serve our faculty partners, colleagues, students, alumni and donors. There is deeper passion and energy because they really feel part of something big.
Joanne, did you launch a COVID-19 appeal? If so, what was the response from the donor community?
We have, and the response continues to be incredible. We brought our community together to support a generation of talent that was facing unprecedented challenges. In just two weeks we received CA$650,000 from over 2,000 donors. 25% of those being faculty and staff as well as first-time gifts from alumni. We are now in full stewardship mode, making sure we thank them and demonstrate the impact of their gifts.
There is lots of data that shows following major economic downturns, giving and philanthropy continues to grow. With so much still unknown about COVID-19 and its economic and health effects, how are you planning with your team to create a vision for philanthropy?
Joanne: Human resilience always astounds me. Within a few weeks of the pandemic emerging, people began to adapt and wanted to discuss how they could create future solutions. We organised a roundtable with top Canadian CEOs to discuss priority challenges and potential opportunities, and most importantly how Waterloo could continue to be the best partner.
Partnership and collaboration is at an all time high. There’s a better understanding of the role of science in industry, and how vital it is in rebooting society and the economy. Business leaders need our knowledge and innovation and want to bring Waterloo even closer. The final thing we heard was talent, talent, talent! They know that our students are resilient, adaptable and really well positioned to make a meaningful contribution in rebuilding the economy. Waterloo can inspire and teach businesses how to reskill and futureproof their own employees.
So, our vision includes future talent, working and learning, building a business innovation powerhouse, expanding our health innovation, focusing on our sustainability goals and expanding disciplines like cyber security, AI and ethics. We need to understand that increasingly powerful relationship between humans and technology. These all aligned with what we heard from our partners and our existing plans and vision for the Science Centre for Innovation
Bob: Science and collaboration are at the forefront of the pandemic. The scientific community responded phenomenally quickly to the need for therapeutics and a vaccine. Labs across the world are working together in new ways and getting quick results.
Our Science Centre for Innovation (SCI) capital project is based on a premise that innovation is most likely to happen at the intersection of disciplines. People meeting one another, colliding, interconnecting and sharing their knowledge and research to develop even more effective solutions.
We want this ethos to thrive. To propel us towards ground-breaking discoveries. We want to give scientists an environment that promotes organic collaboration and idea creation. Somewhere they can get the water cooler moments and be the game changers. We want to take the research and translate it into commercial application with practical benefits.
What’s so exciting and revolutionary about the SCI is research groups will have complementary expertise in thematic areas, rather than traditional discipline areas. Shared instrumentation facilities will act as natural collaboration spaces, as well as a start-up incubator and science innovation hub.
We’re incorporating all of the elements of the innovation pipeline from basic fundamental research to end product commercialisation. We can then capture all the tangible benefits that can be applied to benefit people, place and economy.
Often one of the greatest challenges facing advancement teams is connecting with the academic community. There’s always the need to show where advancement can add value through philanthropy. How has the relationship developed between advancement and the Faculty of Science and has it been a smooth or rocky road?
Joanne: We have a highly relevant and attractive product in the SCI. Something that business really wants to be close to. Industry needs and wants scientists who understand and respect business and vice versa. They see that research and collaboration across disciplines returns better solutions. Solutions that are applicable to multiple problems and can easily be commercialised.
Donna Strickland’s research in lasers is an example of that. There are so many applications of what she and her peers are doing in lasers, and the work in photonics that go into optometry, neurological research, and the environment. Working with Bob has shown that we have this incredible case that aligns really well with industry.
Bob: One of the challenges for scientists is to demonstrate the public good of our work. Researchers must be allowed to follow their curiosity and instincts. This is often when we see the greatest discoveries. But we need to answer the question: what is it good for? Donna Strickland’s work was seeking to address a fundamental problem in non-linear optics called multiharmonic generation. There was absolutely zero intent to apply that research to laser eye surgery. It was years later when her PhD supervisor had a student working with a high power laser and accidentally hit himself in the eye, and the ophthalmologist looked at the cornea and observed that it was the most perfect burn they have ever seen! This led to the application of Donna’s technology as a precise cutting tool for laser eye surgery.
Joanne, every day we hear academics on the news being asked about COVID, from vaccine trials to economic impact and health implications. But there is often a disconnect in the community about the role of a university beyond education of students. Thinking of your vast alumni network, industry stakeholders and local community, how can they help to share and communicate the Waterloo story?
We have a very hardworking, well connected and passionate global alumni base. They want to solve problems and learn, so that’s how we engage with them across programmes and events. The whole problem solving orientation has been huge, and we feature alumni as problem solvers, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
We are strengthening the relationship between alumni and current students through co-op placements in the virtual environment. Our alumni are getting excited about the vision and proposition of the SCI. They’re really keen to access the University’s scientific expertise and business application. Our alumni are natural champions of Waterloo, ready to advocate for us and tell our story.
And we’re in discussions with a number of businesses, philanthropists and foundations about how the SCI can support Canada’s innovation pipeline and help to imagine that next normal.
Bob, the University of Waterloo prides itself on demonstrating global impact and the role it plays in addressing global challenges. We are facing one of the greatest global challenges of our times. How is UoW responding to this now and in the future?
I’ll use our activities in Hong Kong as an example. We’re a member of the InnoHK research cluster, a HK$10bn initiative that includes our Centre for Eye and Vision Research, a joint venture between UW and Hong Kong PolyU. CEVR is addressing a tremendous societal need in South East Asia as myopia affects over 75% of the Chinese population, and our innovation and entrepreneurial culture can make a terrific global impact in this space. We will have access to clinical trials facilities in HK and mainland China, and the technologies that will emerge from CEVR in treating and preventing age-related visual impairments will be available to the entire Chinese market.
Joanne, you have a very active alumni community in Hong Kong. What role are they playing to support your future plans in the Region?
There is a pervasive ‘business as usual’ mentality in Hong Kong. It’s a very pragmatic population and they understand the way that things work. Waterloo has a similar culture: pragmatic, business focused, problem solving. Our Hong Kong alumni want to be as supportive as they can, but the uncertainty with Hong Kong / China relations means we all understand that some things just haven’t been figured out yet. We have a very interesting window into some of these political relationships because the Canadian Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, is our Chancellor, a fact our alumni are immensely proud of.
Ultimately our alumni know and believe that a university education and research is at the heart of building a strong and resilient future in a world a long way from ‘business as usual’.
Higher education across the globe has been impacted significantly due to COVID-19. What do you believe to be the one major change we will see across the higher education landscape in the next three years?
Bob: I don’t think we’ll ever go back to 600 students in one lecture hall. I just can’t see it happening. We will see highly hybridised and diversified academic offerings that will have a combination of online teaching, some face-to-face lectures and a greater level of experiential learning. The traditional ‘sage on a stage’ approach will eventually be phased out.
Joanne: At Waterloo and in industry we shifted to a virtual environment almost overnight. What might have taken five years was done in two weeks. What’s important is not just the pivot but the receptivity of the audience. The ability was always there but previously there was significant resistance. We need to seize opportunities more swiftly going forward, and then need a greater emphasis on quality. Those that support universities - industry, foundations, and philanthropists - are looking to support quality organisations that are going to deliver at the highest level. We always need to be building a strong brand and reputation by delivering relevant outcomes and impact through our talent and the research being conducted.
Finally, we need to prioritise positive human impact. Whether in the talent we are creating, by shaping jobs for the future, meeting sustainability goals and creating balanced lives, it’s imperative that we keep supporting the innovation pipeline. We must use science to empower people and solve current and future challenges. We need to be thinking about how we can blend the best of humanity with the power of technology.
People want to make transformational change. The successful universities of the future will instinctively understand this and deliver quality, impact, and purpose.