May 2, 2002

The commitment of nurses helping other nurses build stronger, healthier communities was celebrated today (May 2) with the establishment of the first endowed chair in the School of Nursing. The Dorothy C. Hall Chair in Primary Health Care Nursing will focus on education and research that supports community-based primary health care nursing. This type of health care ranges from nurses working in tuberculosis clinics to those working with volunteers in remote or rural areas in community health centres. It encourages self-reliance and community participation in decision-making about health issues and health promotion initiatives. "Primary health care really services the community at the grass roots level," said Andrea Baumann, associate dean of health sciences nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences. "It is the interface between the patient and the practitioner. It is essential health care, practical, but scientific." The chair is named in honour of Dorothy C. Hall, a pioneer in primary health care nursing and long-time international nursing consultant with the World Health Organization. Hall, who spent 26 years abroad pursuing her passion, advanced the role of nursing in primary health care in Canada and in countries such as Afghanistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Denmark. She was also instrumental in helping the Ontario government implement the concept of the primary health care nurse practitioner in the provincial health care system. PHOTO: Dorothy C. Hall and President Peter George

May 1, 2002

The in-coming president of the McMaster Students Union (MSU) faces big challenges, the most significant of which is the opening of the new student center. Evan Mackintosh, 23, starts his one-year term today. "The opening of the MUSC (the McMaster University Student Centre) is a great time of opportunity for the MSU. Students will know we exist and everyone will know where to find us." He thinks this will give the elected body a much more prominent and visible role, with increased contact with the general student body. However, responsibility for sharing the costs of operating the new 158,000 sq ft facility (along with Hospitality) poses a major concern for Mackintosh and his executive. In an agreement with McMaster University Centre Inc, the board that operates the three-storey building, the MSU is expected to pay the operating costs of its retail spaces - the convenience store, the bar/restaurant known as Quarters and the copy shop. During 2002, the organization will pay $50,000, but Mackintosh says estimates have pegged those costs at $350,000 in ten year's time. "We will have to generate alternative means of raising revenues." This fall, the MSU faces another problem. Many first-year students will be 17 and 18-year-olds, under the legal drinking age. In addition to "the typical bar nights", Mackintosh says the MSU will have to consider alternative activities to accommodate these students. Other issues and challenges for the coming year include working with the University in the on-going battle with the provincial government for increased funding, improving teacher evaluations, increasing student-professor class ratios, increasing funding for student services, and implementing the recycling program on campus. One new MSU initiative which Mackintosh hopes to have up and running by September is sure to be a hit with cash-strapped students. A proposed student reward program card (which operates much like an air miles card) offers card-holders an opportunity to accumulate points at a wide variety of participating local businesses. These points can in turn be redeemed at any participating location. Mackintosh, who graduates this spring with a BA in English, has been active in student affairs since arriving at McMaster in 1998. He has served as president of the University's Humanities Society and was the Humanities undergraduate Senate representative in 2000. Most recently, he was the MSU Vice President, Education. (End of story)

May 1, 2002

Highlights from the April 25 meeting of the Board of Governors include the approval of: tuition and miscellaneous fees for the 2002-03 academic year, four new capital projects and The Management Group (TMG) Total Rewards Redevelopment. Tuition Fees Effective September 2002, tuition fees for Canadian students enrolled in undergraduate programs in Arts & Science, Engineering, Humanities, Science, Social Science, Nursing and Business will increase by 2.0%. Tuition fees for graduate programs other than the MBA program are frozen at 2001-02 levels. The MBA program will have a fee increase of 19.0%. International student fees for undergraduate programs have been frozen at 2001-02 levels, with the exception of the Faculty of Business, which has decreased its fees for undergraduate international students. International student fees for graduate programs have been frozen at 2001-02 levels, except for full and part-time international MBA fees, which will increase by 20.0%. Miscellaneous fees are collected on behalf of and remitted to student organizations. Increases to these fees were approved by student referendum prior to approval by the Board of Governors. The fee structure for miscellaneous fees (students taking 18 or more units) can be found by linking to Supplementary Fees Capital Projects A Health Sciences Expansion will be constructed north of the existing east wing of the McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC) and east of the Life Sciences Building. This five-storey, multi-use facility will accommodate lecture theatres, Faculty of Health Sciences educational program space, the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Health, a research incubator, laboratories and hospital space (linked to MUMC by a bridge). Each floor will be approximately 55,000 square feet. Estimated project cost is $60.5 million. A five-level, 550 space Parking Structure will be constructed in the southwest area of campus in the Zone 3 Annex parking lot. Project costs are estimated at $9 million, plus associated professional fees. The parking structure will be completed by fall of 2003 to accomodate the campus parking demand impact of the double cohort. Expansion to the Information and Technology Building (ITB) was first approved in July of 2001. The scope of the project has now been expanded to include a basement which will add an additonal 9,000 square feet and increase the original cost from $7.5 million to $8.6 million. The additional $1.1 million will be fully recovered from the Faculty of Engineering. A Temporary Classroom has been approved for use beginning September 2002. The location for the classroom is currently under review. There are four possible locations: the tennis court area; Zone 2 parking lot south of the tennis courts; between the Institute for Applied Health Sciences and the Information Technology Building; in Zone 4 parking lot. The 50 X 100 foot pre-engineered steel structure will accomodate 350 students at a projected cost of $480,000. The temporary classroom will be used only until the lecture theatres in the new Health Sciences expansion are available. (End of story)

April 30, 2002

The University Planning Committee teaching staff election has been completed. Seven teaching staff were listed as candidates, and an on-line election was held from April 24 to 26 for three positions on the Committee. The successful candidates are: Brian McCarry to serve a term from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005 Susan Elliott to serve a term from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005 Trevor Chamberlain to serve the remainder of a term from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2004 (End of story)

April 30, 2002

McMaster's Board of Governors approved the 2002-03 compensation structure for members of The Management Group (TMG) at its April 25 meeting. The approved recommendations include: Overall salary increases of up to 4.5 per cent for 2002-03 for employees in TMG. These increases will be a combination of economic revision (formerly known as across-the-board) of two per cent and merit pool of 2.5 per cent. Salary increases take effect June 16 and will be reflected in the July 15 pay. Changes in the salary ranges of up to six per cent for 2002-03 for employees in TMG. This movement of the salary grid is the second phase in a transition to ensure TMG salary ranges are at the 60th percentile, or above average, when compared to comparable organizations. An approved pay philosophy of being at the 60th percentile of comparable organizations and a definition of a "comparable organization" that includes national and regional market analyses, public and private sector institutions and corporations. These recommendations came from extensive work completed in the last year by the Total Rewards Redevelopment Task Force that included delegates from TMG and University senior management. After consultation and input, the Total Rewards Redevelopment Task Force forwarded the compensation structure to the University's senior management team and to the Board of Governors remunerations committee for approval.

April 29, 2002

When the Faculty and Staff Directory for the university was launched on-line in early March (Telecommunications launches new online faculty, staff directory), the reaction from many in the campus community was positive, with comments that the online directory meant "good riddance to paper." "There was a large portion of the campus community, however, who was disappointed that we no longer offered a hard copy." says Tara Pasalic, system administrator, telecommunications. In an effort to satisfy those who prefer a printed copy of the faculty and staff directory, or for those who do not have regular access to a computer to check the online listings, the telecommunications department has been hard at work to provide this option to the McMaster community. The directory can now be downloaded from the telecommunications website, printed as hard copy and used as a desk reference. "As with anything available in print, the hard copy of the directory will be out of date almost as soon as it is printed. There will be a date displayed at the bottom of each page, indicating when that page was last updated," explains Pasalic. There are still a significant number of moves yet to take place on campus and Pasalic cautions that the campus community might want to hold off on printing hard copies until the majority of offices have been relocated. "We definitely encourage them to download, but for those paper and toner-conscious people, it might be best to wait for all of the updates to be made after the moves," says Pasalic. There are four different directories currently available for download in Rich Text (.rtf) format, organized as: Faculty & Staff Sorted By Department Faculty & Staff Sorted By Name Building Reference by Abbreviation Building Reference by Code Telecommunications will attempt to update the printable directories on a daily basis as changes are submitted to them. The online directory, however, remains the most up-to-date listing of faculty and staff contact information. (End of story)

April 24, 2002

An online election for teaching staff representatives to the University Planning Committee is scheduled beginning 9:00 a.m. today (April 24) to Friday, April 26 at 4:30 p.m. Two members will be elected to serve a term of three years, from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005. One member will be elected to serve the remainder of a term from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2004. Seven members of the teaching staff have been nominated: Trevor Chamberlain, business Susan Elliott, science Ahmed Ghobarah,engineering Donald Goellnicht, humanities Mark Hatton, health sciences Brian McCarry, science Eric Sawyer, science Risumis for each candidate may be viewed at the Board of Governors election website http://www.mcmaster.ca/bog/elections Please vote online at http://www.mcmaster.ca/bog/elections from any personal computer with internet access. Eligible voters who do not have access to the website may vote online in the Board of Governors office (Room 115, University Hall), or in one of the following locations, which requires a pass, code or key for entry: Gilmour Hall room B106 (staff lounge) Kenneth Taylor Hall room B109 (staff lounge) Burke Science Building room 2238 (staff lounge) A.N. Bourns Science Building room 273 (staff lounge) Any questions regarding the election or voting process may be directed to the Board of Governors office, 905 525-9140, ext. 24370. (End of story)

April 23, 2002

Asim Alam (Hons. Arts & Science) and Bernice Cheung (Commerce) are the recipients of the John P. Evans Travel Scholarship. Alam will travel to Dehradun, India as a team member of the Overseas Research Project, a project of the University's Student International Health Initiative (SIHI). During May and June, the team will gather information on health practices and perspectives in rural villages in the Tehri Garwal region. Cheung, who currently speaks English and Cantonese, plans to study Mandarin in Beijing during the summer in pursuit of her goal to become multi-lingual. The John P. Evans Travel Scholarship ($1,000) is awarded to a student who has completed at least 30 units beyond Level 1 of an Honours program and has demonstrated a scholarly interest in Asian languages, history or cultures. Sarah Huang (Hons. Modern Language & Linguistics) and Roxanne Lai (Hons. Linguistics) are the recipients of the A. G. Alexander Travel Scholarship ($5,500 each), which offers students an opportunity to study outside Canada during the twelve months prior to their final Fall/Winter session. Huang, who has been studying Spanish and Russian, will travel to Leeds University to obtain the credits in Russian that she needs in order to complete her degree. Lai will be honing her fluency in French while living in France for the year. While there, she also hopes to volunteer with Midecins Sans Frontihres (Doctors Without Borders). Leah Sheehan (Hons. French, Prog.A), who is the winner of the Beale Lincoln Hall Travel Scholarship ($2.200), plans to immerse herself in the French language and culture while studying in Lyon. This scholarship is awarded to a student who demonstrates high academic standing and a lively interest in the humanities.

April 22, 2002

Finally, the move has begun. After two years of construction and numerous delays, the McMaster University Student Centre is open to receive its occupants. Lori Diamond, administrative director of the centre, has moved her office into her new space on the second floor. "The food court furnishings arrived April 15, and the rest of the tenants move in during the weeks of April 22nd and 29th," she reports. "Everyone is scheduled to be in by May 3rd." The $35-million facility, funded jointly by the McMaster Students Union (MSU/$20 million by 2009), the University ($11 million), and the McMaster Association of Part-time Students (MAPS/$500,000), will house the administration offices of the MSU and MSU-sponsored services such as the Student Health Services, the Centre for Student Development, Off-campus Housing and the Career Planning Centre. MAPS will also have office/lounge space in the building. Diamond says that three third-party tenants will be moving in over the summer: a travel agent, a pharmacy and a photo shop. The Togo Salmon Cafeteria will be renovated during the summer months into a new campus restaurant and bar area, to replace the Downstairs John. The Centre will be fully operational and ready for the start of the fall term in September, she adds. Diamond expects there will be a "grand opening" celebration at that time. In addition to the offices, services and food court, the Centre has an atrium lounge with skylights, a convenience store, a copy shop and 19 meeting rooms. LET THE SUN SHINE IN: Lori Diamond, administrative director of the MUSC, in her new office on the second floor of the centre.(Top photo) Pictured bottom right, a sunny view of the third floor hall of the new centre leading to some of the meeting rooms.

April 18, 2002

A motivated group of first-year McMaster students united with a vision to create a unique learning experience in the field of medicine and health. The result was the birth of the Meducator, McMaster's Medical Research and Health Ethics Student Publication. To foster learning in the field, the student organization assembled writers to research medical and health ethics topics, connected them with McMaster researchers for personal interviews whenever possible, subjected the articles for review by post-graduates, and published the finished content in a free publication available around the McMaster campus and on the www.meducator.org web site. As an opportunity to further the educational value of the initiative, readers (students, faculty and staff) are invited to participate in on-topic discussions on the website, where cross-referencing and collaboration can take place. The first issue of the Meducator, launched on April 5, discusses current issues in regards to medical research and health ethics. The Meducator is an MSU organisation and welcomes new writers and researchers with open arms. The publication is a great venue to voice an informative outlook in the arena of medicine and science. The purpose is to inform the McMaster populace on current trends and hot topics that confront medical doctors, researchers, and scientists. The Meducator intends to be a new source of fascinating medical information that will interest the entire McMaster community. Free copies of the Meducator are available (on a limited basis) at the following locations: Hamilton Hall (near the Information Centre and the main entrance) Burke Science Building (Near main entrance) Bachelor of Health Science Honours Programme Office (At office counter and on coffee table) Health Science Lounge (Passcard only) Health Science Centre (Near Ewart Angus Centre on table) In Front of the Health Science Library (On table) (End of story)

April 18, 2002

Six senior software engineering students are $1000 richer after winning this year's IBM Challenge to design the best "Bio-Bank" software product. For their senior thesis project, 65 students were asked to develop a product that could conceivably be offered on the market after their project was complete. A team from IBM's Toronto lab assessed the projects for their effectiveness, performance reliability, maintenance and usability. The student team of Curtis Miles (team leader), Rajan Bhakta, Joseph Fakhri, Trevor Liang, Chris Murray and Alan Young developed the winning system, a product they called BIFF (Biography Information Fact Finder). The "Bio-Bank" challenge was designed by David Parnas, professor and director of the software engineering program, in response to a practical problem he encountered during a meeting last year. Even though he has been described as "one of the grandmasters of software engineering", Parnas doesn't always remember the 'Who's Who' of industry. During a meeting with representatives of a major mobile communications company, Parnas didn't recognize the name of the individual who was the subject of conversation. "I wished I could simply type this person's name into my laptop and get some kind of information about him."

April 17, 2002

Students studying angles of refraction at McMaster will soon see their assignments from a new vantage point. The James Stewart Centre for Mathematics, slated for opening in fall 2003 will, quite literally, have all the right angles. The angles will come from the beams of light that will help to transform a historic building into a modern teaching centre and research facility. Light refracted through big, tall windows, overhead skylights and atria is a key feature of the new facility to be created within the walls of Hamilton Hall. While the exterior of the historic building will remain virtually untouched, the interior will be completely renewed and renovated. The well-known architectural firm of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg, which is currently retrofitting the Hamilton Art Gallery and built the Fields Institute for Mathematics in Toronto, has been hired to design the facility. The firm and the donor for whom the centre is named share a love for glass and light. "We wanted a building that would admit as much light as possible and the architect's design, which calls for the creation of two atria within the building, will go a long way towards ensuring that the building is bright and open. The building has beautiful windows and these will play a key role in transmitting the natural light into the building," explains Matt Valeriote, chair of mathematics & statistics.

April 16, 2002

McMaster's alumni operation has a new leader. Rod Morrison will be joining McMaster as director, alumni advancement. Morrison is returning to his McMaster roots and he says he couldn't be more pleased to be back. He graduated from McMaster with his B.A. in history in 1979, followed by his Masters degree in 1980. He then traveled to Oxford, where he earned his D.Phil. After returning to Canada he worked as a lecturer at Memorial University, held several positions with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and most recently was executive director of the Huntington Society of Canada where he led a national team of 20 staff members and successfully established a number of new funding partnerships. "Rod brings with him tremendous experience in volunteer management," says Roger Trull, vice-president, university advancement. "I'm confident he will build on the success of our alumni and annual giving programs, and that he will be quick to establish relationships with the University, our alumni volunteers, and the McMaster Alumni Association Board." For his part, Morrison says, "I couldn't be more pleased to return to such a great institution. McMaster was a wonderful place to go to school and I have a strong sentimental attachment to the University. I'm looking forward to working with the advancement team and the alumni community." Morrison begins his duties at McMaster on May 6th. He replaces Scott Koblyk, who left the director's position last week after more than seven years with the alumni team. Koblyk will continue to be involved with the University but has chosen to concentrate on his writing career. (End of story)

April 15, 2002

Over the next few months the McMaster Web site at http://www.mcmaster.ca/home.html will undergo some major changes. Working in tandem with the University's branding initiative, the McMaster Web site will be redesigned in an effort to update it and make it easier and faster to find information. The redesign of the University Web site will ensure that information is presented consistently, particularly at the main levels of the Web site, as well as allow users to easily go back and forth between subsites and the main University site.

April 12, 2002

Research into health sciences education embarked on a new journey of discovery Thursday with the support of a $1-million gift from Alcan Inc. The endowed gift, which will be matched by the University, will create the John R. Evans Chair in Health Sciences Education Research. The chair is named in honour of John Evans, the founding dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Evans held the post from 1965 until 1972. During that time Evans was instrumental in cementing the concept of problem-based learning (PBL) where students learn through pre-assigned clinical problems, discussion and debates in small group settings and address real-life situations. The PBL approach to learning has been adopted at several academic institutions and is now an integral part of the curriculum in medical schools and health care programs worldwide. "The creation of the John R. Evans Chair in Health Science Education Research is a pivotal occasion for health sciences at McMaster," said President Peter George. "There are many of Dr. Evans's disciples scattered around the world. The John R. Evans Chair will further enhance his legacy." In accepting the donation, President George said that Alcan's gift will enable McMaster to make educational breakthroughs in how technology and computer-based learning are integrated with clinical experience to produce better doctors and health care professionals.

April 11, 2002

If it's April - it must be exam time. This year, McMaster students write exams from Friday April 12 through to Monday April 29. (See Final Exam Timetable for a complete listing of exams.) The library is probably the most-used University facility during exams. To meet students' study needs, extended hours are offered at Mills Memorial Library and the H. G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Sat. April 27 only: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.); Sunday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Sun. April 28 only: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.). For the month of April, the Health Sciences Library and the Innis Library operate on their usual term schedule. The popular all-night study area will run again during the exam period, starting at midnight April 11. The Innis Library once again plays host, with the McMaster Students Union (MSU) providing student invigilators to patrol the space, ensure that the food, drink and noise policies are enforced, and take periodic head counts. Librarian Vivian Lewis reports that the service is extremely popular and well used, particularly between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. The round-the-clock opening begins tonight (Thursday, April 11) at 11 p.m. until Saturday, April 27 at 10 a.m.. The program, run jointly by the MSU and the Department of Student Affairs, provides a quiet environment for studying, and gives students access to the collections, the computers and reference resources, as well as the photocopiers. However, no library services (borrowing, reserve pickup, etc.) are available. Two MSU services are closed during exams: the GLBT Centre and the Student Health Education Centre. All others, including MSU administration, the Info Centre, the Design and Copy Centre and the Snack Shack remain open. The Student Walk Home Attendant Team is also available during the exam period. (End of story)

April 10, 2002

Daniel Woolf, dean of the Faculty of Humanities, is taking on a new challenge at the University of Alberta. He's been appointed the university's next . . .

April 10, 2002

This spring, the very first class will graduate from McMaster's multimedia program. To mark this special event, the University community is invited to a Multimedia . . .

April 10, 2002

Wendy Orr was the first doctor employed by the South African government to break the silence surrounding the police torture and assault of political detainees. . . .

April 9, 2002

McMaster's proposal to partner with the City of Hamilton to build a biotechnology-business incubator facility was approved in principle at city hall Tuesday. The city's committee of the whole approved the partnership in principle and referred financial aspects of the proposal to staff to be dealt with in connection with budget discussions that are underway. The committee councillors asked city staff and the University, represented at the meeting by John Capone, associate dean of research in the Faculty of Health Sciences, to work together on a proposal to obtain additional funding from the provincial government. The University was asked to give a more detailed presentation to the committee of the whole within the next month. "I am extremely encouraged by this morning's discussion," said Capone. "The potential economic spin offs for both the city and the University will be unprecedented. Moving this partnership forward - from principle to practice - is a very high priority and we're committed to working with the city to make it happen." The Hamilton-McMaster Health and Biotechnology Strategy, which the committee considered Tuesday (April 9), includes a plan for an "incubator and discovery district" in Hamilton. The plan calls for an investment of $1-million a year over the next five years from the city to build this incubator facility, estimated to cost about $15 million. This partnership is just one of the collaborative initiatives the University is pursuing with the city in a bid to develop stronger partnerships that will have economic and other benefits for both institutions.