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Waterloo to take Manhattan, celebrate at NYSE; Establishes first international office

Canadian University Press Releases

November 18, 2005

Source: University of Waterloo:
http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4642

Waterloo to take Manhattan, celebrate at NYSE; Establishes first international office

WATERLOO, Ont. -- A delegation from the University of Waterloo (UW) heads to the Big Apple next week for two grand events that will strengthen the university's foothold in the worlds of international business and finance. The university will open its first international office in the heart of the city's Financial District.

UW President David Johnston and Tom Coleman, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, are hosting the opening of the new UW office in Manhattan on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and ring the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wednesday, Nov. 23. It is the first international office to be established by UW.

The Waterloo Institute for Computer Research (ICR) Manhattan is located near Wall Street and is just steps away from the New York Stock Exchange.

"UW is officially stepping onto the world stage with this new office. This is a significant and bold move for a university that is 48 years young," said Johnston. "With the establishment of this office, we have created another way of bringing Waterloo to the world. The office will promote the academic programs and showcase the research potential at Waterloo while fulfilling the university's mandate to promote global outreach and increase industry partnerships."

Accompanying Johnston and Coleman to the opening are UW Chancellor Mike Lazaridis, UW Campaign Chair Bob Harding, Vice-President External Relations Laura Talbot-Allan and Associate Vice-President Strategic Initiatives Gerry Thompson.

The group will open the doors to UW's new office, Waterloo ICR Manhattan, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The event will be witnessed by UW alumni, notable Canadians, representatives of Canadian and New York companies, and invited friends and partners of the university. UW Chancellor and RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis will deliver the keynote address titled "What's Coming in Wireless Communications."

Coleman, instrumental in the development of the facility, said the office will yield numerous benefits.

"First, it connects us to our alumni living in New York and surrounding areas. Second, it connects us to the international business and financial worlds, allowing us to strengthen current and forge new partnerships and networks that will bring promise for the future. Thirdly, and quite significantly, it serves as a storefront for the incredibly talented researchers and students that make Waterloo's reputation what it is today, both at home and abroad."

Coleman expects the office will be used in the first year primarily for workshops, seminars, research briefings and society meetings. The facility will also provide UW with another avenue to reach prospective students and faculty living in the U.S. North East, particularly those interested in studying mathematics and computer science.

The New York celebration culminates on Wednesday morning when Johnston and the UW delegation will ring the Opening Bell at the NYSE to celebrate the opening of the Waterloo ICR Manhattan office. The event is sponsored by Brookfield Asset Management (formerly Brascan) under the leadership of Chairman Bob Harding, Chair of UW's fundraising campaign and a former Chair of the Board of Governors. Brookfield is a NYSE member listed company. The bell starts at 9:25 a.m.

Pamela Wallin, Canadian Consul General and a former member of the UW Board of Governors, will present remarks at the grand opening celebration on Tuesday evening. Wallin and Darcee Munroe, Consul for Economic Affairs-Ontario, will also attend the ringing of the bell.

UW is Canada's top comprehensive university and "Best Overall" university in Canada by reputation in the recent Maclean's magazine University Rankings for 2005.

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Contact: Kathy Wilson, Development Officer, Faculty of Mathematics, (519) 888-4567 ext. 7565; kwilson at uwaterloo.ca Martin Van Nierop, Director, Communications & Public Affairs (519) 888-4881; vanierop at uwaterloo.ca John Morris, UW Media relations, (519) 888-4435; jmorris at uwaterloo.ca Release no. 258 -- Nov. 18, 2005

EDS: The NYSE homepage will feature a photo and text about the visit immediately following the event. This will be posted on the web site at www.nyse.com. Contact: Alison Circle, Media Relations, NYSE (212) 656-5717; acircle at nyse.com. The UW media relations office will also be in receipt of a high-resolution digital image immediately following the event. This image can be provided to media.

Backgrounder - Waterloo Institute for Computer Research (ICR) Manhattan

The New York office will provide a location to promote the University of Waterloo's academic programs and showcase UW's research potential. The office provides opportunities for:

Developing research, training and technology transfer relationships with industry in areas such as:

Quantitative Finance

Security

Risk Management

Insurance and Pensions

Logistics and Optimization

Attracting potential undergraduate students and promoting UW's undergraduate program

Promoting UW's co-op program

Attracting potential graduate students

Promoting and highlighting UW's research expertise

Increasing UW's connections with industry

Waterloo ICR Manhattan Highlights

The New York City Address:

Waterloo ICR Manhattan, 55 Broad St. 3rd Floor, New York Information Technology Center New York, New York 10004 (646) 442-8742

The Location and Facility:

The facility is connected with the New York Software Industry Association, a promoter of software development activities in downtown New York.

The 30-storey, 400,000-square-foot office tower is located in the heart of the Financial District and is well-known internationally as the original home of New York's technology community. Just steps away from the New York Stock Exchange, this is the site that established New York's Silicon Alley. Other tenants include: Cap Gemini, Nokia, and Sun Microsystems.

The former home of the investment banking firm Drexel Burnham Lambert was empty for several years in the mid-1990s. Completely gutted and rewired, today it offers affordable space and superior telecommunications access.

UW will have access to facilities and rooms on other floors and has partnered with NYSIA and Cornell University, also in the building, for administrative support services. (For more information on the NYSIA, visit www.nysia.org)

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Backgrounder - University of Waterloo

Founded in 1957, the University of Waterloo (UW) has since grown into one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities, with undergraduate and graduate programs in mathematics, science, health sciences, engineering, arts and environmental studies.

Currently, Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics is the world's largest centre for education in the mathematical, statistical and computer sciences.

UW's new Bachelor of Computer Science program provides increased flexibility for students to combine computer science studies with other disciplines such as biology (bioinformatics), accounting and management (computational finance) and health care (health informatics.) New and emerging areas of study and research are the result of this interdisciplinary approach. The program is also attracting students from diverse fields and with diverse interests. Computer science is intersecting with many other fields and the future will involve an interdisciplinary dimension.

There is a longstanding principle at Waterloo that individuals, not the university, own the fruits of their work. This is unique compared to other universities, where the institution owns intellectual property developed at its university.

UW has been a leader in conducting research in partnership with the private sector and transferring new knowledge and technological advances to society. Waterloo attracted more than $103 million in research funding in 2003-2004 alone.

The university is involved in approximately 235 international linkage agreements, collaborative activities, and education and research projects in 49 countries around the world including the international trade specialization for Arts-Applied Studies co-op students, Architecture's Rome program and membership in the International Society for Environmental Biotechnology.

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Backgrounder - University of Waterloo Fact Sheet

Key points:

Waterloo was founded in 1957

Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics is the world's largest centre for education in the mathematical, statistical, and computer sciences

Waterloo has the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in North America (70 per cent of computer science students are in the co-op program)

Waterloo is the national leader in the transfer of ideas and technology to the private sector, with more Canadian high-tech and knowledge-based spin-off companies tracing their roots back to UW

In 2004 Waterloo was ranked "best overall" and most innovative university in Canada.

University Leadership:

Chancellor: Mike Lazaridis

President and Vice-Chancellor: David L. Johnston

Board Chair: Paul Koenderman

Student enrolment, faculty, staff and alumni figures for 2005 include:

22,241 full- and part-time undergraduates

2,666 full- and part-time graduate students

2,700 computer science students (1,800 undergraduates)

818 faculty members

2,008 staff members

115,000 alumni in 135 countries