Degrees Catering celebrates launch
The University of Victoria’s newly rebranded Degrees Catering celebrated its official launch on Nov. 20. Along with the new name, Degrees has new menus and a fresh, contemporary look and feel. A new logo, uniforms, website and a redesigned office space complete the package. Degrees will also be offering new features such as hot lunch and dinner service—in their place or yours.
UVic economic impact $3.2 billion
Victoria is often recognized as a tourism town, a government town, a navy town and more recently a high-tech town, but over the past half-century, it has also developed into a university town with UVic as an institution that has an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion.
Congratulations, Fall 2012 grads!
The University of Victoria will award 1,262 degrees, diplomas and certificates at Fall Convocation in four ceremonies Nov. 13 and 14. All four ceremonies will be webcast live at www.uvic.ca/convocation and each ceremony will also be available in a video-on-demand format on this website for eight weeks thereafter.
University continues to plan for budget reductions
As has been previously reported in The Ring, UVic is preparing for the potential provincial cuts to university operating grants as a result of the government “challenging the advanced education sector” to find $50 million in savings in 2013–14 and 2014–15. At the same time, UVic is looking for savings to fund salary increases negotiated with its employee groups under the provincial government’s “cooperative gains” bargaining mandate.
CRC program honours UVic for equity hiring
The University of Victoria has just been recognized as a national leader for its proactive strategies in recruiting, nominating and appointing Canada Research Chairs (CRC) across campus.
Labour relations update, Nov. 7
The University of Victoria and three CUPE locals reached tentative agreements last week with ratification processes now under way. Agreements were reached Oct. 31 with CUPE locals 917 and 951, and on Nov. 2 with CUPE local 4163 (components 1 and 2).
Honoris Causa
Fall Convocation ceremonies will include honorary degree presentations recognizing achievements in improving Indigenous-settler relations, promoting local history, and pioneering the new science of nanophotonics.
Words never fail for linguistics grad
Two years ago, a graduate student from a coastal province in eastern China chose UVic for his further studies in Canada. In the words of Jianxun Liu (MA, linguistics), “I said goodbye to so many things in China” to move to Victoria. “Graduation normally means completion, but for me, it is more a true beginning.”
Grad’s robot dreams become reality
Growing up in southern China, Hui Zhang had the same dream as millions of children around the world—robots to do the household chores and farm work. Zhang decided to pursue the dream of designing “intelligent machines” by earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from China’s Harbin Institute of Technology and Jilin University, respectively, and completing a PhD at the University of Victoria last June.
Grad shares nursing expertise in Bangladesh
When Permjit Soomal stepped off the plane in Bangladesh in October 2011, the nursing student was overwhelmed by the heat, smells and sounds.
She was also one step closer to realizing her dream – to make a difference in the world through working in the health sector.
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