It's that time of year when, once again, I "retire" my blog for the summer.I want to take this opportunity to salute your efforts: the months of studying and course work, your participation in various extracurricular activities, and your dedication and commitment to various volunteer initiatives have been most impressive.

Most of you have finished your exams and papers and are off to summer jobs, visits with family and friends, or trips to exotic places-or perhaps more studies in the form of university courses that interest you! However you choose to spend your time, I wish you a happy, productive and safe summer. I look forward to welcoming you back here in the fall to begin what I hope will be another exciting and memorable year for all of the university community.

Although the blog is taking a summer break, we're always open for your comments, so post them through the "Let's Talk" Suggestion Box.

I'm really excited about celebrating Spring Convocation with many of you, from June 11 to 14 in Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre. Take a look at the ceremonies being planned.

You can take part in all the festivities with family and friends. Just visit the University newspaper's Flickr site to see and download high-resolution photos of the event, as well as watch video interviews with honorary doctorate recipients.

It will be a great opportunity to take lots of pictures-and don't forget to post them after! All you need is a Flickr account and you're good to go. Once you're signed in, you can join the uOttawa Flickr group and add your own photos to the group pool: go to your photo's page and click "Add to a Group" in the actions menu (see Flickr's FAQ page on groups for more info).

Update:

President Allan Rock congratulates all graduates

On Friday, April 22, people around the world celebrated Earth Day, which aims to raise environmental awareness and encourage each and every one of us to take positive environmental action. The University of Ottawa community is committed to making our campus increasingly green and sustainable, and we can take pride in our eco-initiatives and achievements – some of which I’ve outlined below.

The Matt Anthony Field artificial turf replacement project

I’ll be excited to watch the Gee-Gees practise and play on our new state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly artificial turf, FieldTurf Revolution. The newly resurfaced field will be the first of its kind in Canada and only the second field with FIFA-RECOMMENDED FieldTurf Revolution in North America. Congratulations to Sports Services for embarking on this major initiative! On completion, the field will receive a FIFA- RECOMMENDED 2 Star designation.

Happy Anniversary, EcoNetwork

Friday April 22 marked the first anniversary of the campus EcoNetwork program. To celebrate this very successful recycling and greening initiative, the Office of Sustainable Development produced an inspiring video which highlights the extraordinary sustainability efforts of our employees.  I am thrilled to see how our EcoChampions are making a difference.

Eco Prosperity is getting results.

The goal of the University’s Eco Prosperity Program is to reduce energy costs and increase the efficiency of campus facilities.  The Program’s various innovative projects have led the University to improve the quality of its services, environment and working conditions, and have made this institution a leader among Canadian universities committed to sustainability. Projects will be implemented over a seven-year period and generate annual savings of more than $5 million.

In an equally important initiative, the University of Ottawa is also moving towards certification as a Fair Trade Campus. I encourage all of you to embrace these long-term sustainability and equity efforts.

RecycleMania win for uOttawa

Congratulations! The University of Ottawa won first place among Canadian universities in the Grand Champion and Waste Minimization categories of RecycleMania. RecycleMania is a competition for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities. Over a ten-week period, post-secondary institutions report recycling and trash data. Institutions are then ranked according to amount of recyclables per capita, total recyclables, least amount of trash per capita and highest recycling rate. More than 600 campuses took part in RecycleMania 2011. The encouraging news is that participants have recycled or composted over 91 million pounds of waste!

Dump and Run!

After exams, many of you will be leaving your university residences or giving up apartments to move back home, or on to summer jobs or vacations. The Dump and Run program allows you to recycle your left-behind furniture, kitchenware, clothing, unopened food, books, etc. and donate them to a good second home. Our Office of Sustainable Development is partnering with the Housing Service to collect whatever is left behind so that it may be distributed to selected charities or to international students coming for the Fall session. Items will be collected from April 11 through May 1. Get involved in Dump and Run!

The Alterna Do It For Dad! Family Run and Walk is Sunday, June 19, 2011. This dynamic annual event draws over 1,700 participants, raising both awareness and funds for research into men's cancers. Once again, I'm Honourary Chair. But this year is very special: for the first time, the University of Ottawa has its own team. So, run or walk with me and Team uOttawa. OR sponsor the team through an online donation. Visit our web page to find out how.

Team uOttawa's goal is to raise $20,000 in support of a DaVinci Robotics Surgery System for the Ottawa Hospital. This surgical guidance system will permit doctors to operate with enhanced dexterity and more acute visualization. The technology will ultimately mean shorter and more accurate surgeries, more reassurance for family members and quicker recovery times for patients.  Its impact on the university will be immeasurable, as it will be an invaluable teaching and training tool for our medical residents and nursing students.

By participating, you will be publicizing a worthy cause, supporting a key fundraising campaign and having a great time outdoors. My running shoes and I are ready! Are you?

See more pictures from the 2009 edition.