English At 50 | University of Waterloo

"There were so many fields to enter through co-op that English students were able to broaden their skill inventory and increase the diversity of their experience."

The innovative approach to education at the University of Waterloo is what drove Dr. Ray Siemens (BA 1989) to study here. Having always heard great things about the co-op program, Ray thought he would gain tremendous experience if he complemented his favourite subject, English, with the co-op option.

Ray found that the English and co-op programs were integrated so well that "together they were absolutely crucial" in determining where he is today and what he has been able to accomplish. He also praises the co-op program for shattering employers' all-too-common assumption about the limited career capabilities of English grads; there were so many fields to enter through co-op that English students were able to broaden their skill inventory and increase the diversity of their experience. Ray believes that co-op students have a greater understanding of the importance of their education because they are able to apply what they learn in the classroom directly to the tasks they perform and the projects they pursue in the work world. In other words, they see that "education has real applied value" in the world beyond the university.

Ray's love of the co-op program was at its peak when he landed a job at IBM in one of their Toronto research and development labs. In this position, Ray updated manuals describing the Internet protocols that soon became standard for internet servers around the world. When "World-Wide-Web" became a household phrase, Ray realized that he had participated in something truly historic at IBM.

Ray describes the campus as a place in which everyone felt togetherness and developed strong friendships with one another. He remembers the many social events that occurred during his time here. Whether it was Wednesday night at the Bombshelter or an evening trip to the Princess Cinema, students on campus often took part in events that connected them to each other outside the classroom setting. And there was plenty of camaraderie within that setting too, in classes such as the course that Dr. Paul Beam taught on 'Analytic Criticism,' an early favourite that focused on critical thinking and analysis techniques.

Upon his graduation in 1989, Ray was offered a job in the high tech sector, but turned it down so as to pursue a Master's degree in English from the University of Alberta. He would later obtain his PhD from the University of British Columbia. Today, Ray is Canada Research Chair in Humanities Computing at the University of Victoria, a position in which he collaborates with and leads a local research team of 10 and an international research team of 35 others, with a focus on researching electronic publications and electronic books. In 2009, Ray received the Humanities Award for Research Excellence from the University of Victoria and the Arts in Academics Alumni Achievement Award from UW.

Read an interview with Dr. Siemens here.