Dear Humber community,

I am excited to share with you the appointment of Steven Chuang as associate dean in the Faculty of Social and Community Services commencing April 3, 2023.

Steven comes to us with 19+ years of multi-sector and multi-funded institutional experience, complemented by years of interdisciplinary expertise in education, urban equity, strategic planning, public policy planning, community-based development, and workforce innovation. He has demonstrated leadership and advocacy for youth/families’ social justice, mental health, and health equity at the systems-change level. With more than 13+ years of successful recent teaching at the degree level, he is well-positioned to support the faculty through his knowledge and experiences in teaching and learning in technology-enhanced environments.

Steven was most recently the President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Niagara, with a mission to create healthy communities. Previously, he served as Director of Pathways to Education in Regent Park, a national movement aimed at providing wraparound support to at-risk youth through high school perseverance toward graduation. A lifelong diversity advocate, Steven was a member of the Y National Advisory Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He is currently Vice-President of the Board of Directors for Youthlink (Toronto’s leading Youth Mental Health agency). He was a Canadian Delegate to the Y World Council 2022 and World Urban Network in Denmark to address global youth issues. In 2018, Steven was invited as a keynote speaker for the City of Toronto’s wellness and resilience conference. He was Steering Committee Co-Chair for SEEN Collaborative (five downtown Youth-serving agencies supporting east-end neighbourhoods), and MTO- Moving Towards Opportunity – a program designed to better prepare youth from low-income communities for sustainable employment, which is now undergoing program expansion and replication in other GTA communities. Steven has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, a Masters in Environmental Studies/Community Policy and Planning from York University, and an MBA from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Please join me in welcoming Steven to the FSCS!

June MacDonald-Jenkins (she/her)
Sr. Dean Faculty of Social and Community Services
Principal, Lakeshore Campus

Dear Colleagues,

After 35 years of outstanding service and dedication to the engineering industry and post-secondary education, Dr. Jonathan Kim, associate dean of Information & Communications Technology (ICT), within the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, has decided to retire as of August 1, 2023.

I have had the pleasure of working with Jonathan for more than 12 years and I hold a deep respect for his commitment to honesty, integrity and dedication to post-secondary teaching and learning.

Jonathan graduated from the University of Toronto where he received his B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science, M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. A licensed professional engineer (P.Eng.), Jonathan has held numerous post-secondary roles as a teacher and researcher. He started his academic career at the University of Victoria where he became an Associate Professor with tenure and established an award-winning reputation for both teaching and research excellence. Later, he became a full-time research professor for the Centre for Applied Power Electronics (CAPE) at the University of Toronto, fully devoted to industry-sponsored research and development programs. He also held an adjunct professorship at Yanbian University of Science and Technology, Yanji City, Jilin, China.

Since 2011, Jonathan has worked in the Ontario college system and held leadership roles in applied research, capstone projects, curriculum development, industry engagement. During his tenure at Humber College as Associate Dean, Jonathan has made significant contributions to the Humber FAST community including:

• New program development: Successfully developed and launched new programs including Cloud Computing Graduate Certificate, Bachelor of Engineering - Information Systems Engineering honours degree, and Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning Graduate Certificate.
• Establishment of applied research culture: Challenged, motivated, and supported ICT faculties to engage in applied research projects in collaboration with industry partners and with external funding.  
• Work-Integrated Learning and Co-op: Developed and incorporated Co-op in all ICT diplomas, advanced-diploma, and degree program, and all ICT graduate certificates have industry-sponsored capstone projects to implement Work-Integrated Learning.
• New full-time faculty hires: Over the last four years under his leadership, ICT cluster hired 12 new FT faculty positions to support and build a strong ICT team.
• Increased enrollment: With new programs launching, program expansion to Humber International Graduate School (IGS), as well as Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning components, ICT programs are responding to industry needs and are projected to healthy enrollment growth.

Jonathan has been a distinguished colleague, teacher and wise mentor to many junior faculties, and a good friend to many of us.  He will be deeply missed.

On behalf of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology and the Humber community, thank you Jonathan for your service, dedication and contributions to Humber College and the engineering community. While we are saddened by this news, the Humber community will continue to benefit from your contributions long after your retirement. You will forever be a member of the Humber FAST family.

With gratitude,

Farzad Rayegani, Ph.D., P.Eng, FEC.
Senior Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology

Hello Humber community, 

I am excited to share with you the appointment of Nivedita Lane as Associate Dean in the Faculty of Social and Community Services (FSCS) commencing March 13, 2023.

Nivedita comes to us from Community Outreach and Workforce Development (COWD), where she has held the position of Manager, Community Development & Partnerships since 2017. Nivedita joined Humber in 2015 in our Student Success and Engagement area as Coordinator, First Year Transitions, after several years of progressive leadership working directly within the community with equity-deserving groups and community stakeholders to support youth access to education, training, and employment locally in the GTA . In her current role in COWD she focused on new flexible education access initiatives with internal and external partners to address the needs of under-represented groups such as immigrants, marginalized youth, Indigenous Peoples, first generation students, Crown Wards, unemployed individuals, and disadvantaged women in order to provide them with opportunities for accessing apprenticeship, post-secondary education and employment.

An institutional champion for equity, diversity and inclusion, Nivedita shares our FSCS values and approaches to support all learners to be successful. Nivedita completed the concurrent BA/BEd at York University and her Masters in Adult Education & Community Development at the University of Toronto. Nivedita is a fierce advocate for youth access to post-secondary education. She led the development of Humber’s Youth Transition Program, in partnership with FLA, supported across the college and external community partners to help young adults in Humber’s local communities find their way to higher education, whether they have completed high school or not. She has served on several internal strategic committees, including College Council and as co-chair for the Student Access & Equity working group on Humber’s EDI Taskforce.

Please join me in welcoming Nivedita to the FSCS.

June MacDonald-Jenkins (she/her)
Sr. Dean Faculty of Social and Community Services
Principal, Lakeshore Campus

The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences is introducing the Vietnam Study Abroad: Hanoi & Danang course to students across Humber. The course delivery in collaboration with international partner universities offers a fantastic opportunity for Humber students to develop their global experience and intercultural competencies while earning Humber credits for a general education (MILE 220) or Degree breadth electives course (MILE 2200). Students will work closely with two Humber faculty who lead the trip and staff, faculty and students at National Economics University and University of Danang, Vietnam. The course provides students with experiential learning, site visits, field trips, community services and opportunities to mix and mingle with local faculty and students during approximately three weeks in the cities in Vietnam (Hanoi, the capital in the North, and Danang, the driving force of development in the Central - Highland Region). 

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Develop an in-depth understanding and appreciation of Vietnam, its history, culture, ethnic diversity, religion, business environment and people
• Broaden inter-cultural awareness
• Enhance cross-cultural communication skills
• Increase self-confidence and transferrable skills through a complete immersion in an international environment.

Watch this video of one of our students and teachers sharing their own experience and what students could expect to gain from the trip and find out more about this opportunity in our attached flyer.

The Program fee is $6,200 plus Humber's regular course tuition. It covers multi-city airfares (Toronto – Hanoi – Danang – Toronto), travel health insurance, accommodations at hotels, breakfast every day, lunch on weekdays, site visits, field trips and local transportation for all scheduled activities. Students will be eligible for a bursary of up to $4,000, depending on their financial needs. 

We would highly appreciate it if Humber faculty, Program Coordinators and staff could help to share this course with students as an incredible option for them to get a Humber credit for a general education or degree-breadth electives course.

Please connect with Kimmy Do, manager, Global Initiatives and Partnership Development at kimmy.do@humber.ca if you have any questions.

Sue Watt, after 30 plus years at Humber’s Child Development Centre (CDC), has retired. Her colleagues, the children in her care, and their families, will forever remember the influence that she had on them.

Throughout her career, her passion for holistic and healthy child development was seen in everything that she did. She was always singing, sharing her love of nature, and ensuring that children experienced the outdoors on walks as she felt it was essential to the social and emotional development of children and teachers alike.

Sue was instrumental in being a steadfast role model, not only for her colleagues, but also for the pre-service ECE students that were lucky enough to have her as a mentor. Even after 30+ years of service, Sue is fondly remembered throughout each day as the educators at the CDC work with children and their families as they continue to bring her philosophy of care to their daily lives and interactions with the future leaders of tomorrow.

Sue’s delicious homemade banana bread and other baked goods also hold a special place with all those that were fortunate enough to work alongside her. We hope that the next chapter of Sue’s life brings her as much happiness as her years spent at the CDC did. Sue, welcome to this phase of life, where every day is the weekend!

Thank you for your dedication over the years – you will be forever a member of the CDC family.

An idea is all it takes to begin the journey of Research and Innovation. 

At the Office of Research & Innovation, we work on research projects that allow faculty members to stay actively involved in their field while pursuing their research interests, cultivate community and industry partnerships, and provide intensive work experiences for students. 

We recently started working on a research project for smart buildings and are seeking individuals familiar with SkySpark software/coding. 

If you're familiar with SkySpark or know anyone who is, please email shyama.patel@humber.ca before February 16, 2023, by 12 p.m.

Please join me in welcoming our new Associate Dean of Continuous Professional Learning, Francis Syms. Francis joined Humber in 2019 in the role of professor/researcher in the PSI program. Francis has a Bachelor’s of Engineering and a Masters of Applied Science with more than 20 years of rich industry experience in the areas of IT, business and product development, where he was a proven people leader. He has managed large enterprise projects in the corporate environment, utilizing his strong personal approaches that we know him so well for here in the FSCS. He is a certified project management professional which will serve him well as we focus on micro-credential development, CPL offerings that align with our existing programming and supporting the development of new and innovative approaches with the faculty to support continuous learning that aligns with our values, principles and goals within the FSCS.

Please join me in welcoming Francis to our leadership team. He will commence the new role this coming Monday, February 6.

Please welcome Besma Soltana as the program manager, Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship.  

Besma Soltan has 15 years of experience in the social and educational sectors, working with grassroots organizations, non-profits, startups, incubators, and higher education institutes. She co-founded a non-profit and a startup company focused on helping raise community awareness about local and global issues, with her work featured in several local TV shows, newspapers, and radio shows.

Besma's areas of expertise intersect curriculum design, interdisciplinary innovation, and entrepreneurial education with award-winning programs that have engaged hundreds of students, changemakers and social entrepreneurs.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Enterprise Management, a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management, and a Master's in Education. Besma is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Interdisciplinary Social Research, focusing on Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Danielle Jeancart as the Indigenous Curriculum & Pedagogy Specialist. Danielle will join the Humber community in her new position on November 28, 2022.  

Danielle Jeancart is an Indigenous educator of mixed French-Métis, nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), and Ukrainian ancestry from northern Saskatchewan, Treaty 6 Territory. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Regina and an MA in Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies from Trent University. Her graduate work focused on Indigenous history and conceptions of Indigenous masculinity in Canada.

Passionate about Indigenous education and research, Danielle has worked as a sessional lecturer of history, curriculum developer, and program coordinator in post-secondary education for more than a decade. Since January 2019, she has worked as an instructor and community facilitator for the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, providing advocacy, training, and capacity building supports for urban Indigenous communities across Ontario.

Please join me in congratulating Danielle in her new role.

Elijah M Williams
Associate Dean, Indigenous Education & Engagement

We are excited to welcome Leslie Furlonge (she/her) as the new Manager, Clinical Services (Health Centre) effective November 21, 2022. She has more than 20 years experience as a frontline nurse, primarily in critical care/ICU nursing, and also many years in the community working with various populations to advocate for accessibility of resources and health care services. More recently, her role has been in a rehab hospital, first as Patient Care Manager and then Director of Patient Care, including the pharmacy, IPAC and lab, overseeing over 300 clinical staff and hospital operations.

She brings energy, compassion, and a love of data, process and people to her work. Her goal is to provide healthcare and wellness services that are evidenced-based, equitable, inclusive and meets the needs of our learners, staff, community and partners that we aim to serve. 

Personally, she is a parent to two young adults who keep her well schooled in what's cool. She believes in the importance of physical and mental health wellness and enjoys many activities, especially ones that are outdoors. Please join me in welcoming Leslie to the Humber community.

Leah State
Director, Student Wellbeing