The Humber College Council (HCC) held its third meeting of the 2018/2019 academic year on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at the North Campus. To ensure that the Humber community is informed of upcoming events, new initiatives and important issues, College Council reports the highlights of its monthly meetings. For more information or to provide feedback on these highlights, please contact marie.kyrinis@humber.ca. We apologize for the delay in posting the highlights.
ACADEMIC DIVISION UPDATE
Chris Whitaker, Humber President and CEO and Laurie Rancourt, Senior Vice President, Academic addressed the 2019 structural re-organization plans.
The structural changes were developed as part of the 2018/2023 Strategic Plan, considering input from staff across the college. Based on the extensive planning process with Humber stakeholders for the strategic plan, a decision was made to chart a new course for the academic schools.
L. Rancourt outlined many points for re-structuring the schools into faculty units that support the
Strategic Pillars #1 Career-Ready Citizens and #2 Accessible Education:
- Overall the academic division’s focus will shift to an interdisciplinary structure, leveraging key central support systems.
- Key support systems that Humber will continue to improve upon include the achievements of our Strategic Mandate Agreement, the Centres of Innovation and the increased integration of applied research activities within program curriculum.
- The faculties will continuously collaborate and improve the student experience and learning environment.
- Focused on future learning opportunities, the faculties will be a collection of subject matter experts and interests that are able and willing to work with and across all faculties.
- The re-organization is not intended to be a program or resource reduction but a re-alignment for greater fluidity of ideas and skills.
CANNABIS LEGALIZATION & SMOKE-FREE CAMPUS INITIATIVE
Jason Hunter, Vice-President, Student and Community Engagement and Lori Diduch, Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness presented on what cannabis legalization means for Humber and Humber’s plans for a smoke-free environment.
Effective October 17, 2018, cannabis became legal in Canada, yet there are rules that apply in the workplace and at schools. Visit the Humber Student Life and Human Resources websites for frequently asked questions about the cannabis policy at Humber: humber.ca/student-life/potfacts or humanresources.humber.ca/cannabis.
As a result of adopting the Okanagan Charter, Humber College made the decision to ban smoking (of any type) on all campuses, effective January 1, 2019. This smoke-free campus initiative reflects Pillar #3 of the Strategic Plan: Healthy and Inclusive Community. The intent of this smoke-free initiative is to assist staff and students to make healthier choices; smoking cessation programs and education will be available. A college-wide smoke-free communication plan will launch before the winter holiday break.
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH-HUMBER
John Walsh, Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer and Nikki Martyn, Program Head, EC/ECDC presented an-depth look at the University of Guelph-Humber (UGH).
UGH was one-of-a-kind when it launched in 2002 with 198 students. The concept of graduating with a double credential came from the increased demand being put on the postsecondary education system with the double-cohort influx of high school graduates (Ontario’s elimination of high school OAC grade).
The foundational pieces used to blend and build UGH and its programs are still in existence today. The curriculum is a balance of University of Guelph and Humber learning and experiences.
Today, there are 4,900 students and 7 Honours undergraduate programs. More than 1,600 work placements occur each year. UGH has a record of 9,734 alumni since opening its doors 16 years ago.
UGH looks for areas of established strength in both University of Guelph and Humber to build new programs and opportunities. It also recently underwent a review by Deloitte to help further define its strategic plan for the coming years. Learn more at guelphhumber.ca.
HUMBER COLLEGE COUNCIL FUNDRAISER - ERNESTINE’S WOMEN’S SHELTER
Amy Azzopardi, CECS-CICE Integration Facilitator provided an overview of Ernestine’s which provides shelter and support to women and their children. As in previous years, donations will be accepted at the December meeting where a raffle will also take place. All proceeds from the raffle will be donated directly to Ernestine’s. Last year, over 50 women and 22 children benefited from the funds raised at Council.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS STRATEGY
Kelly Jackson, Associate Vice-President, Government Relations and Communications presented an overview of the government relations (GR) strategy.
Identified GR goals include: connecting Humber’s priorities to government needs; identifying funding and partnership opportunities; bringing strategic direction to Humber’s overall communications and advocate its polytechnic positioning to Humber stakeholders, including the current incumbents in government.
Electoral cycles at all levels of government brings opportunities and challenges. Humber is focused on communicating and liaising with political staff, and educating them on Humber’s operational and strategic initiatives. One example of Humber's commitment to strengthening GR was the recent appearance of Prime Minister Trudeau at the College. The Prime Minister chose Humber College to announce the government’s commitment to the environment and speak about the Carbon Tax. The news and social media coverage put Humber College in the National spotlight.
Next steps include formalizing a government relations framework that supports a college-wide strategy that will support the Humber Strategic Plan and Humber.
The next meeting of the College Council will be held on Thursday, December 6, 2018 at the North Campus. For highlights, supporting materials, and an online feedback forum, please visit: humber.ca/wearehumber/committees/college-council.