College Council had its first meeting of the fall semester on Thursday, September 18, 2014, at the North campus. In the interest of keeping the Humber community informed about upcoming events, new initiatives, and important issues, I will be continuing to report the highlights of the monthly meetings. For more information on any topic, or to give me feedback on the reports, please feel free to contact me directly, at lisa.salem-wiseman@humber.ca.
Fall 2014 Start-up and Registration
Humber’s Registrar, Barb Riach, provided members of Council with an update on Humber’s first start-up with the new MyHumber registration platform.
There have been a large number of changes to the start-up process, including the following:
- all students, new and returning, are required to register themselves
- no paper receipts will be issued
- all registration requests that are not taken care of by the student are submitted to the registrar’s office through a Student Action Form (SAF)
- Continuing Education courses are considered Postsecondary courses
- the responsibility for raising course limits lies with school schedulers
While the amount and scope of change has led to some significant challenges as administration, faculty, and students all adjust to the new procedures, providing students with self-service capabilities is a positive development. Barb Riach compares the change to “teaching students to fish, as opposed to giving them fish.”
Orientation
Jen McMillen, Dean of Students, spoke about the Fall 2014 Orientation.
Research shows that students who participate in orientation tend to be more successful and more satisfied with their postsecondary experience. Humber’s orientation numbers were similar to last year with upwards of 5000 students participating in orientation activities. Over 85% of those who attended reported that they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the experience. Of students who attended the “meet your faculty” sessions, 90% reported satisfaction.
A new development this year was the introduction of voluntary workshops for students, such as “College 101.” Over 1000 students participated in these workshops. Also new was the launch of an online orientation program for students who were unable to attend orientation or who are seeking additional information.
“We Got You” campaign
Jen McMillen and Meg Houghton, Director, Student Access, Wellness, and Development, spoke about the new “We Got You” campaign.
Student Success and Engagement aims to build awareness of student services and programs, promote and normalize help-seeking behaviour, and build an intuitive, streamlined digital presence for student services and programs.
The challenge has been connecting students to the services and supports that they need, when the students themselves don’t realize what they need and what is available. This new campaign, which was created by an external creative agency, begins by addressing students’ most common needs – for example, “I’m totally broke and still have to buy books” – and then assuring the student that Humber has the services and supports they need.
The campaign began in late August at all campuses, with floor vinyls and posters in key areas at the North and Lakeshore campuses, and posters at Carrier Drive and the Orangeville campus. A 30x30 foot mural has been installed in front of the main entrance to the North campus; as students walk toward the college from the bus stop, they are greeted with a message of support.
The student life website has been rebranded – wegotyou.humber.ca – and has received nearly 18,000 page views between August 25 and September 17. The average amount of time that students spend on the landing page has dropped dramatically, indicating that students are finding what they need more quickly and easily.
Strategic Mandate Agreement
Amy Kaufman, Manager, Planning and Government Relations, provided an update on Humber’s Strategic Mandate Agreement.
In response to the provincial government’s current policy direction on differentiation, all colleges and universities are required to enter into a Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA) with the Ministry. The SMA is a three-year agreement (2014-2017) that will shape program development and enrolment, and ensures alignment with the provincial differentiation policy framework.
Humber’s SMA, which was submitted in draft form in September 2012, was finalized in April 2014, with a sign-off by President Whitaker and the Deputy Minister, MTCU. In August, 2014, the MTCU posted the final SMAs of all colleges and universities on their website: tcu.gov.on.ca/pepg/publications/vision/
Humber’s SMA speaks to our key areas of differentiation and institutional strength: our polytechnic brand; our range of credentials; and our breadth of programming. Our SMA also recognizes our collaboration with the University of Guelph in the innovative Guelph-Humber model that allows students to graduate with a diploma and a degree in four years. Humber’s SMA aligns with the Ministry’s 2013 Differentiation Policy Framework and includes system-wide and institution-specific metrics such as KPI satisfaction and employment results, enrolment, and retention.
For more information on Humber’s Strategic Mandate Agreement, please visit the Strategic Planning website at humber.ca/wearehumber
Program Consent Renewal - Bachelor of Nursing
For the past fifteen years, Humber has offered a collaborative Bachelor of Nursing degree in partnership with the University of New Brunswick (UNB). Consent expires on September 30, 2016, so the program will be undergoing its third consent renewal. UNB is responsible for the submission, but Humber supports and assists with the process.
This program consists of eight academic semesters of study and 1494 hours of clinical practice, which is consistent with the requirements of the province of New Brunswick. This differentiates the program from others in Ontario, which do not require as many hours of practice.
The program allows for three distinct points of admission including Direct Entry, Second Entry and a Bridging program for graduates of the Practical Nursing diploma program. Enrolment numbers in the last five years of the program have been consistently strong. There have been 407 graduates during this consent period and 1523 graduates since the first cohort in 2001.
Graduates have found employment opportunities as practitioners, educators and managers in community/public health agencies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, primary health-care or acute-care settings, rehabilitation services, clinics, and private practices.
Upcoming Events
The 5th Annual LAS Interdisciplinary Conference will take place Friday October 3 & Saturday October 4. This year’s theme is “Urban Experiences,” and the conference will begin with a Keynote Address by teacher, writer, and urban designer Ken Greenberg, Friday at 4 pm in the Seventh Semester. For more details and to register, please visit humber.ca/liberalarts/conference/home
Humber’s “Moving for Mental Health Awareness” 5K Run/Walk will be held at the Lakeshore Campus on Thursday, October 16 at 12:00 PM. Registration is online: humber5km.eventbrite.
The United Way CN Tower Climb will be held Saturday, October 18th, beginning at 6:00 am. For more information and to register a team or join an existing one, please visit unitedwaytoronto.com/climb
Humber’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences is partnering with the International Festival of Authors (IFOA) to host the first academic conference to be held during IFOA. The first annual Humber Liberal Arts @ IFOA Conference will take place at Harbourfront Centre from October 31 – November 2. The theme is “Representing World War I: Perspectives at the Centenary,” and the conference will feature presentations by a large number of acclaimed international scholars from a variety of disciplines. For more details and to register, please visit humber.ca/liberalarts‐ifoa