I am very pleased to announce that Alena Shah is the new Associate Dean, Program Planning for PPDR.

Alena joins us from Ontario Tech University, where she most recently held the position of Manager of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs. As part of the senior management team responsible for graduate studies at Ontario Tech, her role was to ensure effective planning, management and implementation of the School’s academic, operational and financial functions. Working directly with Faculties, a primary focus was developing and operationalizing innovative new graduate programs, including pathways and cotutelle agreements, as well as direct oversight of nine functional areas within the school including: quality assurance, policy and regulations, recruitment, admissions, registration, thesis, communications, finance, graduate student engagement and postdoctoral fellows.

Prior to her role in Graduate Studies, Alena worked within Quality Assurance as an Academic Planning Officer responsible for the development, implementation and facilitation of curriculum enhancement workshops across the university; providing expert advice to faculty and program staff on all aspects of curriculum development, mapping courses to program learning outcomes and authentic assessment methods. In addition to her roles in Graduate Studies and Quality Assurance, Alena also has experience working within Labour Relations and Student Life and holds Ontario College of Teachers’ qualifications.

Alena has completed a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree from Western University. Her doctoral work focused on developing meaningful experiential learning opportunities by using continuous improvement practices to enhance equitable access for adult learners while maintaining compliance with Ministerial guidelines.

At Humber, Alena will be responsible for initiatives related to overall program planning, focusing on collaboration within the Centre for Innovative Learning and with other partners on the development and implementation of Humber’s Pathways, Recognition of Prior Learning and Flexible Learning strategies and goals. This role is also instrumental in building linkages between Post-Secondary Education (PSE) and Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) by developing Quality Assurance standards and processes. Alena’s first day is November 7.

Please join me in welcoming Alena to Humber.

Nichole Molinaro
Dean, Program Planning, Development & Renewal

Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber are committed to the principles of human rights, equity and inclusion. Monday, October 31 is Halloween, a day filled with scary and creative fun. If you choose to participate in Halloween festivities over the coming days, we encourage you to think about your costumes or party themes.

Some costume choices can reinforce stereotypes of peoples’ identities or demean and devalue the significance of aspects of cultures and religions, particularly those of people from equity-deserving groups. The impact of your choices can be significant, harmful, and negative, regardless of your individual intent. 

For more information on cultural appropriation and Halloween please view the following videos:

• PBS Video – What is Cultural Appropriation
• Teen Vogue – My Culture is not a Costume

What can you do to address cultural appropriation?

1. Education, Reflection, and Self-Work
   • Research cultural appropriation and the impact of cultural appropriation to better your understanding of the issue and how you might address it in your life.
   • Consider your plans for Halloween or other festivities and reflect on whether you are participating in ways that might cause harm to others.
   • Change your plans.
   • Consider taking action with your family and friends to encourage a more inclusive celebration.
2. Dialogue and Advocacy
   • Talk to others about what you’ve learned and how other peoples’ cultures and identities are not appropriate costumes or something to be made light of.
   • Speak up if you see someone wearing something that could cause harm. You could start a conversation, ask a question, and encourage them to learn more.

Remember culture is NOT a costume. At Humber, we DO NOT mimic equity-deserving groups.

On behalf of the Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion and Student Success & Engagement, we wish you a happy and safe Halloween.

Humber Galleries is pleased to announce the opening of their exhibition Wagari: Dabiyil, Biram – Vessel: water and sky, on Monday, October 31, 2022. This collaborative large-scale cyanotype textile was created by artists Sonja, Elisa Jane, and Freja Carmichael, and features imagery of handwoven forms, string, and found objects.  

As a family of Quandamooka women, weaving has become their intergenerational expression of saltwater identity and culture. This work represents woven forms that continue knowledge of past generations and the stories and experiences of today. The woven forms include the use of discarded netting and materials that wash ashore on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island, Australia) after drifting in the ocean. Collecting and weaving with this marine debris helps protect dabiyil as an act of caring for saltwater Country and kin. The collection of woven forms and objects are used to create the cyanotype.  

Their cyanotype process records the shape of woven elements and materials. First, they are placed on a textile surface, then exposed to UV light, and finally washed in water and oxidized. This result creates deep blue imagery with the memory and impression of the objects. The blue cyanotype pigment reflects the rich colour of the Quandamooka seas. The layering of woven forms and found objects onto the cyanotype is thus a metaphoric expression of the stories, experiences, and histories that are embedded within sands, land, water, and sky of Quandamooka country, and are carried in the vessels of Quandamooka weaving.  

The artwork was commissioned as part of Nuit Blanche 2022 with the support of exhibition sponsor, Humber College.

Dear Humber Team,

I am writing to inform you all that Kim Pavan has resigned from Humber College, effective October 26, 2022.

Kim started at Humber in 2008 as the Manager of the International Program in the Business School, then moved on to Manager of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2011, Kim became the Director of Continuing Education within the then School of Social and Community Services. In 2021, Kim took on her most recent role as Associate Dean of Continuous & Professional Learning within the Faculty of Social and Community Services.

We thank Kim for her contributions to the FSCS and Continuous Professional Learning portfolios over the last 14 years and wish her well in the next chapter.

Please continue to direct all CPL-related communications to Nora Simpson (nora.simpson@humber.ca).

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