Good afternoon,
Thank you to those of you who were able to join us for the President’s Breakfast this morning. There was tremendous energy in the room, and it was a pleasure to be able to meet so many of you on my second day. For those who were not in attendance, I hope to be able to see more of you very soon and wanted to share my remarks.
All the best for the start of the fall term.
Thank you for the warm welcome.
Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan
President and CEO
Hello Humber! Good morning and welcome.
Thank you, Jason, for beginning today’s breakfast with an Acknowledgment that provides context for both the history of the land that Humber is on today and the Peoples who stewarded its care for generations.
I am so pleased to be here and to be able to have so many of you joining us this morning in this great Humber tradition. Welcome to the Humber Breakfast Dance Party!
First, I’d like to take a moment to recognize current and former members of our board of governors, our past presidents John Davies and Robert (Squee) Gordon, Humber’s executive team, Dr. Melanie Spence-Ariemma, Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer, University of Guelph-Humber, and our honoured guests.
I am a big believer in the importance of tradition. It’s part of what helps define a community or a family.
One of the reasons that I decided to make the move to Humber was that everyone I speak to highlights the deeply rooted feeling of community and connection here. From everything I have seen, heard and learned so far, they were right. Way to make someone from a small town feel welcome! Humber is able to balance all the benefits of a large institution, while keeping its community focus – that is truly remarkable and says something about the history and culture of this place.
I understand that the President’s Breakfast is typically a time to review the achievements of the past year and look ahead to what’s next. However, this year, the President’s Breakfast is a little different...as is the President!
The community is coming together for the first time since 2019 for this event. As it has in the past, it still marks the beginning of a new academic calendar year and gives us a good reason to connect and enjoy some amazing food together.
I know I am grateful to be able to have the chance to meet so many of you today and I can imagine how grateful the entire Humber community is to be able gather in a way that was not possible the last two years.
It’s also a great time to welcome those who are new to Humber and are participating in this event for the first time. I have been here a whole 24 hours, so I guess I fall into that category as well.
Also, a special note of congratulations to the 2022 President’s Awards recipients who will be honoured later this morning for their contributions to Humber. I can’t wait to hear more about each of them and their accomplishments. It’s achievements like these that set Humber apart.
What I would like to do is share with you what makes me so excited to be a part of Humber. There really is no place like it.
Humber and all the amazing people who work here put students at the centre of everything. Working collectively to determine the services, supports and opportunities that will help students succeed no matter which program they are in – it’s what you do.
Humber is Canada’s pre-eminent college. This is in part to the excellent teaching from our expert faculty and to our dedicated support staff who often go above and beyond to contribute to learners’ success.
Humber has a special place in the province, and in the country. Its polytechnic approach blends the practical and theoretical, providing students with hands-on learning and experience.
This is one of the differentiators that attracted me to Humber, and one of the reasons why the Unlimited fundraising campaign has been so successful.
With the mass disruption in society today caused in part by the pandemic and climate change, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to take on the challenges faced locally, provincially, nationally and globally.
Humber’s Centres of Innovation (COIs) embody the College’s polytechnic approach in action. The COIs provide an experiential learning environment for Humber students and prepare them to become tomorrow’s creative and strategic problem-solvers.
The COIs connect students to businesses and community organizations empowering them to meet today’s economic and social challenges through innovation and collaboration.
Humber has the people, the expertise and the infrastructure to propel the workforce of today and tomorrow, and the college is uniquely positioned to continue to work with governments, industry and community on post-pandemic recovery.
There is good reason why Humber is ranked as the top research college in Ontario and number two in Canada. In the last two years Humber has won CICAN Gold Awards of Excellence for Internationalization and Indigenous education.
Because whether we are focusing on our student services, our role in advancing reconciliation or in tackling skills shortages and meeting labour market needs, we start from a place of asking: “how can we help?”
As Humber’s incoming President and CEO, I plan to listen, learn and continue to build on the successes of the amazing people, programs and priorities that make the college everything it is already.
I look forward to contributing to an environment focused on and committed to sustainability, equity, diversity and inclusion, and integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.
I plan to learn about the services and supports that help students succeed and the student and alumni achievements that make everyone proud. I will cheer on the Humber Hawks every chance I get. Go Hawks!
In a few moments a video presentation will showcase some of the updated and newest places and spaces at the North and Lakeshore campuses and the International Graduate School. I can’t wait to tour them all in person soon.
This fall, we will launch several new plans, including a new Academic plan, a refreshed Digital Campus plan, and a plan for Continuous Professional Learning. We look forward to sharing more details on those this term through town halls and other meetings.
Before I conclude, I have some specific thank yous.
Thank you to Nancy Brennan and the rest of the committee for planning today’s breakfast.
Thank you to Chris Irwin for emceeing today’s event and to Ginger Grant who will be introducing the President’s Awards winners.
To the amazing faculty and staff, though I have only had a chance to meet a handful of you so far, your ongoing commitment to students and each other shines through. I look forward to the opportunity to connect with more of you in the coming weeks.
Together with the Humber community, I look forward to continuing to support students and professional learners. We will write the next chapter of our history by building the college’s infrastructure, research capacity, industry partnerships, work-integrated learning opportunities and so much more.
Ontario college graduates play an important role in society, often building their careers in the communities in which they live and learn, and that is what I want for Etobicoke, the Greater Toronto area and Humber.
As I learn more about the people, businesses and organizations that surround Humber, I am excited for students and graduates to continue to build the college’s local and international reputation by making a difference wherever they are.
I'm thrilled to be started and joining this amazing team!
Thank you for having breakfast with me today and I wish you every success in the year ahead.
