Calling all faculty! Missed the Showcase 2018 event this year? Didn’t get a chance to visit the CTL Creative booth at Marketplace? Don’t worry, we’re here to fill you in on the good stuff… like a chance to win a $50 gift card and CTL Creative swag!

That’s right! You can enter to win, simply by creating a one-minute educational video with the help of a CTL Creative Specialist. This is your opportunity to learn how to produce a video and get a chance to win at the same time! Each video that you create acts as an entry to the contest. The more you create, the more chances you have to win - pretty simple right?

All contestants MUST register to qualify for the contest. The registration deadline has been extended to September 2, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. Completed videos will be accepted until October 15, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. The winning video will be selected at random.

See attachment for more contest details, including qualifying video criteria.

To register, visit: bit.ly/CTLVidChallenge18

For more details, contact us with the subject “Showcase Video Challenge 2018” at: CTL-CreativeProductions@humber.ca

The LAS Admin Team is proud to announce that Dr. Paula Gouveia won the Ontario College Administrative Staff Association (OCASA) 2018 Distinguished Administrator Award.

The description of the award from the OCASA website is as follows: “The OCASA Distinguished Administrator Award recognizes administrators within an Ontario college who have demonstrated distinguished administrative performance within their college or region demonstrating the following: outstanding leadership (Innovations, vision, enterprise, impact, and involvement) and excellence of performance (team involvement, achievements, beyond job expectations, and recognition by others).”

We would like to formally thank and acknowledge Paula for her dedication, innovative approaches and the positive team environment she has nurtured in LAS and at Humber. This award embodies academic leadership in the Ontario postsecondary system and fills the Humber community with pride.

Congratulations, Paula!!

By the time the Fall semester starts in September you will be hearing a lot more about the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) implementation. This system is due to “go live” in November 2018 and February 2019. To get more details on the HRMS look out for a personal postcard which you should receive before the end of June.

To learn more about this project we encourage you to visit our website at: humber.ca/hrms

Spring Convocation - Chris Whitaker’s address to graduates

This spring more than 10,000 students will become Humber alumni. Spring convocation (June 12, 13, 14 and 15) ceremonies were held at the Toronto Congress Centre over four days and ten ceremonies. This year, President Whitaker’s remarks were tailored to each graduating school, using examples from many different areas of study. This speech was prepared for the School of Health Sciences, which celebrated its graduates on Thursday, June 18 at 3 and 7 p.m.

Humber College
2018 Spring Convocation
President Whitaker’s Address to Graduates
June 12-15, 2018

“Leading the Skills Revolution”

Members of the platform party, honoured guests, faculty and staff, family, friends and especially our graduates, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to today’s convocation. This week’s ceremonies mark the 50^th anniversary of Humber’s convocation, first held in May 1968.

That year there were 19 graduates. This year, we’ll recognize ten thousand graduates over ten ceremonies, so I think it’s safe to say we’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings. Thank you for being here to share this milestone in our history.

Thank you as well to all the Humber employees who help to make this event happen. A day like this takes a village to produce. From when our graduates arrive and receive their gowns, to when they walk across the stage in a few minutes, you, our staff and faculty, work hard to make this day memorable for our graduates and their families, and we are grateful for your efforts.

I’ve been a part of many convocation ceremonies – as a graduate – no, I won’t tell you when I graduated – as a professor, as a President and most importantly, as a parent. I share the many emotions that we’re all feeling today.

The pride of achievement, the joy of success and the relief that this significant day has finally come.

Today, I want to talk to you about the value of your Humber education and why you should be confident that you are prepared to take the next step in your personal and professional journey, wherever life takes you.

As students, each of you came to Humber from somewhere else. From high school or another postsecondary institution, from a job, from another city or even another country.

Six years ago, I too, made the decision to come to Humber. I came from another Ontario college, and when the opportunity to work at Humber was presented to me, I chose to change my life and those of my family members to come here.

Just like you, Humber gave me the chance to do what we as a college encourage all of our students and employees to do: to be life-long learners and to challenge ourselves to take action to make the world a better place.

While we chose to come here for our respective reasons, hopefully you now recognize, like I do, that Humber is a place that brings people together. And together we strengthen our reputation for excellence in teaching and learning and for supporting the many individuals who make up our diverse and inclusive community.

Many of these qualities were more apparent than ever this past year.

While we enjoyed some big wins such as our Women’s basketball team winning the provincial and national championships with a perfect record, and Mechatronics graduates winning a bronze medal at World Skills, we also supported each other through challenging times.  

I know the work stoppage this past fall was a stressful time for many of us, and we’ve worked hard to move forward as a united community.

Whatever the issue or obstacle may be, Humber is known for its resiliency. Our ability to join together to turn challenge into opportunity, and opportunity into success is what defines us.

And that brings us to now. Convocation is my favourite time of the academic year because it’s a time for our community to celebrate students’ achievements, and to look ahead to the new beginnings and abundant possibilities that await our graduates.

Before we recognize their accomplishments, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank those who helped our grads along the way.

To Humber’s faculty and staff, thank you for your dedication and commitment. Our students wouldn’t be here without your support, wisdom and encouragement, from orientation to today.

When I speak with students, they tell me they feel valued here – as learners, and as people. You represent the caring community we take pride in at Humber. Let’s give our faculty and staff a big round of applause!

Thank you also to friends, families and loved ones for supporting our graduates through the ups and downs of college life. Your support comes in many ways – financial, emotional, lending a helping hand, and not getting frustrated when there’s more playing Fortnite than studying going on. I think you deserve a round of applause as well.

And now, to you, our graduates – you did it! You’ve earned the spotlight you’re receiving today.

Some of you may have heard me speak at your Orientation when you began your studies. I encouraged you to make the most of your time at Humber, and I said that learning is about trying new things, getting out of your comfort zone, and in doing so, changing yourself along the way.

I believe being here shows that you’ve done that and more. You’ve stepped up to the challenges of learning, developed new perspectives and skills, made new friends, formed new relationships, and most importantly, learned about yourself. You have put yourself in the position to make the transition from education to employment.

Your Humber education provides you with a great set of tools. How you use them is up to you. I hope you will all leave here confident in your abilities as you head towards the next destination in your life’s journey.

The good news is that you’re starting off on the right foot. A recent RBC study entitled “Humans Wanted: How Canadian youth can thrive in the age of disruption” focuses on the rapidly changing economy and world of work, and how your generation can lead the transformation into the skills economy.

The RBC study found that the Canadian economy is expected to add 2.4 million jobs over the next four years - many of which will require skills you’ve developed while at Humber, including critical thinking, complex problem solving, active listening and social perceptiveness.

Take Nick DiSimone for example. Nick is graduating this year from the Architectural Technology Program. He told his program coordinator that learning to read and interpret blueprints helped him to develop his critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These skills helped him to earn a job as an Estimator and Project Coordinator with RMG Consulting.

The company recognized that Nick had obtained the knowledge they required through his studies, and that he was someone who would continue to learn and grow with them.

Nick worked part-time with RMG while completing his diploma and started full-time after completing his classes in April. Nick is an example of a student who used his Humber experience to move seamlessly to a job in their field of study.

The RBC study also resonates with me because it shows that there’s opportunity out there, and I know that Humber grads are ready to contribute. The study found that there are lots of jobs but not enough skills, and that educators and employers can do more to prepare students for today’s and tomorrow’s skills economy.  

As part of your polytechnic education at Humber, you received a combination of classroom and hands-on learning. You were taught by professionals in your field who could give you a sense of what your career path might look like once you graduated. They may have told you that you’re preparing for jobs that don’t even exist yet or that you’ll work in several roles in several places.

They may have connected you with an internship or a project that asked you to develop solutions to real business challenges.

You tackled the problem in a learning environment with labs, equipment and technology integrated with industry and the work place, all to better prepare you for the transition from school to work.

This was the case for another student graduating this week, Daniel Tiulin from the Bachelor of Commerce – Finance program. Daniel is an award-winning student in The Business School, who, a year ago, completed his summer work placement as an intern at the TMX Group, in the financial sector. While there, he competed with students from various universities to secure a full-time position at TMX that began last month. Daniel has shown that skills learned and developed at Humber can be transferred and applied to the work place.  

Finally, the RBC study is one of many that focuses on career mobility, emphasis on skills development and the importance of four key abilities - foundational skills, digital literacy, global competencies and decision making – that are the essential skills needed for moving between and within jobs.

These are the skills you’ve developed at Humber, and that you will take with you into the future. You are ready to triumph in the age of automation, and to lead the skills revolution.

So, no pressure, but the world is counting on you, and because I know you’re up for the challenge, let me give you a few friendly reminders of some things I hope we have reinforced in your time at Humber. 

First, remember to think critically, to question and to challenge what some accept at face value. We all know the term “fake news.” You leave here with a strengthened ability to make sense of the world and make the right choices to engage and make a difference for yourself and others.

Second, as a Humber student you’ve been part of one of the most diverse and inclusive institutions in Canada – so embrace diversity, in all its forms. From race, religion, place of origin, culture, sexuality, gender identity, age, to economic status and more, it’s up to each of us to acknowledge and seek to understand these differences and find ways to build bridges, establish common ground and welcome others into our world. Let me give you an example.

Temitope Edagbami, is graduating from the Pre-Health Science pathway program this week. Temi came to Canada from Nigeria as a single parent with three children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology in Nigeria but realized she would need some Canadian education to start a career in her field here.

Like so many of our students, she juggled family obligations, worked night shifts and spent weekends managing her course work. She has now been accepted into the Nursing program and is well on her way to the life she envisioned for her family here in Canada. She is a great example to her classmates and I’m sure, to her children as well.

We can all learn from Temi and students in a similar situation, and you will be at a personal and professional advantage if you can recognize the value of diversity and inclusion.

Third, find a way to get involved and give back. This can take many forms and can be as simple as being kind to others, paying forward a kindness that was shown to you, or getting involved in community or international development efforts - as many of our students and graduates do. Look beyond yourself and your immediate surroundings, and you’ll find endless opportunities to make a difference. Even with its challenges, the world offers incredible opportunities to those with the courage, creativity and energy to seize them.

We need more leaders and fewer followers. Be bold and be ready for your chance to make a difference in the world.

Today, as you all graduate, I’d like to thank you for spending time with us and for contributing to the college in many ways. Our faculty and staff have learned from you just as you have learned from them.

As you enter the next stage of your life, whether that’s starting your career or continuing your education, you will always be a part of the Humber community. You are now part of the more than two hundred and forty thousand alumni who are the college’s reputation in action. I encourage you to continue in their footsteps by making your mark on the world, doing your community proud and of course, keeping in touch with us. 

Choosing to come to Humber is one of the best decisions I ever made. I sincerely hope the same is true for all of you. Everyone here is proud of all you have achieved. You are now and forever part of the Humber family and no matter where you go, our doors are always open and you will always be welcomed home.

Stay in touch, tweet often, post your pictures and remember:   We Are Humber!

Thank you.