Advancement and Alumni is pleased to announce that on November 21, 2016, members of the Humber community gathered to celebrate six alumni for outstanding achievement and contributions for the 2016 Premier's Awards.

The Premier’s Awards celebrate the achievements of Ontario college graduates in the province and throughout the world, and last night we walked away with a big win for Humber in the Business category. Ron Suter, a 1981 graduate from Humber’s marketing program, is currently Executive Vice-President, NBCUniversal Television & New Media Distribution Canada. Ron is known as a visionary trailblazer in his industry, playing a key role in redrawing the map of the Canadian Television Landscape. As EVP of NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution Canada, and Universal Studios Canada Inc., Ron works with the biggest players in the Canadian entertainment industry. A mainstay in an industry that is constantly evolving, Ron’s ability to adapt quickly and navigate an ever-changing landscape has helped NBCUniversal remain an industry leader while maintaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Under Ron’s leadership, NBCUniversal doubled its sale volume over the last decade. This marks the ninth time a Humber grad has won this prestigious award. Recipients of the award also receive a $5,000 bursary in their name to support current students at the college.

This year, the other Humber graduates nominated were:

• Jill Andrew, Scholar, Columnist, Activist & Community Change Agent
• Laila Biali, Professional Singer, Pianist, Songwriter, Performer and Recording Artist
• Peter Dundas, Chief, Peel Regional Paramedic Services
• Giacomo Gianniotti, Actor, Producer, Writer
• Andy Kikites, Director, Metrolinx

Congratulations to Ron, and all our nominees!

For more information about the Premier's Awards, please contact Adelia Marchese at x5110 or adelia.marchese@humber.ca.

The Early Childhood Education Department has been fortunate to have had Laura Oyama on their team for the past 31 years. Laura came to Humber in 1986 as an Infant Therapist working with high risk families and children. Her knowledge and skills, combined with her credentials and experience as a child care supervisor, teacher, and professor clearly identified her immediately as an asset. During her tenure with Humber, Laura has been visionary in her contributions to the department, students, children, families, and the larger early childhood community. Laura’s steadfast commitment to excellence in infant and toddler care, and her unwavering dedication to responsive inclusive practice, social justice, development, and leadership continues to impact many in a very powerful way.  Laura has been a sought after expert for contributions to magazines such as Today’s Parent, and has been instrumental in assisting Humber’s childcare centres in building their community of practice to continue to reflect excellence.

In 2013, Laura was part of Students Crossing Borders in Jamaica, working collaboratively and responsively with new parents and infants/toddlers in the Riverton Parent-Child Centre, one of Jamaica's poorest communities. During this trip, she also presented at a conference providing professional development for more than 250 early childhood educators in Kingston, Jamaica. In 2014, Laura helped organize a teaching exchange program, sharing insight and leadership on play-based and responsive inclusive practice for early childhood educators traveling from Jamaica. Laura has been and continues to be a leader in the early childhood profession, offering mentoring, knowledge, and support to external and internal colleagues and partners. Her knowledge, experience, and passion will be greatly missed.

Jason Powell
Dean, School of Health Sciences

The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Continuing Education, is pleased to announce the new Humber College IELTS Test Centre in partnership with the British Council. The Test Centre will be located on the 5^th Floor of the LRC. Testing will begin in the New Year.

For more information, please contact Ronalda Puritch, Manager of the IELTS Test Centre, at 416.675.6622 x74279 or ronalda.puritch@humber.ca.

Thank you to everyone who came by for a jar (or several) of the Humber Arboretum's 2016 honey batch. We are now officially sold out! 

We hope you all enjoy the sweet taste of this local "City Bee" harvest.

Watch for maple syrup to be on sale later in the new year.