Announcements

IDI’s New Project with Applied Research and Program Planning
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When:
April 4, 2017
Contact:
Asha Gervan
Tel:
x3301
Email:
asha.gervan@humber.ca

Humber’s International Development Institute (IDI) is excited to announce a new project in Indonesia that underlines Humber’s commitment to strengthening education systems around the world. In partnership with Applied Research and Innovation and Program Planning, Development and Renewal, IDI will be working with six Indonesian polytechnic institutions to support them in the development of Centres of Technology (COTs) on their campuses.

Humber was invited to do this work because of our expertise and leadership in polytechnic education. Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Humber will be using the train-the-trainer approach to develop each polytechnic’s capacity to design and deliver applied technical education and programming that links each institution with industries, through the creation of advisory councils and applied research opportunities. 

This is the next phase of a project from last summer where Humber hosted 12 Indonesian faculty on-campus. Over the next eight months, Humber will be delivering workshops in Jakarta and visiting the selected polytechnics. Humber’s role in the project is being led in Toronto and Indonesia by Jeff May, who also led the May 2016 delegation, and has worked with Humber’s Business School on the Sulawesi Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) project in Indonesia during 2014 and 2015.

Humber Sustainability Highlights - April 2017
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When:
April 3, 2017
Two women in front of trees

Humber is becoming a greener campus and everyone is participating! Humber Sustainability Highlights feature people and departments around the College that are working to integrate sustainable practices. This month’s focus is the Workplace Writing Skills course taught by Eva Bednar and Kim Robinson, professors in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Lakeshore Campus.

Bednar and Robinson have long been passionate about sustainability and community outreach. Together, the two women have taken their love of sustainability and brought it into their teachings, adapting the Workplace Writing Skills course in 2015 to teach students about sustainability and the impact that it can have on our planet. 

“Sustainability is important to the health and success of our world. Everything hinges on that,” says Bednar. “Our students need to be cognizant of the ways their future will be impacted by it.”

The course provides students with the opportunity to broaden their concept of audience, analyze real-world communication issues and challenges, conduct research and synthesize information. The students complete a collaborative capstone project through a scenario-based approach. Students must diagnose, analyze and pitch a solution to a problem found on campus through a written proposal and an infographic. Past proposals looked at improving parking issues, food choices, and social activities. Now the focus is on sustainability.

“We wanted the project to tie into the Humber community,” says Bednar. “So why not sustainability?"

Students focus on the campus footprint section from the Humber Sustainability Plan 2014-2019, taking inventory of the current practices and finding solutions to problems around campus. 

“The feedback from students has been positive,” says Bednar. “Before this course, students were unaware of how integral sustainability is, both to the world and our own Humber community.”

“Part of being a student is becoming aware of what you can do to contribute to your community,” says Robinson. “This course gets students on board with our school’s goals of sustainability.”

About Bednar and Robinson

Bednar and Robinson’s interest in sustainability stems from their unique upbringings.

Growing up in Poland, Bednar describes a culture of conservation. Robinson, on the other hand, credits a lot of her environmental awareness to the news.

 “Changing our belief is hard. There needs to be a consciousness, commitment and practice to it,” says Robinson. “Changes as simple as carrying around a reusable water bottle with you can make a big difference.”

Interested in the course? Check out some of the past proposals by students featured here.

Free Tickets to Green Living Show
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When:
April 3, 2017

Celebrate all things green at the 11th annual Green Living Show! Hear from a wide range of panelists, explore hundreds of exhibitors and sample great local food and products that reduce your environmental impact.

Redeem your free* tickets today, courtesy of Smart Commute!

Simply click here to purchase your tickets and enter coupon code “SCPEEL” at checkout.

*There’s a limited number of free tickets available. Tickets will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

 

 

A New Look to Celebrate the Arboretum’s Anniversary
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When:
April 3, 2017
Three stylized trees coloured teal, green, and red on a white background

The Humber Arboretum turns 40 this year and we’re marking the occasion with a brand new visual identity and website!

The Arboretum started in 1977 as a hands-on learning space for Humber College landscape students. The organization has now transformed into something larger and more meaningful than ever imagined: a place where a beautiful collection of plants is maintained, proper horticultural and arboricultural techniques are demonstrated, natural areas and wildlife are protected through conservation and restoration practices, educational and research opportunities are facilitated, and community and visitors can gather and make use of our spectacular resources. This vision has been made possible through the support and collaboration of our three founding partners - Humber College, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), and the City of Toronto.

The three trees in our new logo represent this amazing partnership; their overlapping canopies depict how each organization stands together as a forest, creating something much greater than they could individually. Collectively, our partners come together to support and enhance our broader ecosystem and community.

The colours of each tree symbolizes:

Teal: This energizing colour embodies how nature rejuvenates and invigorates us, stimulating ideas, connection, and clarity. The mix between blue and green is also the hue of the Humber River, reflecting the infinity of the trees and sky.

Green: Representing life, harmony, and renewal, green reminds us that spending time in nature is integral for our wellbeing.  It also represents the plant life in the Arboretum.

Red: Symbolizes the joy and passion the Arboretum brings to all that we do. This includes the care we put into looking after our natural environment and learning spaces and how we engage, educate, and inspire our visitors. Red also represents the beckoning colour of the door of the Centre for Urban Ecology.

We’re proud to introduce our new brand to the Humber community. We welcome you to explore and enjoy our website and learn about all we have to offer: humber.ca/arboretum.

Alexandra Link
Director, Humber Arboretum and Centre for Urban Ecology

Gina Antonacci
Associate VP Academic, Humber College
Humber Arboretum Management Committee representative, Humber College

Employee Engagement Pulse Survey Update
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When:
March 31, 2017

Thank you to all of you who have completed the Employee Engagement Pulse Survey. I have had some questions that have been asked by several employees about the survey and I wanted to share with you these questions and responses. If you have any other questions about the survey, please feel free to contact me at x5540 or by email nancey.adamson@humber.ca.

FAQs regarding our Employee Engagement Pulse Survey

1.   I have received an email from invite@cci-mail.com.  Is it safe to click on the link?

Yes, this email is coming from the organization that is administering our Employee Engagement Pulse Survey – CCI Research. It is not spam.

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2. I feel that the demographic information that you are collecting will allow you to identify me.  Is that true?

No. Humber will not receive any of the raw data collected. CCI Research will do all of the analysis and provide Humber with reports. 

To protect employee confidentiality, survey results will NOT be reported separately for any work group with fewer than 10 employees or fewer than 10 completed surveys.   Further, please note that a minimum of 10 completed surveys per demographic grouping (i.e., employee group, length of service, full-time/non-full-time, etc.) are required for any results reporting.

3. When does the survey close?

The survey will close on Friday, April 7, 2017 at midnight.

4. When will the results be communicated?

The results will be communicated at both the organizational level and school/division levels in May 2017.

Retirement Celebration and Launch of Antanas Sileika's The Barefoot Bingo Caller
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When:
March 31, 2017
Contact:
Tania Blokhuis
Email:
tania@ecwpress.com
Posters/Attachments: Event Poster

After 35 years at Humber College, and 15 years at the helm of the Humber School for Writers, Antanas Sileika is retiring in June. Please join us for the launch of Antanas's memoir, The Barefoot Bingo Caller, to celebrate Antanas's time at Humber and to wish him well.

Please RSVP your attendance to tania@ecwpress.com by April 25, 2017.

Food for Fines: Humber Libraries
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When:
March 31, 2017
Contact:
Amy Weir
Tel:
416.675.6622 x4840
Email:
amy.weir@humber.ca
Posters/Attachments: Event Poster

Food for Fines is back! Reduce your Library Fines and Contribute to a Great Cause

​Back by popular demand, Humber and University of Guelph-Humber Libraries will take $2 off eligible library fines (to a max of $20) for each non-perishable food item donated from April 3 - 21. Faculty, staff, and students are all eligible. Don’t have any library fines? All donations will be accepted at the circulation desks at both North and Lakeshore Campuses.

Donations support Youth Without Shelter, a local organization that provides housing and support to homeless youth: yws.on.ca

Dawn Bassant, Director, Organizational Effectiveness
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When:
March 30, 2017

I am pleased to announce that Dawn will be joining the HR team and Humber as our new Director of Organizational Effectiveness effective April 3, 2017. Dawn has held a variety of roles in this area of practice and most recently comes to us from the Royal Bank of Canada where she held a similar role of Director of Organizational Effectiveness, successfully developing and implementing many forward thinking organizational effectiveness initiatives.  She joined the RBC Organizational Effectiveness team in 2014 and played a lead role on multiple engagements across the Bank. Of note, Dawn played an active role in building RBC’s Organization Design and Organizational Change Management capability, where her strength in building strong partnerships and commitment to delivering business success was clear. She has a proven track record in developing practical leading practice approaches to talent management encompassing the full scope of recruitment, retention, recognition and rewards, and overall professional development.

Dawn holds a Bachelors of Arts in English Language and Literature and a Masters in Information Studies, supplemented by key certifications in areas such as: mediation, PROSCI change management, organizational excellence, process improvement, and various training and development designations.

She will be located in the office beside Larry Florou on the 6th floor, LRC Room 6022.

We are thrilled that Dawn will be part of the Humber Human Resources Team. Please join me in welcoming her to the Humber family.

Lori A. Diduch
Vice President, Human Resources & Organizational Effectiveness

Management Development
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When:
March 30, 2017
Contact:
Maureen Martin-Edey
Tel:
x4509
Email:
maureen.martin-edey@humber.ca

The Management Essentials (Active Leadership) Program provides the concepts and practices of Leadership in a high-impact learning environment to help leaders effectively coach, empower and lead individuals and teams to higher levels of performance.

Who Should Attend?

  • New and existing managers, associate deans and associate directors with direct reports.

Pre-requisite

  • The pre-requisite to the Management Essentials (Active Leadership) Program, is the Everything DiSC  Program (replacing Insights Discovery). 

Spring Dates

  • May 30, 2017  – Everything DiSC *We have a few spots left!
  • June 6 & 7, 2017 – Management Essentials * We have a few spots left!

Registration:

If you have any questions or would like to register for this program, please contact Maureen Martin-Edey, Training Coordinator at maureen.martin-edey@humber.ca.

Thank you.

College Council Highlights: March 9, 2017
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When:
March 30, 2017

College Council Highlights: March 9, 2017

Humber College Council (HCC) held its seventh meeting of the 2016-17 academic year on Thursday, March 9 at the North Campus. To ensure the Humber community is informed of upcoming events, new initiatives and important issues, College Council reports the highlights of its monthly meetings. For more information or to provide feedback on the highlights, please contact denise.rooney@humber.ca or bhupinder.singhmalhotra@humber.ca.

Membership Updates, Elections

R. Handler, Vice Chair of College Council, provided a membership and elections update. Members are being notified of their term status and a call for nominations will be posted in the Communiqué by March 31. Nominations will close by April 13 and if necessary, elections will be held May 1-3. Results will be made available at the May 11 HCC meeting.

CICan 2017

R. Handler announced that the 2017 CiCan (Colleges & Institutes Canada) Conference is scheduled for April 30 to May 2. The theme for this year’s conference, held in Ottawa, is ‘Celebrating the 150th Anniversary’. Each year, the Humber Executive Team sponsors 2 members of College Council to attend.

Members were encouraged to visit the website to learn more about the conference and apply using the application form located at each table. A copy of the application form will be send by email to all members. Application deadline is March 31st.

Information Technology Services (ITS) Update

S. Briggs, CIO, provided an ITS update in four key areas.

Guest Wireless – In August 2016, based on customer feedback and in order to improve efficiency, ITS launched guest wireless services that have allowed seamless access to Wi-Fi to all potential users coming to a Humber campus without making any prior arrangements. Users encompass prospective students, guest speakers, alumni and community members.

Online Print Credits – As a result of student feedback, changes were made last fall to replace the former print credit purchasing system to an easy online print credit purchase system available 24/7. The new system permits students to purchase print credits using debit, credit or PayPal.

Changes in Support Centre Model – In August 2016, changes were made to the Tier 1 client support model in order to improve timeliness and access to ITS support services. When clients call 8888 or from a classroom they are directed to a Canadian, third-party off-site business that processes all queries. This off-site provider also manages emails and web chat. S. Briggs confirmed that calls from classrooms and computer labs are the highest priority. ITS is tracking data, including the speed of answering calls and resolutions. A survey is randomly sent to clients for their feedback, which in turn helps ITS to improve service.

Academic Desktop Virtualization – Desktop virtualization is software technology that separates the desktop environment and associated application software from the physical computer. The software is delivered across a network from a data centre and, therefore, is not tied down to a lab or computer. As a pilot project, F112 (The Business School lab) has been using this technology since December 2015, as well as some sections of open labs and the Open Learning Centre. Benefits include:

  • Increased student access to Humber licensed academic software. Currently, there are about 300 different titles for academic delivery. This technology allows students and faculty to connect to this platform by using their own laptop, and/or tablet on campus or off campus, as long as there is an Internet connection.
  • Space required for the hardware is low and there is better utilization of the software license (i.e., currently we may license a software for a 40-station lab, when only 20-stations are needed).
  • Online students will have better access to Humber-licensed software required for their courses.
  • Sustainability: there will be considerable reduction in e-waste and power usage.
  • This technology will enable schools and departments to make faster changes to software during the academic year, with minimal service disruption.

However, this technology has some limitations. It is not suitable for software that requires high processing power such as 3D animation and video. As well, there may be software licensing and compatibility issues.

Items to consider for the implementation plan include: software complexity, academic program alignment, organizational readiness and the hardware cycle

Future College Council ITS items to be discussed include:

  • Humber Cloud Strategy
  • Plans for 2017/18

Fiscal 2017-18, Business Plan, Risk and Budget

Presenters: S. Puri, T. Fattore, C. Johnston

R. Dhaliwal, Senior Vice President, Planning and Corporate Services and CFO, introduced the presenters and briefly discussed the Fiscal 2017-2018 Business Plan being presented to the Board of Directors on March 28.. As well, she discussed how Humber is continuously improving the integrated planning process.

C. Johnston, Director, Strategic Planning and Institutional Analysis, provided an update on the 2017/18  Business Plan. New initiatives are based around Humber’s three pillars and foundations of the Strategic Plan:

  1. Strengthening our polytechnic identity
  2. Maximizing partnerships
  3. Teaching and learning excellence

Other priorities have also been identified including: talent management strategy, awards and recognition programs, expansion of physical capacity through infrastructure projects, review of business requirements for disaster recovery and development of Humber’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan.

T. Fattore, Associate Vice President Administrative Services, provided an update on the different processes in place with respect to Integrated Risk Management (IRM). The six top risks identified for IRM in the current year are: enrolment planning, recruitment competition, IT disaster recovery, change management, labour relations and brand reputation.

S. Puri, Director, Financial Services and Planning, provided an update on the 2017/18 budget. He confirmed that Humber’s enrolment trend has grown over the past five years and has plans to increase enrolment by 2.5 per cent in the upcoming academic year. The budget is a projection that is based on the following assumptions: enrolment, grants, tuition and other fees, salary and benefit costs. Also factored in are other costs such as the partnership with University of Guelph-Humber, administration fees, strategic investments, Enterprise system requirements and Banner upgrades.

The total revenue projection for 2017/18 is $412.5 million and $403.0 million for expenses. Although total revenues are increasing, expenditures are climbing at a faster pace.

The budget will be presented for approval at the Board of Governors meeting on March 28.

The next meeting of College Council will be held Thursday, April 6 at North Campus. For meeting highlights, supporting materials, or opportunities to provide feedback please visit the College Council website at: humber.ca/wearehumber/staff/committees/college-council

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