I am pleased to announce Susan Kelsall, Associate Dean, the Business School has successfully defended her dissertation “Disrupting the Norms: Towards New Understandings of Persistence and Success in Postsecondary Education”, on March 6, 2015 at University of British Columbia in completion of a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy.

Using the visual, quantitative, data mining technique of sequence analysis with optimal matching and cluster analysis, and discrepancy analysis, Susan’s longitudinal research study maps individual student academic outcomes and enrollment and achievement pathways of one cohort of Humber business diploma students (N=790) and explores relationships with student academic and behavioral characteristics derived from historical institutional administrative data.

The supervisory committee was comprised of Dr. Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus (supervisor), Dr. Lesley Andres, Professor and Dr. Andre Mazawi, Professor - all of the Department of Educational Studies, UBC. The external examiner was Dr. Glen A. Jones, Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement and Professor of Higher Education at OISE, University of Toronto. University examiners were Dr. Kjell Rubenson, Professor Emeritus, UBC and Co-Director of Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training, UBC and Dr. Alison Taylor, Associate Professor, Political Economy in Education, UBC.

I am proud of Susan. Completing a doctorate is a tremendous accomplishment. We look forward to Susan sharing her research findings with the Humber community.


Congratulations,

Alvina Cassiani, PhD
Dean, The Business School

On March 3, 2015 The Business School Placement Centre hosted an interviewing skills workshop with TJX Canada (Winners, HomeSense, Marshalls). 

The event opened with Teresa Gabriele, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, who held a presentation on tips and techniques for interviewing. Following Teresa’s presentation, a panel of TJX Canada recruitment representatives was welcomed to answer student questions and provide insight into successfully completing interviews to secure placement and job opportunities. Following the panel discussion, students were invited to network with the TJX Canada team. 

The panel offered great advice including these key points:

• A good resume is key and will secure an interview, however it will not get you the job
• Always tailor your application to incorporate the specific terms, skills, and responsibilities outlined in the corresponding job description and specifications
• Add professional and personal flare to your resume, this will help to set you apart
• Avoid surface answers by using the STAR method; situation, task, action, result
• Provide specific quantifiable examples of what you made, saved or achieved
• Behavioural questions are asked to understand how the applicant has behaved in the past, therefore, you must provide specific examples of similar work experience (STAR stories)
• Situational interview questions are asked assuming that the applicant does not possess the relevant work experience. However, it is important to describe how you would behave in a given situation drawing from your personal life experience
• Enthusiasm and passion in an interview is critical, even more so in a phone interview (smile!)
• Make sure to research the company prior to an interview, and sell yourself on how you can contribute to the organization
• Never fake it, always be yourself. 

Rollout of Humber’s new, unified communications solution is progressing as planned.  To date, approximately 25% of Humber has successfully migrated to the new solution.  The full rollout is on track for November.

Unified communications offers many benefits over traditional telephony.   Notable functions and features include the ability to:

• Host and/or participate in audio, video, and Web conferences
• Place and receive calls using your computer or laptop
• Route incoming calls to a smartphone or home office
• Dial extensions by first and/or last name
• Receive, play, forward, and delete voicemail from your e-mail mailbox
• Transfer calls in progress from your desk phone to your smartphone
• Collaborate with others in the organization via interactive messaging

These features were not available on Humber’s legacy telephony system.

Other benefits include new e911 capabilities that will enhance Public Safety’s ability to respond to incidents and new queuing functions/features that will help the Call Centre improve the caller experience.

At this time, Public Safety is also testing a new broadcast messaging feature that will allow text and/or voice alerts through the new phones.  You may see evidence of the testing.   More details will be communicated soon.

Asked for feedback on her recent transition to the new system, Olga Lalka, Director of Marketing, said, “I love getting voice messages as e-mail and how deleting the e-mail automatically deletes the voice message.”

Regarding the new interactive messaging feature, Anna Borg shared with Academic & Educational Technology Committee, “I find the texting quite handy for collaboration.  I use it a lot; it saves me a lot of time.”

“Conferencing is wonderful”, said Eileen DeCourcy, Associate Vice-president of Teaching and Learning, recently.  “It has made collaborating so much easier.  I can also attend a meeting anywhere from my office.” 

Information Technology Services is transitioning a School/Department every two weeks starting with individuals moving to the LRC to align with the move-in schedule.  The focus will shift to the Lakeshore Campus in April.

The School of Liberal Arts & Sciences was the first School to transition to the new services.  Of the transition, Paul Gouveia has said, “It was incredibly smooth.  The team did an excellent job.  We are very happy.”

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Burton, Director of I.T. Planning & Client Services, at Ryan.Burton@humber.ca