As some of you may already know, Nancy Rodrigues, Associate Dean in charge of the Advertising, Graphic Design, PR and Fundraising cluster of programs has decided to retire effective January 31, 2015.
Nancy has been with the college on a full-time basis for over 26 years. During this time she has held a variety of positions, including faculty, program coordinator and more recently as Associate Dean.
During her time at the School of Media Studies & Information Technology, Nancy has been instrumental in developing new programs, curriculum, policies and procedures, kick-starting and growing the continuing education department, and a number of innovative initiatives such as the first two-year Ontario Graduate Certificate, and bridging programming for internationally trained IT professionals. Her dedication to teaching, learning and academic excellence is evident in all that she does.
Nancy's contributions have gone well beyond the boundaries of the school and have added value to the Humber community as a whole through her participation on numerous committees and projects. She has spearheaded such high-profile projects as the first degree viewbook, League for Innovation publications, the launch of two very successful degree programs, and the launch of the Ad Centre, just to name a few of the most notable ones.
Nancy has recently become a grandmother for the first time. She is looking forward to spending more time with her new addition to the family.
Please join me in congratulating Nancy on her decision to retire and wishing her well in this new stage of her life.
The School is hosting a retirement reception honouring Nancy Rodrigues on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 1:30 pm in the 7th Semester. Please join us in wishing her well in her retirement.
Announcements
Planning and Corporate Services is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Corrine Johnston as Director, Strategic Planning and Institutional Analysis.
The Director of SPIA is responsible for the leadership and support of institutional reporting, research, and strategic planning at Humber. Reporting to the Senior Vice-President, Corrine will lead the team responsible for projects in the areas of strategic planning, business planning, and institutional analysis. This will include supporting our corporate visioning and strategy, internal and external reporting, and the monitoring, analysis and updating of institutional metrics.
Corrine brings to Humber a wealth of experience in strategic and business planning, project management, and institutional analysis as well as expertise in research methodology. Her past positions have been with George Brown College, McMaster University, and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Using her past experience and knowledge, Corrine will be invaluable in leading planning activities, and building institutional capacity for identifying and measuring organizational performance using data and analysis.
Corrine has a Doctor of Philosophy in Behavioural Science from the University of Toronto, and both a Master and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University. In addition, Corrine has completed certificates in Project Management and the Principles and Practices of University Teaching from McMaster University.
Please join me in extending a warm welcome for Corrine to the Humber Community.
Rani K. Dhaliwal
Senior Vice President, Planning and Corporate Services, & CFO
Notice of Hydro Service Interruption - Lakeshore East
Lakeshore Campus - East
Sunday, June 7, 2015 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Purpose; to perform annual high voltage, preventative maintenance on College electrical infrastructure.
Location: All buildings (C/D/E/F/H/I/J/K/L/M/N) located at Lakeshore Campus-East will be affected. Emergency power will be available.
Staff, faculty and students will not be allowed entry into the College facilities during the hydro shutdown.
Lakeshore West/Residence/Centre For Justice Leadership/Fashion Institute/Community Medical Services Building/Humber Launch/Humber Arts & Media Studios, will not be affected.
If you have any questions, please contact Scott Skrinar, x3634.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: In future years, the Lakeshore Campus shutdown will be scheduled on the first Sunday of June. The following years scheduled shutdown is June 5th 2016 and will affect all buildings at Lakeshore Campus-West(A/B/AX/Residence/Bookstore/Athletics).
Has your name been mentioned? Find out by watching this week's release of Student Shout-Outs:
HUMBER INTERFAITH CALENDAR MULTIFAITH HOLY DAYS & FESTIVALS
DECEMBER 2014 : CALENDAR - DESCRIPTIONS
In the spirit of diversity and inclusion, we provide the following Multifaith Holy Days & Festivals realizing that it is not exhaustive. Should you wish your faith’s days to be included, please contact the Chaplain at x 4427 or chaplain@humber.ca for due consideration.
01 Monday
Mnidoo-Giisoons (Aboriginal-Ojibwe)
Little Spirit Moon.
06 Saturday
Full Moon The moon is at its greatest visibility.
St. Nicholas Day (Christianity-Eastern)
Celebrates St. Nicholas (from 3rd century Asia Minor) as the protector children and the bringer of gifts. Children leave shoes before a chimney or outside the front door of the home in the hope of obtaining Christmas treats.
08 Monday
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
(Christianity-Catholicism)
Celebrates the birth of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as being conceived without sin.
12 Friday
Masa’il (Baha’i)
Masa’il, meaning Questions, is the fifteenth month of the Baha’i year.
17 Wednesday
Hanukkah (Judaism) to Dec 24
(The Festival of Lights and Feast of Dedication)
Commemorates the victory of Judah the Maccabee for religious freedom plus the rededication of the temple in 165 BCE. Hannukkah begins at sundown the prior day.
21 Sunday
December (Winter) Solstice
The time when the Winter season begins.
Yule (Wicca)
Celebrates the new year, in the Anglo-Saxon and northern traditions of Wicca, with the birth of the God as the Winter-born King symbolized by the rebirth of the life-giving and life-sustaining sun; a time for ritually shedding the dross of the past year to contemplate spiritual development for the year ahead.
Tohji-Tasai (Shinto)
Celebrates the end of the sun’s period of decline (Yin) and its forthcoming renewal of strength (Yang).
22 Monday
New Moon The moon is at its least visibility.
23 Tuesday
Birth of Joseph Smith (Mormonism)
Celebrates the birth of the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons.
25 Thursday
Christmas (Christianity-Western)
Celebrates the birth of Jesus, whom Christians worship as the Christ and Saviour of the world.
26 Friday
Death of Zarathustra (Zoroastrianism)
Celebrates Zarathustra (Zoroaster), founder of the Zoroastrian faith (dates uncertain).
Kwanzaa to Jan 01/2015(West African / North American)
Celebrated by North Americans of West African descent in recognition of their African and family heritage.
St. Stephen’s Day (Christianity-Western)
Commemorates Stephen who died as the first Christian martyr.
Boxing Day (Christianity-Western)
Collections of gifts are given to those in need.
31 Wednesday
Sharaf(Baha’i)
Sharaf, meaning Honour, is the sixteenth month if the Baha’i year.
Ghambar Maidyarem to Jan 04(Zoroastrianism)
Celebrates the creation of the animals and is the time for equitable food sharing.
Omisoka (Shinto)
To celebrate the new year, Shinto temples ring bells 108 times to remove the worldly desires of persons seeking a long life.
On December 3rd, 2014, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan - formerly Association of Canadian Community Colleges) is coordinating a national signing of an Aboriginal Education Protocol with member institutions. The protocol is intended to publicly acknowledge commitment to the national and provincial economic and social imperative to develop capacity from within the Aboriginal community through access to a culturally relevant education. Recognizing unique aspects of Canada's history with Aboriginal peoples, the document references the significance of cultural self-determination within the broader societal framework, and also the importance of defining the role of Aboriginal peoples in relationship to each institution.
In Fall 2009, Humber submitted a proposal for funding to the MTCU for the purpose of improving Aboriginal student access and success. This targeted funding envelope was first received in Winter 2010, and since then Humber's Aboriginal population has grown from less than one hundred to close to six hundred students. This number is similar in proportion to Aboriginal people in the GTA.
Since 2010, the college has demonstrated its commitment to our Aboriginal community in the following ways:
- Hiring Elder Shelley Charles in a full time capacity and beginning the process of establishing an Aboriginal Resource Center (ARC) and dedicated culturally relevant services to support our growing Aboriginal population.
- Establishing an Aboriginal Education Council linking First Nations leaders and communities in our geographic region to Humber. In addition to our external First Nations representation, membership includes academic and administrative Deans (Paula Gouveia, Gina Antonacci and Jen McMillen), Directors and managers, members of Community Outreach and students. This Council engages in annual and ongoing visioning sessions to plan for future initiatives.
- Establishing an "Aboriginal Camp Choice" program that has to date provided more than 500 Aboriginal youth with the opportunity to explore Aboriginal culture and tradition while gaining important first-hand exposure to higher education (and in particular college, which is the entry point for the majority of Aboriginal students).
- Reviewing curriculum in order to determine Aboriginal content, and developing the innovative "Indigenous Knowledge" Certificate that provides both a credential and an opportunity for students in programs that will serve segments of the Aboriginal community to demonstrate cultural competency that will be essential to career success.
- Committing funds beyond the MTCU funding envelope and adding positions that demonstrate both Humber's commitment to our Aboriginal students and related economic and social imperatives, and ensuring that ongoing initiatives are sustainable, internalized and reflective of institutional in addition to system values.
- Developing and delivering training and cultural competency workshops, PowWows and other events to members from across the internal and external Humber community.
- Developing relationships and engaging our community with many nationally recognized Aboriginal leaders, educators and role models, including Chief Justice Murray Sinclair, Wab Kinew, James Dumont, Banakonda Bell, Mary Spencer and Susan Aglukark.
- Providing honorary degrees to internationally recognized artist Jane Ash-Poitras and author Joseph Boyden.
- Creating dedicated Aboriginal student spaces on both the North and Lakeshore campuses and ensuring that art and other symbols of Aboriginal culture are embedded throughout the community.
The Indigenous Education Protocol is intended both to publicly demonstrate institutional commitment and to serve as an exemplar for the ongoing and future development of services and opportunities to support our community of learners and develop important relationships and partnerships with the external Aboriginal community.
Humber's Executive Team supports this commitment and it is recognized that ongoing dialogue will be required with the academic and college community in order to realize Humber's unique approach to supporting Aboriginal student access and success.
Jason Hunter
Vice President
Student and Community Engagement
Laurie Rancourt
Senior Vice President
Academic
Mental health problems affect everyone, whether directly or indirectly.
Do you know anyone who feels stressed, overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, fearful, or suicidal? Are you unsure how best to support that person, or wonder if it’s even a good idea to talk openly about how she or he is feeling?
Mental Health First Aid teaches people the basics of mental health, including information about common mental health problems and specific disorders, as well as simple and explicit actions we can all take to identify the signs and symptoms of distress and provide meaningful support. Whether you are faculty, support staff or an administrator you will learn useful and relevant information to assist you to cope with mental health concerns in your professional and personal life.
When you attend a two day Mental Health First Aid course, you can expect the following:
- Improve your understanding of mental illness
- Minimize the fear and hesitation to become involved when you think someone is experiencing a mental health problem
- Learn simple and effective intervention strategies that are relevant to your role in the college
To enroll in a Mental Health First Aid course, please contact:
Kathy Donaldson Mental Health First Aid Coordinator at kathy.donaldson@humber.ca please identify the date you wish to register for;
- Jan.5 & 6, 2015
- Jan.6 & 7, 2015
- Jan.7 & 8, 2015
- Jan.8 & 9, 2015
- Feb. 17 & 18, 2015
- Feb. 19 & 20, 2015
If you would like to arrange a group training for your school or department please contact kathy.donaldson@humber.ca
Finally if you are interested in participating in a MHFA training session during Decemeber, click here.
It will bring you to Humber’s Learning & Development website where you can register for the Dec 11 & 12 or Dec 16&17 Mental Health First Aid sessions we have planned. Click on the drop down menu in the Program tab, then click on College Knowledge, then choose the date you wish to participate in MHFA, and register.
At the November College Council meeting, a request was made for further clarification of the rationale for moving the first day of classes from Wednesday, January 7th to Monday, January 12th 2015.
In order to provide the best opportunity for student success, it is critical that students, faculty and staff have a smooth start to academic delivery and related campus start-up activities such as student orientation.
The following factors and issues were considered in changing the Winter 2015 start date:
- It is critical to ensure that students are fully registered and schedules are completed in time for the beginning of classes. With college employees returning to work on January 5th, and given the complexities of registering and welcoming close to 3000 new students, it was determined that a January 7th class start did not provide adequate time for these activities.
- Many of Humber’s courses combine both theory and practical application and in many cases it is ideal that this content is delivered in the same instructional week. It was recognized that a Monday start would allow for the proper sequencing of these academic activities.
- Existing data shows that participation in academic and campus orientation is a critical factor in supporting student success. A later start provides additional time for faculty and staff to prepare to greet our students, and increases the availability of students to participate (particularly international students who may arrive late and students relying on work to support the cost of their education). The New Student Orientation date has been changed to January 8th 2015.
- A review of start dates for other GTA colleges indicates that most will begin classes on or after January 12th. The additional time provided is utilized for academic advising.
- Students have not yet registered and will not have their academic schedules until late December and the exam schedule will not be finalized until mid-March. As such students will not know any potential impact that the change may have, and are being directed to Program Coordinators for any additional academic/scheduling issues that may be identified in the new year. The college is committed to ensuring that accommodations are made for any students impacted by the change to end-of-term date (to May 1st 2015). As required and when available, additional instructions will be provided both to students and staff.
Any additional questions should be raised with the appropriate Dean or Director, with the Registrar's Office providing clarification as required.
Jason Hunter
Vice President
Student and Community Engagement
Laurie Rancourt
Senior Vice President
Academic