Retirement Announcement – Ken Harrison, Associate Dean
School College Work Initiative and Dual Credit Programs
Student Success and Engagement and School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

For over 40 years, Ken Harrison has called Humber a second home. He has been a student, instructor, faculty member, and administrator and now, after 40 years, he has decided to retire effective August 31, 2016.

Ken Harrison first started at Humber as a student, graduating from the “paramedic” program at a time when paramedics were referred to as ambulance drivers. During his time as a student, Ken excelled and this allowed him to make a very successful transition from the emergency care field into the classroom where he enjoyed a successful career as a professor in “Ambulance & Emergency Care”. During this time, he graduated from the first cohort of the Central Michigan University Masters of Arts program provided at Humber, and moved from a faculty position into the role of Chairman and Associate Dean. Ken spent a total of 27 years in the School of Health Sciences and enjoyed many years overseeing programs in the Allied and Community Health Department. Ken served on numerous committees, including two terms on Academic Council and also co-chaired several task forces, one on Student Success and a second that developed Humber’s first Code of Ethics. He was recognized for his efforts and contributions with the Administrative Distinguished Service Award. He subsequently transitioned to the School of Information Technology & Accounting, and then into to the department of Planning & Development and most recently, with Student Success & Engagement and the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Since 2003, Ken has assumed roles within the provincial School College Work Initiative (SCWI), a portfolio where he would excel because he was devoting his time to building stronger connections between secondary and postsecondary education. Over the past 10 years, and under Ken’s leadership, Humber has gone from registering a few dozen students into a pilot dual credit program to an annual enrolment of over 1,000 high school students in Humber courses involving all academic schools at all campus locations.

Ken currently chairs Connecting GTA Teachers, a provincial regional planning team that oversees all of the SCWI initiatives for 6 Colleges and 9 School Boards, and manages a financial portfolio exceeding $8.5 million dollars for this group which offers over 120 different projects and programs each year.

Many thousands of students have benefited from his exceptional dedication to student pathways and student success and many more will continue to do so as he literally has put Dual Credit on the provincial map. He has been a true driving force behind the continued investment and success in projects like the School Within a College (SWAC) programs, Connecting Teacher Forums, College Experience Days and the annual provincial SCWI Symposium hosted at Humber.

Please join us in congratulating Ken on his dedication and commitment to Humber and in wishing him only the best as he begins the next chapter of his life.

Sincerely,