There are many items we are able to recycle and now with the help of Lions Clubs International we can recycle our old prescription eyeglasses as well. In co-ordination with Lions Clubs International, the Finance Green Team will be collecting eyeglasses for the entire month of April 2013 commencing on Earth Week, April 1, 2013.
For more information, please contact:
Shailav Chokshi
Phone: 416.675.6622 ext 4506
Email: shailav.chokshi@humber.ca
Please join me in congratulating Dean Paula Gouveia who will be convocating this spring having completed all requirements for her doctoral program in the French Department at the University of Toronto. Paula’s thesis, titled –
La Théorie de la disposition rhétorique: sa formulation dans les textes classiques, sa réapparition dans les arts poétiques de la Renaissance française et son influence sur la composition des Sonnets pour Hélène (1578) de Pierre de Ronsard,
was supervised by Professor John McClelland. Professor McClelland is an especially well known authority in French literature and a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies. The external examiner, Professor Amy Graves from SUNY (Buffalo), is a University of Chicago School of Divinity Martin E. Marty Center Fellow and a former Fulbright Scholar at the Institut d'Histoire de la Réformation (Geneva).
Michael Hatton
Vice President, Academic
Academic Council met for the third time this semester on Thursday, March 14, 2013, at the North Campus. In the interest of keeping the Humber community informed about upcoming events, new initiatives, and important issues, I’ll be reporting on the highlights of the monthly meetings. For more information on any topic, or to give me feedback on the reports, please feel free to contact me directly, at lisa.salem-wiseman@humber.ca.
Strategic Planning
Rick Embree and Ruth MacKay provided an update on the Strategic Planning process. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee has combined the data from the Strategic Planning Kick-Off Survey, the HSF Roundtable, the Student Success Roundtables, and the Industry Partners Roundtable, and has developed the Student Success Framework, which represents a synthesis of the input gathered during the early stages of the consultation process. The Student Success Framework identifies three high-level themes that have emerged from the process:
Members of Council had the opportunity to discuss these themes in small working groups and to provide our feedback. If you would like to learn more about the Student Success Framework and provide your feedback to the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, please visit www.humber.ca/imaginehumber/ and click on “Student Success Framework.”
Long-Term Capital Plan
Rani Dhaliwal, Carol Anderson, and Sanjay Puri updated members of Council on Humber’s 2012 Long Term Capital Plan. Currently, Humber’s capacity is at 61 square feet per full-time student, which is well below the provincial average of 97.9 square feet per fullt-time student. With anticipated enrollment growth, the current and projected space needs at the North Campus total 78,974 square feet, which includes labs, offices, classrooms, and student spaces. Planned projects at the North include the Learning Resource Commons, an academic building, and a lecture hall. In addition, to address parking needs, Humber is considering acquiring property at Highway 27 and Carrier Drive. With extended shuttle service, this property would serve both Carrier Drive and the North Campus.
At the Lakeshore Campus, there is a total space need of 159,960 square feet, including labs, classrooms, student services, library, athletics, offices, and an academic centre. To meet these needs, Humber plans to redevelop a number of nearby properties, and to acquire 24 acres of vacant land on Birmingham and 13th St., which would be used for parking as well as an academic building There are also plans to build a Welcome Centre, which would house Student Services, and a 5-storey academic building on the current site of Building A, which would provide space for labs, classrooms, and offices. In addition, renovations are planned for the library, athletics, and food services, and we are also exploring potential solutions to address the need for residence spaces and parking.
New Programs
In response to an identified labour market need for healthcare managers, The Business School will launch a new four-year degree: Bachelor of Commerce - Healthcare Management. As with Humber’s ten existing Bachelor of Commerce degrees, the first two years of the program will develop foundational knowledge in such areas as organizational behaviour, law, economics, finance, marketing, and operations. The last two years of the program will focus on the Canadian healthcare system and the specialized knowledge required to respond effectively to today's complex healthcare environment. The program includes one 14-week work placement. Although the degree will be offered by The Business School, the program was developed in collaboration with the School of Health Sciences, and the curriculum in the second and third years will be delivered by faculty from both schools. The program will be of interest to students who wish to move into entry-level administrative or management positions in the health sector or who are interested in analytical jobs in health policy.
Rick Embree spoke to members of Council about the process of developing proposals for new programs and gave Council an overview of programs that are currently under consideration for development. New programming is very important for Humber. When developing a new program, key considerations include the program’s fit with Humber’s strategic direction and within a school’s mandate, opportunities for field placements, required facilities and equipment, and the types of work opportunities available for graduates. Currently, Humber has several programs under consideration for development, including degrees, diplomas, advanced diplomas, certificates, and post-graduate certificates.
Enterprise Systems Project
Elaine Popp, Scott Briggs, and Sharon Kinasz provided Council with an update on the Enterprise Systems Project, beginning with a review of the project benefits, which include:
A significant component of the project involves the implementation of the Banner Finance and Student Systems. “Banner” refers to a suite of different pieces of technology that allows students, faculty, and staff to access information. Components of the student system are currently in place, with more scheduled to be added between now and the beginning of August.
Faculty and staff will be provided with role-specific training, through both in-class and e-learning options. Employee groups will be notified by email when training is available and provided details on how to register. Drop-in sessions will also be offered.
The Enterprise Systems Project website provides a timeline for the implementation of the system, information about the system, frequently asked questions, training schedules, quick-reference guides, detailed guides, and e-learning modules. The site is updated frequently, so please check back regularly: www.humber.ca/esp
Humber Students’ Federation
Bhalinder Bedi, Ashley Martin, and Teresa Silva provided council with an update on recent HSF activities. February was Mental Health Awareness month, and HSF kicked off the month with a “Blue Monday” event on January 21, as part of an ongoing effort to destigmatize mental illness. Subsequent events included a Massage Day at the University of Guelph-Humber, and a De-Stress Day during which students at the North and Lakeshore Campuses were invited to escape the stress of midterms by relaxing in the Student Centre with pillows and blankets, while listening to tranquil music and eating healthy snacks.
In addition, HSF has partnered with Dr. Rummy Gill, Manager of Humber Counseling Services, to offer the Bounceback Award, which will be given to a Humber student overcoming mental illness. The recipient of the award receives $500, with an additional $500 donated to the mental health charity of their choosing. There were twenty applicants for the award.
HSF elections ran from March 11 – 15, 2013. The governance structure is in the process of being changed for increased transparency and accountability.
During this time, cities around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show that it's possible to take action on global warming.
Did you know Earth Hour is the single, largest, symbolic mass participation event in the world? Earth Hour started as a way to engage people to take action on climate change. People in 7,001 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories switch lights off for an hour to show their concern for the environment!
Here at Humber, we're asking students and staff to 'switch off' on March 23 at 8:30 p.m. On Humber campuses during Earth Hour, many lights will be turned off in our buildings and parking lots at North and Lakeshore Campuses, including Student Residences. Earth Hour is about much more than saving energy for one hour, it's about changing our relationship with energy for the entire year. Humber is continuously finding new ways to reduce our energy use. Check out the Buildings and Grounds page under Topics to see what we've been up to!
As always, please make sure you turn lights, computers and equipment off when you leave on Friday. We also invite your feedback on what else Humber can do to reduce energy use in our workplace. Send your ideas or questions to sustainability@humber.ca
More information about the global Earth Hour event can be found at www.earthhour.org
For more information, please contact:
Lindsay Walker
Phone: 416.675.6622 ext. 5829
Email: sustainability@humber.ca
We are pleased to announce that since Spring 2012 over 400 Humber employees have taken the two day course to become certified as Mental Health First Aiders! This engaging program continues to deliver meaningful and relevant content. See some comments from your colleagues below:
Interested in taking this program? Our next course is being offered on Monday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 9 at the North Campus.
To register, please click here or contact Vicki DiGiovanni at vicki.digiovanni@humber.ca. If these dates don’t work, there will be several more courses available through the Spring and Summer and registration will be available through Training and Development.
Keep your eyes open for further Communique announcements!
Seize the opportunities and join us!
Thank you to all of you who have already made a gift in response to the special letter from Chris Whitaker. It’s not too late to join Chris and your colleagues and make a donation. Click here to make a gift today.
Follow these easy steps:
Remember: the easiest and most convenient way to give is by making a payroll deduction.
All employee gifts received by March 31, 2013 will be entered into a draw to win a lunch with Chris!
Thank you for your generous support.
Office of Advancement & Alumni Relations
LX101 ~ 416.673.0152 ~ giving@humber.ca
Humber's Looking For Student Models for upcoming publications. Please share this poster and website link with your students.
Deadline: March 31, 2013
Click here to register.
After 37 years of dedicated service to Humber, John Mason, Vice-President, Student & Corporate Services, has decided to enjoy retirement at the end of August of this year.
John first joined Humber as a student in our Hotel & Restaurant Administration program and in 1976, shortly after graduation, returned to Humber as the Catering Manager. During his tenure, John’s vigorous work ethic, focus on service and aspiration to always put students first never went unnoticed as he worked in progressively more senior roles.
In 1980, John became Director, Food Services and in 1991 he became the Director, Ancillary Services with the added responsibility of the Bookstore and Residence operations. In the late 1990s John undertook a secondment within the Registrar’s Office to assess and realign the Call Centre and implement a new customer service model. In recognition of his leadership of this initiative, John was asked to continue his secondment with the Registrar’s Office where he played an instrumental role in the development of enrolment management related functions while continuing his responsibilities for the overall leadership of Ancillary Services.
In 2002, John assumed the role of Registrar and was subsequently promoted to his current role of Vice-President, Student & Corporate Services in 2007. With unsurpassed leadership, creativity and people skills, John has taken great pleasure in working with the many talented individuals who make Humber an outstanding institution.
Although we will miss John, he has worked tirelessly for our students and staff and has earned the opportunity to enjoy more time with his family and friends.
Please join me in wishing John all the best in his retirement!
Chris Whitaker
President
With 42 years of outstanding and dedicated service to Humber, Rick Embree has decided to retire effective August 31, 2013.
Rick joined Humber in 1971 as a faculty member in the Re-Training and Apprenticeship division and in a short time was developing and designing individualized instruction for retraining programs. He has been a Co-coordinator of educational development, a director of Research and Development, and served as dean of Planning & Development for more than nine years responsible for Humber’s strategic plan, the initial design and development of Bachelor degrees and the establishment of annual enrolment targets.
For the last five years as Associate Vice-President he has added the responsibilities of Government Relations, Institutional Research and Community Outreach to his portfolio. Among the many changes Ontario society has witnessed, since the late 60’s, the one that has had enormous impact is the evolution of the college system. From the early days Humber has been a leader in post secondary education and one of the driving forces of its success has been Humber’s ability to design and develop new programming. We can attribute much of this success to Rick’s leadership.
There is no doubt that when Rick leaves a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge and wisdom will leave with him.
Let me assure everyone that over the next several months, we will create opportunities for all of Rick’s friends and colleagues to pay tribute to and celebrate all the contributions that he has made to the success of Humber and Humber’s students.
Please join me in wishing Rick all the best in his retirement.
Chris Whitaker
President
