The Humber College Council (HCC) held its eighth meeting of the 2020-2021 academic year on Thursday, April 15, 2021, online using Microsoft Teams. To ensure the Humber community is informed of upcoming events, new initiatives, and important issues, the College Council reports the highlights of its meetings. For more information or to provide feedback on these highlights, please contact risha.toney@humber.ca.
Roundtable
Kelly Jackson [Associate Vice-President, Government Relations and Communications], on behalf of the Humber Executive, provided a reminder of the Humber Tomorrow announcement made on Tuesday, April 13. Humber Tomorrow gives the Humber community an update on Humber’s strategic plan and the priorities around actions that Humber would like to focus on in the next couple of years. It is also an opportunity to start a conversation with the Humber community on the future of the college. A Humber Tomorrow Virtual Town Hall took place on Wednesday, April 21. There will be additional opportunities to engage in the conversation and provide input.
HCC Elections and Retreat Update
Denise Rooney [Vice Chair, HCC] provided an update on the upcoming HCC Elections. HCC is putting a call out to the Humber community to join Council. There will be 8 vacant spots on HCC beginning in June 2021. An election package was sent out in the Communiqué detailing the positions that are open, the nomination process, and the deadline to submit nominations. During the May 2021 meeting, an election will be held for the HCC Chair and Vice Chair positions.
On the morning of May 27, Council will host its first virtual retreat with guest host John Yolkowski, Manager, Archives. It will be a fun and interactive session and an opportunity to thank members, who are leaving Council, for their service.
Proposed Diploma Program: Hearing Instrument Specialist
Dr. Jason Powell [Senior Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness] and Dr. Amanda Baskwill [Associate Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellness] provided an overview of the proposed Hearing Instrument Specialist (HIS) Diploma program.
The proposed diploma aligns with Humber’s Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA) 2017-2020 by increasing the number of diploma program offerings in Health and Wellness. This program contributes to the College’s strategic pillars of creating career-ready citizens and providing accessible education. Graduates are prepared to engage in all employment opportunities including clinical work, technical support, marketing and sales, research and development, or entrepreneurial endeavours.
More information about potential pathways from this program to Bachelor’s degree completion will be included in the HCC April meeting minutes.
2021/22 Business Plan
Corrine Johnston [Director, Institutional Planning and Analysis] presented the 2021/2022 Business Plan which highlights the major initiatives that the college will undertake in the next year to achieve Humber’s goals and priorities associated with our 2018--2023 Strategic Plan.
There are two major initiatives planned for Pillar 1 – Career Ready Citizens: breaking ground on the Humber Cultural Hub and creating a quality assurance framework related to Work Integrated Learning.
There are many initiatives related to Pillar 2 – Accessible Education in the upcoming Business Plan. We will continue to see significant growth in enrollment and program offerings at Humber’s International Graduate School (IGS). New graduate certificate programs in business and IT, as well as continuous professional learning programs such as those in 3D Modelling, Web Design, and Graphic Design, will be launching at this campus. Meeting industry demand, our three new engineering degrees will launch in September 2021 along with Humber’s standalone Bachelor of Nursing program, a Bachelor of Social Sciences – Addictions and Mental Health program, and a graduate certificate in Retirement Home Management.
In addition to increasing program offerings, in 2021 Humber will build on our partnership with Seneca College (HSPP) and expand our pathways between institutions to 200 programs. Also, we continue to develop our strategy to meet learner needs for flexible continuous professional learning. As the labour market changes, people are looking to upskill and reskill, and a plan will be developed to position Humber well within and be competitive in the professional learning sector.
Lastly, to meet our Indigenization goals, Humber is building Truth and Reconciliation training into our academic programs This is a multi-year initiative that will connect Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students to Canadian historical realities.
As per Pillar 3 – Healthy and Inclusive Community, Humber will begin implementing its first Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) framework focusing on 2 main areas. The first will be an Employment Systems Review, analyzing how policies and practices affect diverse groups and the second will be the support and development of new employee resource groups.
In addition to the three pillars, the 21st Century Institution focuses on the people, process, and infrastructure that are the foundations of our strategic plan. We will continue to move forward with the Digital Campus Plan which includes the Flexible Registration Project and the TechZone, a service hub for students and employees where Java Jazz used to be at the North Campus
Fiscal 2021-22 Budget
Sanjay Puri [Vice President, Administration and CFO] presented the fiscal 2021-22 budget. The budget is guided by Humber’s strategic, business, operational, and capital plans. Sanjay relayed to Council that planning is underway within a changing environment which can be quite challenging.
The budget is broken into 4 segments – Core and Ancillary Operations, Strategic Priorities, and Non-Core Activities. Revenue is stagnant but costs continue to increase. The biggest driver of revenue is enrollment. Last year we budgeted for a 20% decline in revenue however we only saw a 6% reduction. The hope for the 2021 fiscal plan is to return to the enrollment levels we had at pre-COVID. As such the total budgeted revenue for 2021-2022 is $527.0 million, while expenses are expected to be $5220 million. As such, Humber is anticipating a surplus of $5.0 million for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Humber.ca Website Navigation Redesign
K. Jackson and Susan Typert [BlackCat Advertising] led Council through a presentation and a focus group session on the Humber.ca website navigation redesign. The Humber Global Navigation Redesign project has been initiated to enhance user experience on both desktop and mobile devices. This project is being launched specifically to create a better navigation system for Humber.ca, a key tool as we engage with prospects, partners, current students and employees. As mobile devices are widely used to access the Humber sites, a decision was made to adapt a mobile priority for design, and progressively advance to full desktop mode development.
Interactive prototypes were presented for members and guests to interact with individually and in breakout groups. Feedback was provided via surveys. Other groups on campus will also be consulted as part of this process.
The next meeting of the College Council will be held on Thursday, May 13, 2021. For meeting highlights, supporting materials, and opportunities to provide feedback, please visit the College Council website.