2015 President's Breakfast
Chris Whitaker's Remarks
Monday, August 31, 2015

Hello and welcome to the 34^th annual President’s Breakfast! Has it really been a year since I last danced into the gym?  I hope you’ve had a great summer and found some time to relax and enjoy the season.  I particularly wish to welcome everyone new to the Humber family and all who are at the breakfast for the first time.   

Let me also take a moment to recognize our board of governors, past and present, retirees and our many external partners who are here this morning.  It’s wonderful to have two past presidents with us today, “Squee” Gordon and John Davies.

I also want to thank my wife Vicki and my family for sharing me with Humber.

This is my fourth president’s breakfast since joining Humber just over three years ago, and let me say what an honour and privilege it is to serve as your president. I can truly say that I come to work every day just as excited as the day I started.

The President’s Breakfast is a long-standing tradition. It’s a celebration of Humber’s past, present and future and the many people who have contributed to our success.  As you saw in the video, there’s a lot to celebrate and much to be proud of. This morning we will be handing out our 2015 recognition awards and I want to congratulate and thank each recipient for their contributions to the college.

My remarks this morning will provide highlights for this celebratory theme and provide a state-of-the-Humber nation address.

Let me formally begin by thanking all our faculty and staff.  Everything we achieve and all of our success depends entirely on your skill, knowledge and willingness to do the right thing for our students and Humber.  

And while we will be recognizing a number of specific individuals today for their contributions, we are a team that is highly dependent on all its members.  Our ability to work together will continue to be a critical factor in our success.

We have achieved many great things in the past year. Now into year three of our strategic plan, I am pleased to see we are pushing a number of initiatives across the finish line, while work continues on others. 

In an organization as large as Humber, significant change is often a multi-year proposition.  Achieving goals requires creativity and team work, patience and determination.  We are operating in an increasingly competitive environment where postsecondary institutions face financial constraints, changing demographics and evolving government policy and accountability requirements. 

While embracing change is not always easy, a number of indicators point to Humber’s continued success.

We take enormous pride in the knowledge that more students choose Humber than any other college. We have the largest number of applications and new full time registrants, with almost 60,000 program choices and 12,000 semester one students joining us this fall.

With three per cent year-over-year semester one enrolment growth, we lead the GTA at a time when overall system growth is declining.  

The excellent reputation of our programs and faculty is paying dividends.  We continue to be a destination of choice for students pursuing their dreams and for employers seeking skilled graduates.

Humber’s success is also part of the growing recognition of the value of college and polytechnic education. Particularly in the challenging labour market of the past several years, students are drawn to institutions that give them the applied knowledge and experience desired by employers.

In his recent report Career Ready, the University of Saskatchewan’s Ken Coates gives suggestions on modernizing postsecondary education, including cutting university enrolment by 30 per cent and increasing college numbers.  Coates says, "Canada's superb and growing polytechnics system gets it. Its administrators and educators work closely with employers, focus on career-ready programs, and adapt quickly to new technologies and changing workplace requirements."

This recognition of our model of education is helping us attract a broader range of learners than ever. Our fastest growing credentials in terms of enrolment are our four-year baccalaureate degrees and graduate certificates. College is no longer considered a place for those who can’t handle university. It is - as we in the room know - for anyone who wants to learn in an environment that combines theory, practice and industry experience.

The value of our programs is underscored by significant growth in university graduates choosing college to top off their education and gain marketable, job-ready skills. In the last five years Ontario colleges have had more than a 40 per cent increase in the number of university graduates enrolling.

Further, a recent study out of Algonquin College gives insight into why this is happening. After surveying 1,200 current or potential college students, researchers discovered university graduates were more concerned about job prospects than their peers in college and more likely to come to college for work related experience.

So clearly we’re on the right track. Our priorities of leadership in polytechnic education, a focus on teaching and learning excellence, and maximizing the impact of partnerships, all support the commitments we have made in our student success framework, which is at the core of our strategic plan. 

These commitments are worth repeating:

• To provide all students with a high quality educational environment and experience
• To ensure Humber grads have the knowledge and skills they need for success personally and professionally
• And, to make all academic and operating decisions on the basis of delivering on these commitments

These commitments are core to our mission - and stay constant. Our plans and annual objectives, as the means to achieve them, are developed and recalibrated as we respond to the changing environment we operate in.

We have seen significant change in the environment even in the short time since I’ve been at Humber. We’ve gone from successive years of double-digit enrolment growth to around two or three percent annually…. sorry about that.

When I arrived at Humber I heard concerns that we must pay attention to the pressures of growth so as not to compromise quality.  Today with relatively flat enrolment and public sector fiscal constraint, we talk about working smart to maintain and improve quality.

There is also growing recognition that our funding mechanisms need to better reflect new realities and place greater emphasis on quality over quantity.

To quote Harvey Weingarten of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario,  “if there is any issue that should dominate the future of higher education, it’s quality – quality of the student experience, quality of our graduates, quality of our postsecondary institutions and quality of our higher education systems.”

I’m confident we’re continuing to focus on the right things in support of the quality outcomes we desire. As we pass the midpoint of our strategic plan, over the coming year we will continue to invest in people, programs and infrastructure.   

We will also strengthen elements of Humber that distinguish us from other postsecondary institutions: our program and credential mix and associated pathways, innovation in teaching, learning and service excellence, access for underrepresented groups, internationalization and entrepreneurship.

With that in mind, we are proud to be starting nine new programs across the college this fall that will further enhance the mix of online, postgraduate, diploma, certificate and degree programs offered at Humber.

And with two-thirds of our students coming here with previous education or work experience, that mix is important in appealing to people from all walks of life.

When I say all walks of life, I’m not just talking about a university graduate versus a high school student, or someone who is retraining versus someone who’s just starting on their educational path. Over time, learners and their needs have changed and become increasingly complex. They’re often the first in their family to go to college. They’re newcomers to Canada. They’re supporting families. They have intellectual or physical disabilities – and we are here for all of them.

It is timely then, that we are focusing on implementing a strategic enrolment management, or SEM framework, and a new Academic Plan.  

The SEM framework will help us gain in-depth understanding of our student population, and enable us to tailor our programs and services to meet their needs.

In the first two years of our strategic plan, we have established our SEM framework and a cross-institutional committee to analyze enrolment trends, identify best practices in providing services and programs, and develop strategies to improve the student experience.  The plan includes new strategies for the recruitment, conversion, enrolment and retention of students, and we can now start putting it in place.

An important component is how most prospective and current students get their information about Humber – our website. If you keep an eye on it late next week, you’ll notice it looks a little different. The upcoming launch of the new humber.ca shows we’re listening to students and providing them with the information they need right from the first click.

I love what I’ve seen of the new look and am confident it will serve our schools, services and especially our students well. Thank you to the web development team for your hard work over these many months.

Our academic plan also continues to take shape and is highly integrated with Strategic Enrolment Management.

The overall purpose of the academic plan is to articulate Humber’s academic priorities and inform decisions on program development, and associated organizational requirements to ensure ongoing quality and relevance.

It also supports continued differentiation of our program and credential mix in alignment with our areas of identified strength and future growth. Emphasis will be given to programming organized around Centres of Innovation, as articulated in our strategic plan. The Centres will focus on interdisciplinarity, research & innovation, pathways between credentials, and excellence in teaching & learning.

An Academic Planning Working Group was formed to give advice on the plan’s content and process, and to date, stakeholders have provided input through nearly 500 survey responses and participation at Town Hall meetings.

The draft plan will be available for review and feedback from all internal Humber stakeholders over the next couple of months and the finalized Academic Plan will be released in November 2015.

Sound academic planning and enrolment management are key to providing the rich experience we aspire to through our commitments to students.

Recent research shows that overall, college grads value their postsecondary experiences long after they leave. In the 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report, more than 30,000 graduates across the United States were surveyed about the link between their undergraduate experience and post-graduation success.

Researchers found six common elements that significantly impacted students after graduating, including professors who made them excited to learn and who cared about them, completing a job or internship in their field, and getting involved in extracurricular activities.

So, to everyone who’s worked long hours to help a student in need, shown our students that they count, and made them feel important – I thank you. These things seem small, but they make a big difference.

Speaking of support, we continue to strengthen our efforts against Sexual Violence in our community.  Last year we launched the new sexual assault policy, this year we are working toward preventing sexual violence from occurring in the first place.  Over the month of September you will see bystander training, a social media campaign and self-defense training intended to support a safe community for everyone.

Also on the Student Success and Engagement front, we introduced a co-curricular student record. Any student who participates in campus life outside of class will have their participation highlighted in this record. This will help when they build resumes and look for jobs.

Another way in which our caring community makes tangible contributions to support our students is through philanthropic activities.  This includes a long history of generosity expressed through our annual United Way Employee Campaign and signature fundraising events.

Starting this fall, United Way funds can be directed to Humber awards and scholarships.

On the home front, our Humber Gives campaign gains momentum every year. I am pleased to say that in 2014-15 we raised $86,000 – 20 percent more than the year before – and saw the largest-ever number of first-time donors.

Thanks to all of you, a significant load was lifted from many of our students who were able to focus on their studies without stressing over paying their bills.

Watch your mail later this week for the new Humber Gives calendar, and we hope you will support the campaign again.

Our partners and employees also got into the fundraising action. Earlier this summer, our third-annual Humber College Golf Classic was an enormous success. Thanks to the generosity of our participants, sponsors and auction donors, more than $120,000 was raised to fund awards and scholarships across the college.

And sticking with Advancement and External Affairs, we are making great strides internationally.  Humber’s new internationalization strategy –bringing the world to Humber and Humber to the world – was recognized this past May when we received the Colleges and Institutes Canada’s gold award of excellence for Internationalization.

International student enrolment continues to grow at Humber – another indicator of the value of what we do.  In 2001, one in five international students coming to Ontario chose college. By 2013, that had gone up to one in three.

Today, more than 3,600 students from 138 countries call Humber home.

As well as welcoming international students here, we regularly send faculty and students overseas – extending the learning environment and helping them become responsible global citizens.

Turning to our efforts to enhance the learning environment on our campuses, we continue to address our infrastructure requirements.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that Humber has the lowest square footage per student of any Ontario college.

In 2013, work began on the largest construction project in Humber history – the Learning Resource Commons. This past April we held our first open house in this new gateway to the North Campus, opening our front door to nearly 4,000 prospective students and their families.

Next week our students will get to enjoy the spaces designed specifically for them: the library, new test, writing and math centres, and lots of places to study and relax between classes. Did I mention Starbucks?

This new 264,000 square foot building makes it possible for students to access the services they need under one roof. Congratulations to all who contributed to the outstanding facility.

In June, we officially opened the doors to the expanded F building after adding two floors of student learning space. The award-winning project houses bioscience labs and new space for the Funeral Services program, along with 4,700 square feet of study space.  Also featured are ten classrooms of the future.  Our new “HIVES” - Humber Interactive Spaces, will advance continued innovation in teaching and learning.

Combined, these two projects created 100,000 square feet of vacant space at the North campus. A Backfill Committee was formed to allocate the space, with a focus on additional classrooms, labs and academic offices.

We have identified 47 backfill construction projects to be completed over the next two years and will keep you informed as work progresses.

Thank you to the members of the Backfill Committee for all your hard work.

At the Lakeshore Campus, work continues on the new Welcome Centre at the corner of Kipling and Lakeshore, the new Athletics Centre and Building G, which will be home to the Centre for Entrepreneurship.

The Welcome Centre, once complete, will be 45,000 square feet, four storeys tall and designed according to LEED Silver standards. Student services will be housed there. The building will also feature an Interpretive Centre, highlighting the history of the Lakeshore Campus grounds and buildings.

Building G, I’m pleased to say, is the last of the Lakeshore cottages to be restored – that’s right, get ready to wave goodbye to the fake windows. The new Centre for Entrepreneurship will feature flexible meeting rooms and collaborative spaces to bring students, faculty and external partners together.

And lastly, the Arts Commons, the new home of the Art Foundations and Visual and Digital Arts programs opens later this week.

Behind the scenes, ITS continues to work on the unified communications rollout – including retiring FirstClass. The rollout is now complete in the LRC and at Lakeshore, with the rest of the North Campus, including Guelph-Humber, scheduled to receive updated phones, voicemail, conferencing abilities and integration with Outlook by the end of October.

At the same time, work to upgrade all the legacy classroom phones has also started. Classrooms are being outfitted with new phones and priority access to help and support services.

Let me now come back to the best thing about Humber – our people. Engaged and valued employees make a difference in the success of our students and programs, and also enable us to attract and retain the best talent. 

Last fall, in an effort to better understand how we can continue to support our people, we conducted an employee engagement survey.  With a 50 per cent response rate, we now have a good baseline to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of improvement initiatives.

The survey results clearly indicate that people take pride in what they do, are committed to our students and helping others, and enjoy positive working relationships.  

An employee engagement committee was formed to look at improving communications, recognition, and change management.  The committee is in the process of consulting around the college and will report to the executive by the end of the year. 

I am particularly excited to hear from the employee engagement committee because their feedback will come during a period of ongoing growth and change on our campuses. This will be an exciting period that we will go through together.

More so, the theme of working together is woven through our strategic and business plans, and is captured by our commitment to living the values of a learning organization.  

A learning organization is about developing a culture that respects diversity and inclusion, understands that we can learn from each other and knows that we produce better results together than if we work in isolation.

As the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Achieving this is only possible through engagement and collaboration, and Humber is already well down this road.  Living the values of a learning organization supports our ability to adapt to change and keep up with the needs of our students and demands of a dynamic economy and workforce. 

We have always risen to meet the challenges before us because of our common mission and goals, and I am confident that we will continue to do so.  Proof of this is in the achievement of our students and graduates, who you all go above and beyond for.

There are many examples from the past year – and let me tell you about a few:

Alumni Candice Ekonomakos and Peter Van Stralen won Premier’s Awards in, respectively, the recent graduate and business categories.  Candice, a cook at the Ritz Carlton, founded Cooks with a Mission, which prepares healthy meals for low-income and homeless people.

Peter started his company with one lawn mower and a trailer. With help from his nine brothers – all Humber graduates – they turned it into a multimillion dollar landscaping company with 180 locations.

• Ten students came home with gold, silver and bronze medals from Skills Ontario. Three students won gold and silver at Skills Canada.
• Electronics Engineering graduate Winston Lord participated in the WorldSkills competition in Brazil earlier this month, the only North American to compete in the Electronics category.
• Industrial design student Jackson Wyatt got a deal on the show Dragons’ Den for his biodegradable green bin, the Green Lid.
• Paramedic graduates Robert Bronson, Heiko Mueller and Janice Baine received Ontario Awards for Paramedic Bravery.
• Reign, the first full-length movie funded by Humber and developed and produced by faculty, alumni and students, had its world premiere at the Female Eye Film Festival. Graduate Corey Misquita, who wrote and directed the movie, won the festival’s award for best debut filmmaker.
• Fallon Burns, who just graduated from the Paralegal Studies program, won the Colleges and Institutes Canada bronze Student Leadership Excellence Award.
• Stage Management alumnus Tim Jennings was named executive director of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Shaw Festival.
• A large team of radio, broadcast and journalism students won a Broadcast Educators Association of Canada award for their coverage of the 2014 municipal election.
• It was a great year for athletics, highlighted by the men’s basketball team winning the national championship, the men’s indoor soccer team capturing the OCAA provincial title, and the women’s basketball team finishing first at the provincial championships. Congratulations to all athletes, coaches and everyone involved for their hard work and recognition this year.

It was an exciting year for our staff and faculty, too:

• The new Dan Andreae Math and Writing Centre opened in the LRC this summer, named for the gift Humber received from professor Dr. Dan Andreae who is here with us this morning. Dan established an endowment of $250,000 – the largest donation by one person in our history – to fund three annual awards for students taking courses in the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
• Sabra Desai, our manager of community outreach and workforce development, won the 2015 YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction award in the education category.
• Linda Hill, co-ordinator of the social service worker diploma program, and Richard Mitchell, a faculty member in the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, were recipients of 2015 NISOD  Excellence Awards.
• Bernie Monette won a 2014 John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College.
• Susan Somerville, dean of the School of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism, was named Dietitian of the Year by the Dietitians of Canada.
• Humber won bronze for Indigenous Education Excellence at the Colleges and Institutes Canada Awards of Excellence.
• We received a Community Partnership Award from LAMP Community Health Services for our involvement in the South Etobicoke community.

I wish I could mention our many, many more accomplishments, but this would become the President’s Lunch if I were to list them all!

Congratulations to everyone on your respective achievements.

Given the accomplishments of our students and employees, it should come as no surprise that employers are extremely pleased with the quality of Humber graduates they hire. Key Performance Indicators show Humber is ranked first the in GTA for employer satisfaction with a rate of 91 per cent.

This shows that a Humber education, the real-world experience it offers, and the supports we have in place for our students, combine to provide a solid advantage for employers as well as learners.

The reason we’re able to offer these advantages is right here in this room. Our dedicated staff, faculty, students, alumni and friends of Humber and Guelph-Humber give this place its energy, and atmosphere of support, warmth and humour.

So as I begin to wrap things up, a few more thank yous.

First, to the Humber Students’ Federation – the HSF plays a huge role in supporting our students and building a bustling student life on campus, and I thank you for all you do.

To our many community, government and business partners here today – your support is integral to our success and we look forward to strengthening our relationships.

Thank you as well to Humber’s Board of Governors for your energy, efforts and enthusiasm in making Humber a vibrant place to learn and work.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Deb McCarthy, our outgoing vice-president of human resources. After 14 years of contributing to Humber, her retirement is well earned and deserved. Thank you Deb.

At the same time, we welcome Lori Diduch as our new VP of HR. Lori joins us from the William Osler Health System, where she served as Executive Vice President, People, Service and Performance.

To the rest of my incredible executive team – Rani, Laurie, Alister and Jason, your counsel, support and leadership is invaluable to me and to the college.

I also have to thank Deborah Green, (she told me to) the best EA ever, for keeping me on track and without whom the office would be a lot more chaotic and less fun.

Finally, to our amazing faculty and staff – from Lakeshore to North, to Orangeville and all points in between – Birmingham, West Mall, Carrier, Woodbine Downs, Guelph-Humber and our Community Employment Services offices.  I am so proud of all that you do! Thank you!

There is a good deal of change happening inside and outside our walls, but we are well positioned for the future and to show continued leadership in postsecondary education. Your hard work and dedication has helped Humber grow and transform for the better.

In Toronto, across Ontario, Canada and the world, our reputation is that of an institution that supports its students, gives them the tools they need to succeed and is at the forefront of industry developments.

We have set lofty goals for ourselves, but our students, province and country deserve nothing less. Our plans are ambitious and aspirational, but I’m confident that together we will continue to achieve great things.

Thank you for joining me today, and I wish you all the best for a successful and exciting year.

We Are Humber!