On February 23rd, Sheridan announced the appointment of former Mississauga Mayor, Hazel McCallion, as our inaugural Chancellor. The announcement took place at the Davis campus, and was attended by local and regional dignitaries, including Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, and Amrit Mangat, MPP for Mississauga-Brampton South.
Students, faculty and administrators packed the Davis B-wing amphitheatre for the announcement ceremony. Led by Bryan Dawson, Chair of Sheridan’s Board of Governors, the ceremony celebrated the significance of the appointment as a key milestone for Sheridan, and recognized Ms. McCallion’s tremendous contributions to her community and her leading role in Sheridan’s growth in the past several years. In their remarks, Mayor Jeffrey and Mayor Crombie congratulated Sheridan on this exciting step and applauded Ms. McCallion’s appointment, citing her passion for youth, education, and community-building as a natural fit for the Chancellor’s role.
Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, now President and Vice Chancellor, welcomed Ms.McCallion to Sheridan as Chancellor-designate. “Ms.McCallion has been instrumental in bringing Sheridan back to Mississauga, and we have greatly appreciated her continued involvement as the Honorary Chair of our Get Creative Campaign Advisory Committee.” He also pointed out Ms. McCallion’s natural embodiment of Sheridan’s personality traits – smart, gutsy, purposeful, curious, inspired and real. “We can think of no one better suited for this role, and no better ambassador for our institution,” he said.
In her remarks, Ms. McCallion spoke of the personal significance of the appointment, especially as she was not able to pursue post-secondary education herself in her youth. “I never thought I would ever be appointed Chancellor,” she said. “I look forward to helping put Sheridan College even more prominently on the world map. It’s the most progressive postsecondary institution in Canada and I’m proud to be its inaugural Chancellor.”
Dr. Zabudsky invited Sylvia Ibrahim, President of Sheridan’s Student Union, and Sheridan’s athletics mascot, Bruno, to present the Chancellor-designate with a special welcome gift: her official Sheridan onecard.
Since announcing its vision to become Sheridan University in 2011, Sheridan has implemented a new governance model with the establishment of the Senate, a body with authority over academic decision-making. The Chancellor is another feature of this governance model, which aligns with the model commonly in place at Canadian universities.
As Chancellor, Ms. McCallion will serve as ceremonial leader of the institution, and will preside over Sheridan’s annual Convocation ceremonies. She will be formally installed as Chancellor prior to the first Convocation ceremony in June, 2016. The Chancellor is a voluntary, unpaid role, with a term of three years.
Chancellor-designate Hazel McCallion addressing the audience at the announcement at the Davis Campus.
Chancellor-designate Hazel McCallion meets Bruno at the announcement event at the Davis campus.