Last Thursday, HMC played host to the October President’s College Council Town Hall meeting, where a number of initiatives were discussed by Executive, followed by an open Q&A session by employees.
Convocation
President Jeff Zabudsky began by expressing his gratitude to all the staff who made Sheridan’s first-ever, autumn convocation ceremonies, held at the Living Arts Centre on October 18 and 19, a resounding success. With programs that now fall outside the traditional academic calendar due to multiple intakes and co-op placements, the ceremonies are intended to ensure that more students are able to attend a convocation ceremony in a timely way.
HMC Delay
An update on the construction of the new building at HMC was given, with indications that the facility is “coming along beautifully”. While the site is technically still a construction zone, furniture is now being moved in and I.T. work continues to prepare the building for January classes. Floors 3, 4 and 5, where classes will be held, are the first to be completed. Similar to the case with the existing building in Mississauga, the new building will open with work to be finished in specialized spaces such as the cafeteria, bookstore, creative commons and gallery.
Parts of the building will be made available for employee tours prior to the opening in January. Tours will be held every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m from November 2nd until December 21st. To register for a tour, please contact Jessica Hinchliffe in Finance and Administration: jessica.hinchliffe@sheridancollege.ca
CCBR
Recent visits to Sheridan by an anti-abortion protest group were also discussed. Jeff re-iterated that the group arrives un-announced and uninvited by asserting their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to express their opinion in public spaces. He indicated that colleges are crown corporations and that our hallways and atriums are defined as public access spaces, though colleges do have the right to ensure that visitors do not disrupt classes. The college is monitoring the group’s activity on site and will continue to provide notice to students and employees as soon as it learns that the group has arrived. Sheridan was already in the process of reviewing its facilities access policy and is continuing that work in order to place reasonable parameters on the use of Sheridan space by any visitor. Students and employees have the right to equally mount a respectful counter-protest.
President’s Creative Challenge
Jeff reminded the group that the President’s Creative Challenge is now on. This year’s challenge asks the community for ideas to design and build a community that cultivates participation and belonging for everyone at Sheridan. Visit the website to view our video or submit an application form, which is due by January 25. http://presidentschallenge.sheridancollege.ca/
Journey Update
Provost and VP Academic Mary Preece assured the group that the journey to Sheridan University continues and dispelled any myth that plans have changed due to Jeff’s resignation. Jeff re-iterated that the journey is a strategic directive set by the Sheridan Board of Governors, one that has been fully endorsed by our home municipalities and Regions, and one that has a growing sense of impending reality in Provincial government circles.
Facilities Enhancements Related to Student Experience
The group heard an overview about several new construction projects planned to enhance the student experience.
Steven Parfeniuk, SVP Finance and Administration spoke about a third building in Mississauga, dubbed “HMC 2A”, which should break ground by fall 2017. The five-story, 60,000 square foot building is being created in partnership with the Sheridan Student Union. It will contain a double-height gymnasium, weight room, club space, and food services. Sheridan will add a top floor to the building to create space for a proper Senate Chamber. The building may open as early as 2019.
Other facilities, at preliminary planning stages, were discussed including a third residence at Trafalgar, a theatre, and work to animate the student parking lot adjacent to the Trafalgar corridor to bring in mixed use housing and a small grocery store.
Farewell to Jeff
While Jeff stated that he “hates long, drawn-out goodbyes”, several people in the room thanked him for his service to Sheridan and for hosting Town Hall forums to share information and answer tough questions. Jeff stated that the decision to leave was a difficult one because he has enjoyed his almost seven-year stay at Sheridan tremendously, but that he welcomed the opportunity to live and work in another part of the world, in a leadership position in higher education. Jeff noted that he’s been silent about further details regarding the new institution to respect its protocol and process for announcing leaders.