It is a tremendous honour to have been given this opportunity to serve as Sheridan’s President and Vice Chancellor for the next 14 months while the Board of Governors conducts its presidential search. The Board has asked that during my tenure I focus on the internal business of Sheridan and prepare Sheridan for our future as a university.
We shall continue to focus on our strategic goals to inspire creative, innovative teaching and learning; to provide a premier learning environment; and to build our reputation as a leading employer. A top priority is the continuation of the development and approval of the second iteration of the Academic Innovation Strategy under the leadership of our new Provost and Vice President Academic, Janet Morrison, who will begin her tenure on November 28. As a leading employer, we shall continue to improve our systems, procedures and support for our employees.
We, along with every other public institution in Ontario (as well as those in the national and international arenas), face tremendous challenges including, but not limited to, competition for limited resources, changing student demographics, the desire for inclusion in an ever more diverse community, increasing demands for public accountability with decreasing institutional autonomy, and public perceptions regarding the prestige and value of universities and their credentials relative to colleges.
To face these challenges head on, our opportunity is to become a unique undergraduate teaching university, building on the traditions and values that make Sheridan great. We are, and will continue to be, renowned for the span of our credentials from apprenticeship to degrees and graduate certificates with academic pathway connections. We’ll also be distinguished by our commitment to SRCA (scholarship, research and creative activities) based on Boyer’s conception of scholarship. Other differentiators will continue to include the growth of meaningful degrees that contribute to the future socio-economic welfare of our communities and our excellence in teaching our undergraduate students. We have the distinct advantage of being able to collectively frame what we are to become as a university while not replicating elements of traditional universities that are less desirable or inconsistent with our Mission and Values.
As we continue on our Sheridan journey, I am committed to strengthening Sheridan as a respectful workplace, encouraging inter-program and departmental collegiality, moving to increased transparency in our decision making and communications, and building a strong governance framework with clearly understood roles and responsibilities so that the right people are making the right decisions for the right reasons in the best interests of Sheridan’s future.
I bring to you my academic experience, commitment to our students and their wellbeing, my love of Sheridan and our people, and my enthusiasm for our collective creativity and innovation. I look forward to working with you in my new capacity and trust that you will reach out to contribute to our future together. Please feel free to connect with me by contacting Agnes Li in the President’s office via email at agnes.li@sheridancollege.ca
Mary Preece, PhD
President and Vice Chancellor
Sheridan