Last Wednesday, August 29, a record number of employees gathered at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga for our annual Welcome Back Breakfast kicking off the new academic year. Over 1100 faculty and staff were in attendance, one of the biggest audiences ever for this signature event.
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If you were among them, please take the time to complete a brief survey and offer your feedback to help us in planning future events:
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The morning’s event was emceed by two 4th-year Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre students, Kelsi James and Noah Beemer. During the breakfast and as they entered Hammerson Hall, attendees were treated to videos marking the 50th anniversary of Sheridan’s animation program. We will provide links to these videos, as well as other segments of the Welcome Back Breakfast, in next week’s Insider. In the meantime, please click on the link below to enjoy a short highlight reel:
Steve Boone, Chair of the Board of Governors, opened the event by welcoming new employees, as well as retirees who came back for the occasion. He also led a rousing ovation for the Bruins Men’s Rugby Team, who captured the OCAA championship last year.
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This year marked Dr. Janet Morrison’s inaugural community gathering as Sheridan’s new President and Vice Chancellor, and she took the opportunity to set out her short term priority as President, which is to oversee a collaborative exercise to develop a new strategic plan to guide the institution from 2019-2024.
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Setting the context, she spoke about the challenges facing Sheridan, which can be encapsulated in the acronym ‘VUCA’, meaning volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This can lead to ‘creative destruction’, which she likened to a controlled burn in a farmer’s field.
All of this means change for Sheridan, which Janet urged the community to embrace, along with the opportunities it presents for us. She noted that Sheridan’s unique character is an advantage for us, and one we will continue to leverage as we work to continue being a trailblazer, pathfinder and champion of undergraduate education. That character is embodied in the Creative Campus philosophy and in the tremendous professionalism and dedication exhibited by our faculty and staff.
To read the full text of Janet’s remarks, please click here.
The morning’s featured speaker was Meagan Johnson, a generational humorist who challenges audiences to think differently about how they deal with the multiple generations that are currently working side by side in today’s workforce. Her presentation was engaging, insightful, and highly entertaining.
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In keeping with tradition, the audience was also entertained by several powerful performers; among them nine-year-old Zoe Brown who is currently a cast member in the Stratford production of The Music Man. Zoe performed the song “When I Grow Up” from the musical Matilda, along with 4th year Music Theatre Student Jill Goranson. They were joined by seven other 4th year students, including the two emcees. Later in the program, the students provided a preview of the upcoming Theatre Sheridan season, with a knockout performance from The Phantom of the Opera.
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Throughout much of the event, a video depicting employee accomplishments over the past year played on side screens on the stage – a compelling depiction of our faculty and staff’s outstanding achievements. Thank you to the Sheridan Production House staff and students for their work in creating this video, along with the stunning video montage of employee photos which closed out the event.
As emcees, Kelsi and Noah had the honour of announcing the winners of six exciting door prizes, which ranged from a pair of wireless headphones and a Kindle e-reader to Theatre Sheridan season tickets and a Google Home Smart Speaker and Home Assistant. There were more prizes to come at the end of the event, as dozens of parachutes containing chocolates (and nine of which held additional prize tickets) floated down on the audience. No one left empty-handed, however, as all attendees received an insulated Sheridan water bottle as they exited the theatre.
Thank you to the event organizers, the Sheridan Production House, and to everyone who attended for helping make this an outstanding Welcome Back Breakfast!