A year in review: Accomplishments of innovation, engagement and academic success
April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012
During the past year, Seneca has had many successes. Following are some of the highlights:
Groundwork for a stronger future
Seneca College celebrates official opening of the Newnham Campus Expansion
Seneca’s newest building opened for classes on September 6th at the Newnham Campus. Designed for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, the 160,600 square foot LEED Gold building houses new classrooms, faculty spaces and an auditorium that can be converted into multiple teaching spaces. We were pleased to have many of our local politicians – and Seneca champions – join us for the building’s official opening on November 4th. Seneca received $20.7 million from the provincial government and $4 million from the federal government in support for the new building, while the College contributed $32 million to the project.
Newnham Campus Improvements
In addition to the Newnham Campus expansion, several other improvements were made to the Newnham Campus in 2011. Included among them were renovations to the cafeteria, the Senecentre and the Flint and Feather, which has been converted into a new employee lounge area. Landscaping improvements were also made to the campus grounds with extensive greenery added around our new building as well as a new outdoor seating area in the courtyard.
$43 million to revitalize King Campus
In July 2011, the provincial government announced that Seneca will receive $43 million to revitalize current buildings and expand community safety and health services training at our King City campus. This expansion will create classroom space for an additional 1,450 students. Seneca is also looking to partner with the York Regional Police and local fire services to create a joint emergency services training facility.
Master plans for Seneca campuses approved
Working with the national design firm Dialog, Seneca developed master plans for buildings, programs and natural environments at select campuses throughout 2011. In January 2012, the Board of Governors approved the master plans for Newnham, Markham and King campuses. This is the first time in the College’s history that master plans were created for any of our campuses. These plans provide a roadmap for Seneca’s long-term development in Toronto and York Region.
Strategic and Academic planning
Seneca has been undertaking an important planning process that includes the renewal of the College’s strategic and academic plans. With the input of students, faculty and staff, we’re mapping out how we can better support our students and focus on teaching excellence, learning, innovation and applied research. As part of this process, Seneca has retained MacPhie&Co. to facilitate research, townhalls and interviews with members of the Seneca community and key external individuals. These plans will define our priorities for the next five years and beyond and will be unveiled to the Seneca community in Spring 2012.
Seneca named again as a great place to work
The College has been recognized as one of Greater Toronto’s top employers for the fourth year in a row. Seneca also made the list of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for a second straight year, being the only college in the country to do so. Our work in diversity and equity and our campus-wide positive space program for students and employees were highlighted by the selection team.
Strengthening our Board of Governors
The Board of Governors welcomed six new members, including Guled Ahmed Abdulahi (student representative), Fariba Anderson, Donna L. Duncan, Naki Osutei, Frank Robbins (faculty representative) and Karen Webb. Seneca's Board has 21 members: 16 representing the community; four members elected by administration, faculty, support staff and students respectively; and, the President.
Improving our infrastructure
Major changes were undertaken in 2011 to improve our infrastructure. New Cisco telephone systems were installed across the College, while the employee e-mail system was upgraded for improved security and reliability. Progress also continues on our i3 project – the major cross-College initiative to upgrade our student, finance and human resources information systems over the next few years.
Community outreach
Seneca wraps up its most successful United Way campaign
Our students, faculty and staff reached new heights in their support of the United Way’s annual campaigns in Toronto and York Region. Efforts across the College’s campuses resulted in more than $151,000 being raised – $65,000 more than was donated last year. For its fundraising efforts, the United Way awarded Seneca with the Quantum Leap Spirit Award, while our students received the Spirit Award for the Top Student Fundraising Team. President David Agnew sat on the United Way Toronto’s 2011 Campaign Cabinet as Chair of the Universities & Colleges sector.
Seneca-led forum puts spotlight on math
Seneca’s Markham Campus hosted the College Mathematics Project Provincial Forum on October 28th. More than 100 Ontario educators from elementary/secondary schools and the college community came together to discuss how to achieve greater student success in college mathematics. The College Mathematics Project is a Seneca-led initiative that was started in 2004 through the York-Seneca Institute for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. It is a collaborative program of research and deliberation focused on the mathematics achievement of first-year college students in Ontario.
1,800 Toronto high school students take over Seneca's Faculty of Business
Seneca hosted more than 1,800 Toronto high school students who took part in the Demonstrating Excellence Celebrating Achievement (DECA) Toronto Regional Competition on November 6th. DECA is an innovative extra-curricular program for secondary school students in Ontario. It creates professional partnerships and experiential learning opportunities for students in the business community.
Markham Campus hosts Arts Exposed conference
Seneca’s Markham Campus hosted the first ever York Region Arts & Culture Conference on April 1st and 2nd. It brought together stakeholders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to examine and discuss arts and culture related issues and to create strategies to promote and develop capacity for local cultural tourism. The conference's inaugural theme ‘Arts Exposed’ was chosen to celebrate, recognize and appreciate York Region’s known and lesser known cultural treasures.
Seneca marks International Indian Film Academy Awards with drive-in film screening
On June 10th, the Markham Campus was converted into a drive-in theatre to celebrate the International Indian Film Academy Awards. Seneca partnered with the Town of Markham to present the Bollywood comedy film, “3 Idiots”, on screens placed throughout the campus parking lot. The International Indian Film Academy promotes Indian Cinema globally and selected Toronto as the site for its 2011 awards ceremony; the first ever location for the awards outside of India.
Canada-Wide Science Fair at Newnham Campus
Seneca College proudly hosted the 50th Canada-Wide Science Fair, the highest level science fair competition in Canada, at Newnham Campus from May 14th to 21st. This week-long national competition brought together more than 1,000 participants from across the country to compete for medals, cash awards, scholarships and other prizes worth $1 million.
Seneca receives award from the City of Toronto
The City of Toronto's Elections and Registry Services presented an award to Seneca for the College’s contribution in promoting the 2010 municipal election. The College was recognized for its strong commitment to engaging potential voters in the electoral process and broadening the knowledge of democracy among young citizens. In Fall 2010, the College partnered with the city in various outreach initiatives as part of the their "Vote" campaign. Seneca also participated in the national, non-partisan "Apathy is Boring" initiative to engage and mobilize young voters through the use of art and technology.
Seneca College brings together influential thinkers on sustainability and living “green”
On October 27th, Seneca hosted the Green Citizen Conference. Filmmakers, authors and experts shared their insights with students and staff and discussed the importance of recognizing our environmental impact and what steps can be taken to minimize it. The event served as the official launch for Seneca’s Green Citizen Campaign. As part of this initiative, 250 students received their Green Citizen Card in recognition of their pledge to support environmental awareness in their lives and future careers.
Leading-edge programming
New Programming:
In 2011-2012, Seneca’s Board of Governors approved the following programs:
- Bachelor of Commerce – Business Management
- Bachelor of Commerce – International Business Management
- Project Management – Information Technology (GC)
- Sustainable Local Food (Seneca Certificate)
New Continuing Education certificates:
- Construction Estimator
- French Language Skills
- Spanish Language Skills
- Chinese Language Skills
- Business Event Planning
Senecans build software for game-changing Raspberry Pi computer
Raspberry Pi, a new computer costing less than $40 was launched in February 2012 featuring software built and adapted with the help of Seneca students and faculty. Selling out on its first day on the market, the computer is designed to spur interest in computer science, software development and electronic technology among young people. The Seneca-built software allows the new computer to be used for many of the things that desktop PCs are used for, such as spreadsheets, word-processing, games, and playing high-definition video. The software release marked an important milestone in the Centre for Development of Open Technology’s applied research in building open source software for emerging low-energy ARM systems. ARM chips are known for combining a high level of functionality with extremely low power consumption.
Jazz Cadet Program set to launch
Starting in the Fall 2012 semester, third-year students studying in Seneca’s Bachelor of Aviation Technology program will be given the opportunity to interview to qualify for The Air Canada Jazz Cadet Program. Successful candidates will become Jazz/Seneca cadets in their fourth year and will automatically enter the airline’s hiring pool upon graduation, subject to their maintaining a required standard of achievement in their studies.
‘Popcorn and a movie’ takes on a whole new meaning
In collaboration with Mozilla, creator of the Firefox browser, 15 Seneca students and faculty at Seneca’s Centre for Development of Open Technology helped develop Popcorn.js – an HTML5 media framework written in JavaScript for filmmakers, web developers, and anyone who wants to create time-based interactive media on the web. Seneca’s work on this project was aided by grants from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Ontario Centres of Excellence and Mozilla.
Seneca course brings the experience and insight of seasoned professionals to political staff
Seneca offered the first of its kind, multi-partisan training for Ontario political staff in January and February 2012. Seneca’s Political Staff Essentials Course: By Practitioners for Practitioners included a distinguished roster of guest lecturers from various parts of the political and public service spectrum who shared their experiences and insights with the next generation of political staff. The multi-partisan program was developed by Hershell Ezrin, former Principal Secretary to the Premier and Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition. The curriculum was developed with the help of a panel of advisors with decades of experience in elected and staff roles in government and opposition.
Seneca’s Esthetician program receives Excellence in Education Award
Seneca’s Esthetician program received the 2011 Excellence in Education Award from Leading Spas of Canada – Canada’s only national spa association. The award is presented each year to an institution or individual for their contribution to the education of the spa profession in Canada. For more than 20 years, Seneca has been an industry leader in the education of estheticians. In addition to our Esthetician program, the College now offers Esthetics and Spa Therapies – an advanced three-year diploma that gives students the opportunity to earn the globally recognized designation of a CIDESCO Esthetician.
Partnership Highlights
Seneca and University of Toronto partner for student success
Seneca College and the University of Toronto (U of T) announced a unique postsecondary partnership on May 26th. The Student Success Partnership Agreement gives eligible students the opportunity to begin their studies at Seneca and complete them at U of T earning both a Liberal Arts diploma and Bachelor of Arts degree in four years. In 2008, Seneca’s Liberal Arts program and the Faculty of Arts and Science at U of T established a pilot project that paved the way for this partnership agreement. Seneca is the only college in Canada to have such an agreement with the University of Toronto.
Seneca opens first Confucius Institute in the GTA
The first Confucius Institute in the GTA opened at Seneca’s Markham Campus on November 24th as a result of our partnership with Northeast Normal University in Changchun. Established as partnerships between Chinese and local postsecondary institutions, Confucius Institutes promote Chinese language and culture, support Chinese language training and facilitate cultural exchanges. There are now more than 300 Confucius Institutes around the world including nine in Canada.
Seneca’s applied research helps Southern Ontario businesses bring ideas to market
Seneca partnered with 16 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help bring products and services from idea to reality. The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency of Ontario visited Seneca College’s Markham Campus on August 22nd to celebrate these collaborations and learn about the progress of the applied research projects underway. The Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative is a pilot project aimed at addressing the need for research and commercialization in southern Ontario and encouraging collaboration between SMEs and postsecondary institutions. SMEs participating in this initiative benefit from Seneca’s expertise in many schools and centres including advanced technologies, financial services, communication arts, computer studies, electronics, computer engineering technology and health sciences. Seneca received $750,000 from the federal government to support this pilot.
Seneca partners with Department of National Defence
Seneca’s School of Aviation and Flight Technology is partnering with Department of National Defence to provide education opportunities for members of the Canadian Forces. Starting in September 2013, qualified air force candidates can apply to Seneca’s Bachelor of Aviation Technology program to complete both their degree and military flight training requirements in only four years.
Getting plugged in
More than 200 students and teachers from GTA high schools visited Seneca to learn about the programs offered in the School of Information and Communications Technology. Not only did the students learn about our career-related programs, but had their visit featured in itbusiness.ca. The event, which was hosted at the Newnham Campus, was supported by the Information and Communications Technology Council, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating a diverse, prepared and highly educated Canadian information and communications technology workforce.
TEDxSenecaCollege
On March 29th, Seneca Alumni, along with Student Services and the Centre for Academic Excellence, organized the first-ever TEDxSenecaCollege – a thought-leadership event, hosted at the Newnham Campus. This event featured 17 industry leaders, alumni, faculty and students who spoke on issues relating to technology, education, design and engaged citizenship.
Achievements — Students
Senecans in Applied Arts Magazine
Seneca students Amena Assaily (Independent Digital Photography) and Justin Close (Graphic Design) graced the pages of Applied Arts – Canada's visual communications magazine – for winning Applied Arts Student Awards. The students' work appeared in the magazine’s special awards issue and one of Amena’s photos was also selected for the front cover. The 2011 Applied Arts Student Awards are one of the industry's most prestigious recognitions of creative excellence.
Senecans help with Easter Seals telethon
Seneca students and staff from two different schools helped raise funds for children with physical disabilities as part of the 2011 Easter Seals Telethon, which aired on CBC Television. Dena Chiarcossi and Yvonne Choachuy from the School of Media and Marketing's Broadcast Journalism program acted as associate producers for the show's simultaneous webcast at easterseals.org. The Telethon also featured mini-documentary stories produced by the school's Summer Institute for Broadcast Journalism. If that weren’t impressive enough, graduates and current students from the School of Information and Communications Technology re-designed and produced the computer generated count-down clock that appeared on monitors in the set. Their newly designed system is now being used by Easter Seals Telethons across the province.
Seneca students win HR case competition
Four students from Seneca’s Business Administration – Human Resources Management program won The Great Canadian HR - Business Student Case Study Competition on April 2nd. Seneca’s team of Laura Aitken, Ursula Carey, Deborah Giblin and Lydia McIntosh defeated George Brown and Centennial College to win this annual event, which was held at the Toronto Board of Trade. During the course of the competition, the students were tested on their ability to analyze and present a solution to a business case study. For winning, the Seneca team received the $4,000 grand prize and a $1,000 scholarship on behalf of the College. They also won the People’s Choice Award, which is voted on by the conference delegates and earned each member of the team an iPad.
Seneca student leaders recognized
The annual Student Federation Recognition event was held in the Senecentre on April 7th. More than 20 Student Leadership Awards were presented including the 2011 W.T. Newnham Award, which went to Aviation degree student Alex Johnston. Other winners included: Samir Abdi, Newnham Council Programming Co-ordinator (Outstanding Contribution Award); Ahmad Ali, Seneca@York Council, Clubs and Associations Co-ordinator (Certificate of Achievement); Sharon Ou, Markham Council Assistant (Certificate of Achievement) and Peter Kataswa, King Council President (Alumni Jacket Recipient).
Students ‘Redefine Design’ at annual fashion show
Seneca’s graduating class from the School of Fashion showed their year-end collection of designs at the College’s annual Redefining Design gala on April 13th at The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. The runway portion of the show included garments inspired by several countries including India, Hungary, China as well as Native American culture. The event also featured the makeup artistry of Cosmetic Techniques and Management students, creations by Floral Design students and displays by Visual Merchandising Arts students.
Seneca students win best project honours from Ontario Centres of Excellence
Electronics & Computer Engineering Technologist – Communications Program students Wen Li, Ye Chi and Louel Abastillas won best project honours from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Connections program for their work with BOOM Studio. During the winter semester, the students worked with the Toronto-based recording studio to design, build and install a touch-screen PC-controlled video switcher which enables musicians in any studio to view video camera feeds from any other location, including a multi-viewer 4-in-1 option. The students received $3,500 from OCE and dollar-for-dollar matching from Boom Studio to work on this project.
Seneca wins at technology skills competition
Students from Seneca’s Centre for Advanced Technologies took home three medals from the Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC) – the largest skilled trades competition in Canada. This marks the third consecutive year that Seneca has medaled at this competition, with one of our students winning gold and two taking home silvers. Seneca’s 2011 medalists were: Andrew Coulas, Gold (Mechanical Techniques – CNC Programming) – Computer Aided Manufacturing category; Melad Yousif, Silver (Mechanical Techniques – CNC Programming) – Computer Aided Manufacturing category and Fadi Patros, Silver (Mechanical Engineering Technology – Industrial Design) – Mechanical Computer Assisted Design and Drafting category.
Seneca student wins province-wide design contest
Second-year Independent Illustration student Weimar Lee was the winner of the Ontario Library Association Super Conference Design Competition. Students and recent graduates at postsecondary institutions across the province took part in this contest. Weimar’s winning designs earned her $1,500 and will be used as the “visual identity” at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference – Canada’s largest library conference. Her work will be featured on programs, signage, the Super Conference web site, brochures, t-shirts, mugs, pins and much more.
Seneca Cup winners
President David Agnew presented the 2011 Seneca Cup, the College's most prestigious student award, to Stephanie Grunhut and Alex Johnston. Stephanie, a Recreation and Leisure Services graduate, maintained a 3.9 GPA and served as President of the King Campus Recreation Council and Seneca Athletic Association, while Alex – a graduate of the Aviation degree Program – has been on the President’s Honour List, and has received several academic and leadership awards including the 2011 W.T. Newnham Award.
Seneca Law Clerk graduate wins Governor General’s Academic Medal
Joanne McAndrew was the recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal, which is given annually to a student who achieves the highest academic standing in his or her final year of a full-time postsecondary diploma program. The Law Clerk student achieved straight A's and became a permanent fixture on the President’s Honour List. This future law clerk also led the Seneca curling team to an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Gold Medal.
Seneca Students win vivaNext Marketing competition
Jenny Chan, Lynne Goodbody and Matthew Mayer won the vivaNext Marketing Strategy Case competition. As part of their marketing strategy class, taught by Professor James Davidson, the students took part in the competition that required teams to submit a comprehensive communications strategy to deliver information, engage the public and promote awareness of the vivaNext project. vivaNext is York Region’s plan for the next generation of rapid transit with dedicated lanes for Viva vehicles to be installed along Highway 7 East by 2014.
From building blocks to building futures
On June 16, the first group of students to graduate from the Bachelor of Child Development program received their degrees. Many of the graduates from the program have gone on to build their credentials further by attending teachers’ college or pursuing graduate level studies. Although the degree was only launched in 2008, the more than 40 students who graduated were able to complete the four year program in just two and a half years thanks to the program’s built-in pathway from Seneca’s Early Childhood Education diploma program.
Tathagata Singha wins first-ever Indo-Canada Student Innovation Award
The first-ever Indo-Canada Student Innovation Award was presented to the team who created the five-minute film “Come and See.” The Indo-Canada Student Innovation Award is a unique initiative of the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai and Seneca College in association with Frameboxx Animation & Visual Effects. Student Tathagata Singha led a team of 12 from Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India in the making of the film.
OCAA Hall of Fame adds three Senecans
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) welcomed 39 new members into its Hall of Fame in 2011 and among the inductees were three Senecans. Former Seneca varsity athlete Gabe Rapini and coaches Frank and Rozika Sulatycki were included in the 2011 class for their extraordinary contributions to college athletics.
Awards banquet honours Seneca varsity athletes
Seneca held its annual Athletics Banquet on April 6th to honour the College’s top varsity athletes. This year's Male and Female Athlete of the Year honours went to Kailen Murphy (men’s soccer) and Sabrina Henry (women’s soccer).
Sting strike gold
For the second year in a row, the Seneca Sting curling and badminton teams have captured Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) medals. The Seneca Sting mixed curling team of Matt Lowe, Madisson Lank, Scott Sawatzky and Tameka Vaters defeated the Fanshawe Falcons to capture the OCAA gold medal. Seneca’s impressive varsity skills were also on display at the 2012 OCAA Badminton Championships. Sanjay Ashokkumar and Patricia Lau won gold in the mixed doubles results, while their teammates Li-Ju Chen and Carol Dela Cerna won silver in the women's doubles competition.
Sting win silver in women’s basketball
The women’s basketball team won silver at the 2012 adidas/VSP Sports Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women’s Basketball Championship, which was hosted at the Newnham Campus. This marked the team’s seventh consecutive OCAA medal in women’s basketball. The three day tournament attracted more than 1,200 fans. More than 4,000 viewers also tuned into the live webcast coverage, which was produced by Broadcasting-Television and Journalism students.
Golden girl
Women’s cross-country star Stephanie Braithwaite earned a gold medal for helping Ontario capture the Women's Conference title at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Cross Country Championships. Both Stephanie and her sister, Samantha, competed in the national 5K race after their strong performance at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Cross-Country Championships, where they finished in the top 10.
Achievements — Faculty
Academy Award®-winning film Hugo features artistry of Seneca graduates and professors
The 2012 Oscar® for Achievement in Visual Effects went to the film Hugo, which featured the work of Seneca graduates and faculty, including Professors Mahmoud Rahnama and Kenny Tam. All of the films nominated for an Academy Award® for Achievement in Visual Effects featured the artistry of a graduate or professor of Seneca’s Visual Effects for Film and Television program.
Seneca’s Faculty of Business wins award for training excellence
The Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) honoured Seneca’s School of Business Management and Centre for Human Resources with a 2011 Canadian Award for Training Excellence in recognition of the Mobile Technology Integration Project. Led by Professor Ash Patel, with the assistance of Business Administration – Human Resources graduate Ali Bavi, the project serves to understand the attitudes and motivations of students towards the use of mobile technology and to identify specific uses within a business program setting. The project’s findings will provide a framework of understanding about the impact of such tools on the teaching and learning exchange.
Seneca professor wins Canadian book industry award
Professor Werner Zimmermann won a 2011 CBA Libris Award. Werner, who teaches in the Animation and Illustration programs, received the award for best picture book for his illustrations featured in the children’s book, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. Werner has been writing and illustrating children's literature since 1986. His books have been sold worldwide and he has twice been nominated for a Governor General’s Award for Illustration in Children's Literature.
Professor Bruce Hunter wins poetry award
Professor Bruce Hunter’s Two O’clock Creek – Poems New and Selected has won the 2011 Acorn-Plantos Award for People’s Poetry. This award is presented annually to a Canadian poet who published a book in the previous year that has followed in the tradition of Canadian poets Acorn, Livesay, Purdy, Plantos, and others by being accessible to all people in its use of language and image. Two O’clock Creek brings together the best of Bruce’s previous books of poetry, as well as exciting new work that shows the continual development of this life-long poet. It has been highly acclaimed by Books in Canada, the Calgary Herald, The Globe and Mail and Canadian Literature magazine.
Professor’s photography work featured in book
Kerry Jarvis, who teaches and also serves as the program co-ordinator of the Business Administration – Marketing (Event Marketing Management) program, had a series of images published in "Butterflies of Toronto." This book, which is produced by The City of Toronto in partnership with the Royal Ontario Museum, includes feature stories of butterfly locations in the city, how to observe and identify butterflies and how Torontonians can help protect these precious insects. Kerry’s image of an emerging Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly was selected for the cover.
Achievements —Alumni
RED launches
Advancement and Alumni launched a newly designed annual magazine, RED, which highlights college-wide initiatives, events, alumni successes and giving stories. RED is available online and in print for the Seneca alumni population, students and the broader Seneca community. Advancement and Alumni has also strengthened its presence through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in an effort to network with students and alumni more effectively.
Senecans of Distinction
This year, the College expanded the scope of its annual alumni recognition program to include donors and volunteers. In November, the successes and contributions of 32 individual and partner organizations were celebrated at the Senecans of Distinction Awards reception. A number of alumni were recognized as exemplary role models to Seneca students.
A rejuvenated alumni community
This year, Advancement and Alumni launched an Alumni-in-Training series in an effort to strengthen affinities between alumni and students. To this end, Advancement and Alumni had a strategic presence at orientation, faculty-based and career development events and convocation. In 2011-2012, the Seneca Alumni Association also approved plans to establish a new organizational structure, which prioritizes divisional involvement and cross-departmental activities focused on student/alumni networking, career development and recognition.
Alumni on screen
Seven alumni feature videos, shot in September, were posted online and incorporated into the College’s winter recruitment promotions. This included screenings in movie theatres across the Greater Toronto Area.
Seneca alumni nominated for Premier’s Awards
Six Seneca alumni were nominated for a Premier's Award. They were Piyush Gandhi, Melissa Grelo, Armand La Barge, Lee-Anne Quinn, Winston Stewart and Astha Tamang-Maskey. The Premier's Awards honours the important social and economic contribution college graduates make in Ontario and throughout the world. The Awards, launched in 1992 to mark the 25th anniversary of Ontario's colleges, are administered by Colleges Ontario. Since 1992, six Senecans have received the Premier's Award, the latest being Drew Hayden Taylor in 2010.
Seneca alumnus recognized for bravery
Constable David Flood received the York Regional Police Bravery in the Line of Duty Award for his part in helping rescue four men who plunged into icy water. On March 19, 2010, the graduate of Seneca’s Police Foundations program, was among the first officers on the scene to assist the men, ages 37 to 67, who had been kite surfing on Lake Simcoe in the area of Cook’s Bay when they encountered open water several hundred metres from shore and fell into the freezing lake. Constable Flood and his fellow officers worked together with the marine unit and the Georgina Fire Department to save the lives of all four victims.
Seneca alumnus wins Harry Jerome Award
Seneca Alumnus Kevin Junor received a Harry Jerome Award for professional excellence. The awards, sponsored by the Black Business and Professional Association and named after the track and field superstar who died in 1982, honour black Canadians who have distinguished themselves in various fields, ranging from academic studies to career accomplishments. Kevin, who graduated from Seneca’s Civil Engineering Technology program in 1984, has had a distinguished career in Canada’s military for more than 30 years. He currently serves as the Chief Warrant Officer and Military Diversity Advisor for the Canadian Forces.
Seneca alumnus part of winning business team
Julian Irani, a graduate of the Business Administration – Marketing (Management Specialization) who is now studying at Griffith University in Australia, was part of the winning team that captured the 2011 Griffith Innovation Challenge. The annual competition challenges business students to put their creative minds to the test with the opportunity to develop and present a business plan based on their own innovative product or service idea. Julian is completing his Bachelor of Business at Griffith and through Seneca’s transfer agreement with the university, he can earn his degree in just two semesters.
Computer Programming alumnus serves as school board trustee
Allan Tam, a Computer Programming and Analysis graduate, was elected as the York Region District School Board Trustee for Markham. A sales professional in the high-tech industry for nearly 13 years, Allan spent 10 years of his career with a Canadian Computer Distributor as a business executive, providing account management services for the top 10 retailers in Canada.
New supports for students
Strengthening financial aid at Seneca
Seneca’s financial aid opportunities were strengthened through a continued focus on fundraising. The provincial government’s Ontario Trust for Student Support matching gift program yielded $x million* in private gifts from alumni and friends to Seneca’s endowed bursary program. As well, thanks to new and existing donors, the College established 14 new awards and added $2.3 million to the endowment fund.
*Note: This amount will be inputted after the close of Fiscal Year 2011-12.
Notable major donations this year included: A $1.2 million gift from the Seneca Student Federation to create a series of endowed and expendable awards for domestic and international students and a $125,000 gift from the Alumni Association
Here for You: the Campaign for Students
Video: http://www.senecacollege.ca/c4s/campaign_kick-off.html
In February 2012, Advancement and Alumni launched a faculty/staff fundraising drive, called Here for You: the Campaign for Students. Through many fundraising events and individual gifts from more than 250 Senecans, the campaign surpassed the $70,000 fundraising goal, raising a total of over $90,000 for student awards.
Pillar Sponsorship Program launches
In association with the College’s affinity partners, the Office of Advancement and Alumni established the Pillar Sponsorship Program, a funding initiative for faculty-based alumni/student networking and educational initiatives. In its first year, the program helped fund 25 events.
Essilor Canada pledges five years of assistance to Seneca Opticianry students
Essilor Canada has pledged $25,000 to provide financial assistance to Seneca’s full- and part-time Opticianry students. Beginning in 2011, an annual gift of $5,000 is creating the Essilor Canada Opticianry Bursary for a period of five years. This gift will provide two or more annual awards to full- or part-time students in the Opticianry program who will be recommended by the Chair and Program Co-ordinator based on successful completion of their first year of academic studies and demonstrated financial need.
Métis Nation of Ontario establishes bursary for Seneca College Métis students
The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) has pledged $20,000 to provide financial assistance to Seneca College’s Métis students. The new MNO Award is intended to encourage Métis individuals within Ontario to pursue career-focused postsecondary studies and funds will be matched by the Ontario Trust for Student Support.