Seneca honours six of its brightest stars

Annual dinner celebrates alumni from around the world and supports future students

Toronto, March 30, 2007 --- For the fourth consecutive year, Seneca College has celebrated alumni success and raised funds for the next generation of Senecans at its Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honour bestowed on a Seneca graduate. Thirty-seven alumni have earned a Distinguished Alumni Award since the award was created in 2000.

“This award recognizes Seneca’s alumni for their outstanding career achievements and contributions to the communities they serve,” said Seneca College President Dr. Rick Miner at the awards dinner which took place last night. “We are proud to acknowledge these graduates because they’ve set a high standard for our current students.”

Distinguished Alumni Award winner Armand LaBarge, York Region Chief of Police, was the keynote speaker for the event, which included a silent auction in support of Seneca’s current and future students. The dinner and auction have raised more than $50,000 for the Seneca Alumni Endowed Bursary Fund.

This year’s distinguished alumni come from the fields of business, human resources, law enforcement, broadcasting, library science and municipal administration:

Rob Barsony, Broadcasting-Radio and Television, 1986. Rob is a supervisor in the audiovisual unit of the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Stationed in The Hague, he directs the broadcasts of trials for war crimes, including that of former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic. Rob began his career with OMNI TV in Toronto before moving to The Netherlands. He supports charities for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

Josée Dykun, Human Resource Management, 1993. Josée is the vice-president, human resources with Yellow Pages Group. She was recently recognized as one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40,” a national award given to business leaders and visionaries under the age of 40. In 2005, Josée also received the Human Resources Association Leadership Award. She has 16 years experience in all areas of human resources with companies such as Bell Canada, Sympatico-Lycos and Thrifty Canada.

Armand LaBarge, Applied Management Techniques, 1985, Investigative Science and Police Studies, 1986. Armand is the chief of police for the York Regional Police Force, where he leads 1,500 officers and support staff. He has also served a one-year term as the president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. Armand helped to create a hiring and training program called “Recruiting with a Vision,” and he is a member of Seneca’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board.

David Shier, General Business and Computer Programming and Operations, 1983. David obtained his first managerial position with the IBM Toronto Laboratory when he was only 29-years-old. Since then he has held director positions for five companies. He is currently senior vice president of product development for the software company Sofea Inc. As a student, David was awarded the Seneca Cup, has served on Seneca’s Board of Governors and as a member of the Alumni Association.

Jennifer Singh, Library Techniques, 1971. Jennifer is the chair of International Business and the Centre for Human Resources at Seneca. She attended the College as an international student from Guiana and has now been associated with the Seneca for more than 30 years as a student, library technician, professor and administrator. Jennifer has served as president of her high school Alumni Association, and she is also a fundraiser, community leader and mentor.

Paul Sloggett, Municipal Administration, 1972. Paul is the co-ordinator of, and a professor with, Seneca’s Real Property Administration and Financial Services Underwriting programs. He has also taught abroad in places like China, Prague and Kuala Lumpur. Paul has also served as chair of the Assessment Review Board and executive director with the Institute of Municipal Assessors. He is an active volunteer and member of the Seneca Alumni Board of Directors.

Seneca is the largest college in Canada with more than 100,000 full and part-time students on campuses across the Greater Toronto Area. Seneca provides internationally and nationally recognized career education and training key to graduate success in the global economy. Every Seneca diploma, certificate and degree program is developed to a high academic standard, in consultation with industry, integrated with information technology, combined with technical and transferable skills, and reinforced by opportunities for ongoing education and re-training.

For more information, please contact:
Seneca College Media Relations
416-491-5050 ext. 2354