Preparing Seneca graduates to be engaged citizens, who participate and are leaders in their communities

Expand use of virtual, augmented and mixed reality, real-time collaboration tools and open educational resources:

• Four OERs have been adopted in various programs
• Virtual Reality Working Group has completed an inventory of available equipment; funding proposal to eCampus Ontario for augmented reality training and was successful; framework and process have been developed and launched

Students and faculty jam with Adobe

As part of its digital learning strategy, Seneca became an official Adobe Creative Campus — the first in Canada — and hosted an Adobe Creative Jam for students and faculty. The jam was a day of learning and creating as participants received a crash course on Adobe apps and competed in a design challenge.

Seneca hosts first-ever drone journalism symposium

The Seneca-based Canadian Centre of Drone Journalism Excellence was launched during Canada’s first symposium on drone journalism and education. Organized by the School of Media, the symposium, Flight School: What Canadian Journalism Schools Need to Know About Drones, was attended by journalists from CNN, CBC and Bell Media, officials from regulatory boards as well as journalism students and faculty.

Seneca hosts first symposium on sustainable fashion

Seneca’s School of Fashion joined the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada, a global network of postsecondary institutions committed to promoting practical solutions to sustainability challenges. In celebration of this membership, the school hosted a three-day Transforming Our World series in March at Newnham Campus.

Learning with augmented reality

As a result of a cross-disciplinary project at Seneca, Fredrik Pedram, an Interactive Media Design graduate, and Prof. Peter Moscone, School of Electronics & Mechanical Engineering Technology, partnered with Secret City Adventures to create an augmented reality component for the Murdoch Mysteries Escape Game at Casa Loma.

Increase student awareness of and engagement in alumni-sponsored programming:

• participation increased to more than 4,500 students in networking and mentoring events
• increased applications to the Student Experience Fund, 43 applications received to date
• two wave-goodbye events executed in March at King and Newnham campuses

Launch a mentorship program with the School of Leadership and Human Resources, offering opportunities for engagement with students:

• a new mentorship program connecting students with alumni mentors engaged 58 students with mentors from various sectors

Expand international partnerships and increase student mobility opportunities:

• expanded the Faculty Led Program Abroad (FLPA) opportunities to South Korea and Italy
• increased the number of students participating in study abroad experiences, conferences and faculty-led programs abroad from 34 in 2018-29 to 60 in 2019-20
• new articulation agreements have been developed with international partners

Continue to build and enhance the cross-departmental Academic Integrity program:

• more than 13,500 badges have been awarded to students for the completion of an academic integrity module
• 257 faculty and instructors have completed the Promoting a Culture of Academic Integrity course

Students and faculty research LGBTTGNCQ+ youth homelessness

Students and faculty from the Faculty of Applied Arts & Health Sciences worked on a research project titled Experiences of LGBTTGNCQ+ Homeless Youth in York Region. Led by Prof. Jo Gomes and her research team, which collaborated with 360°kids, a youth-focused community service agency, the project examined the experiences of LGBTTGNCQ+ youth who have experienced homelessness or accessed social services in York Region.

Seneca students demonstrate new training technology at College Day

Colleges across the province participated in College Day at Queen's Park, an annual lobbying day to reinforce the importance of the college system to the future of the province. As part of the day, an innovation fair celebrated student-led research projects and entrepreneurial ventures. One of the most popular was InStage, a company accelerated at Seneca HELIX. With the help of HELIX, InStage developed software that uses virtual reality to mimic a public speaking environment, give feedback on presentation skills and help overcome stage fright.

ARIE Showcase highlighted new innovation and thinking

The 2019 Applied Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Showcase brought together faculty, industry partners, government funders and members of the innovation community inside the Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship at Newnham Campus. The event featured panel discussions, presentations of more than 45 applied research projects by students and more than 15 ventures supported by HELIX.

School of Media hosts Federal Election debate

Students and employees attended Seneca’s federal election debate at York University. Hosted by the School of Media, Journalism students moderated the discussion as candidates Maria Augimeri (New Democratic Party), Iftikhar Choudry (Conservative), Gerard Racine (People’s Party), Mike Schmitz (Green) and Judy Sgro (Liberal) faced off tackling issues that matter most to young voters, such as the job market, tuition, climate change, housing and health care.

Drone journalism gets off the ground at Seneca

Anita Tai, a second-year Journalism student, received her certified drone pilot for advanced operations. She was the only student chosen from the diploma program to be certified alongside a group of professors who are bringing drone journalism, a growing field, to Seneca.

United Way Campaign surpasses goal

Thanks to students and employees, Seneca raised more than $150,000 in support of the United Way. Top donor was the Seneca Student Federation, which contributed $20,000 to the campaign in support of those in need in the GTA, including children and youth striving to enter postsecondary education.

Luxury dining for a cause

Students and faculty from the School of Fashion helped transform Bloor-Yorkville luxury retailers into dining spaces for the 24th annual Bloor Street Entertains, Canada's largest fundraising gala in support of HIV innovative research. Students from the Event Management – Event and Exhibit Design program designed the dinner decor at seven luxury retailers, including Maison Birks, Lumas Gallery and William Ashley.

Ribbon skirts more than a fashion affair

A collaboration between the School of Fashion and First Peoples@Seneca gifted a collection of custom-made ribbon skirts — sacred garments worn by Indigenous women at ceremonies — to Odeyto. Created by students in Prof. Jenifer Forrest’s fashion class, the project was infused with learning at every step. As part of the course, students were required to read the summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report and learn about the history of residential schools.

Textile mountain offers view of waste in fashion

Dumpster Dive, a collaboration between Sustainable Seneca and the School of Fashion, showcased approximately 600 kilograms of textile waste retrieved from garbage bins from nine municipalities across Ontario in an exhibit at Newnham Campus. The initiative was part of a textile waste diversion research project, a first of its kind in the province to analyze textile waste down to the fibre level, undertaken by Prof. Sabine Weber and her students from the School of Fashion.

Seneca welcomes Candy Palmater and friends

The first installation of the Seneca Talks: Candy and Friends lecture series featured Cindy Blackstock, pioneering activist for Indigenous children’s rights. Ms. Blackstock, a member of the Gitxsan nation, spoke about her work with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and her fight for equality for Indigenous child welfare. Candy Palmater, comedian, television and film producer, actor and writer, was the host of the session, which was followed by a class on Canada's relationship with Indigenous youth.