April 27, 2023

Seneca Polytechnic was honoured this week with three Awards of Excellence from Colleges & Institutes Canada (CICan).

The awards celebrate leadership, individual and institutional accomplishments among Canadian colleges, institutes, cégeps and polytechnics.

This year, Seneca Polytechnic won gold in Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), bronze for Excellence in Applied Research and Innovation, and bronze in Leadership Excellence for Faculty.

The top prize for Excellence in EDI recognized our work in becoming the equitable Seneca.

This includes the establishment of the Office of Reconciliation and Inclusion, the creation of the Jane Fund endowment for student EDI initiatives, research to better understand the diversity of Seneca’s community, and an increase in events, education and programming that bring awareness to reconciliation and inclusion.

“We are honoured to be recognized for the work we have accomplished,” said Mark Solomon, Associate Vice-President, Reconciliation and Inclusion. “The Jane Fund, enhanced reconciliation and inclusion activities, and commitments in the new Strategic Plan have made this award possible. The award is great, but the work and its outcome are the true rewards – and there is much more work to be done.”

Erin Dolmage, Mary Trant and Jamie Zeppa were the recipients of the bronze award in the Leadership Excellence for Faculty category.

The three professors in the School of English & Liberal Studies are the founders of the Virtual Roundtable – an initiative that started during the pandemic to help other faculty understand the technology they suddenly needed to use amid the pivot to virtual teaching and learning.

“We had a lot of faculty members who had never attempted any kind of online instruction, and they were suddenly thrust into teaching online full-time,” said Ms. Dolmage.

Three years and some 40 sessions later, the Virtual Roundtable has endured as an opportunity for faculty to connect, learn and share – on any pedagogical topic.

“Over time it has become much more about looking at how we teach and engage with our students,” said Ms. Zeppa.

As the initiative has broadened to encompass subjects like academic integrity, EDI and ChatGPT, Virtual Roundtable sessions have on occasion been attended by as many as 100 faculty members.

“We’re grateful that the Seneca community appreciates what we’re doing, and thrilled that CICan considers the Virtual Roundtable to be so remarkable,” said Ms. Trant.

The award for Excellence in Applied Research and Innovation recognizes Seneca’s implementation of the Centres for Innovation model for applied research activity.

This has resulted in the establishment of four research centres of excellence, including the new Seneca Centre for Innovation in AI Technology, leading to significant growth in research partnerships, external funding commitments and innovative real-world solutions developed across industries.

“Applied research provides students with experiential learning opportunities tied directly to their academic programs, allowing them to solve tough business and technical challenges collaboratively with regional employers,” said Ben Rogers, Dean, Seneca Innovation. “This award is a testament to the emphasis Seneca has placed on research and innovation.”