It is with great sadness that we share the news of the recent passing of Mike Sobko, who retired in 2008 after 39 years at Sheridan. Mike passed away in London, Ontario on June 1.

Mike joined the Engineering Technology Division at Sheridan’s original Church Street campus in Brampton in 1969. During his time at Sheridan, he served as a teaching master, Acting Campus Principal, Chair, Dean, administrative staff member of the Board of Governors, and finally returned to his roots as a professor in mechanical engineering technology.

Many of the foundations of FAST’s current success were laid down while Mike served as Chair and Dean in the 1980’s and 1990’s.  Co-op initiatives, new program development, expansion of programs to multiple sections, fully semestered programs, CAD, etc. all arrived under Mike’s leadership.  After his tenure in administration, he returned to teaching applied mechanics and playing chess with his fellow instructors.   Always a competitive sportsman, Mike was a fixture of the FAST Faculty hockey teams and a regular at the College squash courts.   After retirement in 2008, Mike and his wife Glenda moved to London to be close to their son and his family.

In April we introduced the Sheridan People Awards, a nomination based program as a way for our community to recognize the outstanding work taking place across our campuses. Our employees’ efforts ensure that our students get the best educational experience and career preparation possible. Your dedication, care, and ongoing contributions have helped Sheridan build an enviable reputation as one of Canada’s leading post-secondary institutions.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s nominees and honored recipients across the seven award categories.

All nominees and recipients will join the President and Vice Chancellor, Members of the Board and President’s Executive Council for a celebration reception this week.

Bruins Award

Orange Ribbon Award

Student Success Award

Truth and Reconciliation Award

Emerging Leader Award

Inspirational Leader Award

The Co-op Department invites you to join in the celebration of two amazing careers as two of our stalwart pillars transition into retirement. Both Lorena Crowdis and Fran Burke are retiring at the end of June.

After 32 years at Sheridan, Lorena has announced her retirement. In her time in Co-op Lorena has had an extraordinary impact on countless students in the classroom and in her 1-on-1 support of students at the earliest stages of finding their way into their careers. Lorena has amassed a wonderful network of Sheridan graduates who credit Lorena for their start in their careers and who now reach out to Lorena for assistance in hiring Co-op students of their own. Lorena is known by her students and colleagues for her commitment to supporting student success whether that be in her day-to-day work or extra events like orientation at which she is a fixture.

Fran Burke, after 36 amazing years with Sheridan, is also retiring. Fran has been the face of Sheridan with a vast network of employer partners engaged in the hiring of student from our School of Applied Computing. Many of these employers are former students/grads of Fran’s and her individualized attention and support have been key in building and maintaining those long-term relationships. Students and employers all speak incredibly highly of Fran who is regarded as a leader in Co-op employer relations.

Both Lorena and Fran are remarkably well-known, respected and appreciated within the Sheridan community and we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us in celebrating these amazing careers.

Please drop in on Thursday, June 21 in between the hours of 2:00pm – 4:00pm in C224 at the Davis Campus. Lorena and Fran remain integral to the very fabric of Cooperative Education at Sheridan and will be sincerely missed. We are looking forward to the opportunity to show our appreciation for their amazing accomplishments over such an impressive period of commitment and dedication.

I am very excited to share with you recent developments and changes to the Office of Campus Safety, Security, Emergency Management and Parking Operations.

Catherine Sloat has assumed the responsibilities of Manager, Security Infrastructure and Parking Operations, formalizing her day-to-day responsibility for the operational oversight of security infrastructure and parking activities and programs. Catherine will continue to build and maintain effective partnerships between our Office and a variety of internal stakeholders including occupational health and safety, facilities, and information technology services. Catherine will also oversee programs and activities to support and guide the College community as it relates to the management of College parking assets and administration, including permit issuance, by-law enforcement and ticketing appeal processes. She will continue to play a key role on Sheridan’s threat assessment team.  Catherine will also be providing administrative oversight to Sheridan’s Women’s Campus Safety Grant. Catherine holds a BSc from Brock University and has completed over 150 hours of specialized training in threat violence risk assessment and management. She brings with her a wide breadth of experience from both the private and public sectors in corporate retail operations and event planning, and with Human Resources Development Canada, Georgian and Fleming Colleges and the Office of the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Catherine’s numerous achievements since joining Sheridan in 2011 include the implementation of Sheridan’s online parking services portal, “epark” and Sheridan’s Central Security Operations Centre which is located at Hazel McCallion Campus.

Darby Pierson has accepted the position of Emergency Preparedness and Fire Safety Specialist and will lead the College’s emergency management activities. Darby will continue to manage Sheridan’s Fire Safety Plan and lead emergency training and drills for all campuses. Darby has been at Sheridan since September 2014. Her emergency management certifications include Community Emergency Management Coordinator, Master Exercise Practitioner, and a Certificate from the Business Continuity Institute. Darby’s previous experience includes five years in municipal government focusing on community preparedness. Darby holds a political science degree from Brock University and a Professional Certificate in Emergency Management from York University.

Joshua Fortier is Sheridan’s new Manager of Security Operations. Joshua holds both a police foundations diploma and an honors degree in sociology. Since graduating from university, Joshua has also been designated as a Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA), has received Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) training, and is a certified Use of Force/Managing Resistant Behaviour (MORB) trainer. In his role as Security Coordinator at Sheridan in the past two years, Joshua has worked to establish new safety and security standards, practices and relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. Working primarily from the Davis Campus, Joshua will now oversee the day-to-day operations of over 60 contracted security staff across all three campuses and will be growing his team over the next few months to include Sheridan employed security coordinators who will be located at our Trafalgar and Hazel McCallion campuses.

Please join me in congratulating Catherine, Darby and Joshua in their new roles.

Kathryn Cameron
Chief Risk Officer

As many of you know, our friend and colleague Brian Jervis has decided to retire from Sheridan as of July 13, 2018. He and Gillian are relocating to the coast of British Columbia, where they will architect the next phase of their partnership journey. (I suspect this is all being orchestrated to afford Brian the time and focus to fix — from afar — what is clearly wrong with the Ottawa Senators!)

Brian is leaving our learning community after nine years; he was originally hired in 2009 as an Associate Dean in the School of Applied Computing in FAST and was subsequently promoted to a role in Academic Computing. In 2015, he was appointed Interim Associate Vice President, Scholarship, Research and Creative Activities; his title was changed to Vice Provost, Research in 2017. Prior to working in the postsecondary sector, Brian spent over 20 years in industry — primarily in computing and communications technology — as a senior leader in Research and Development.

I will miss Brian’s experience and unique lens on life. His work on modernizing Sheridan’s academic systems, his commitment to engagement and consultation, and the brilliance of SirtNet are exemplars of his significant contributions to our learning community. Most notable for me, however, are his commitments to teamwork, talent development, and the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. Brian is kind, wise, and patient. His keen intellect, methodical approach and good humour will be much missed by faculty, staff and external partners alike.

President Preece, Melanie and I want to thank Brian for his outstanding contributions to Sheridan. A celebration to wish him well will be held on Friday, July 13 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm – 2^nd Floor B-Wing at the Trafalgar Campus. Please join us if you are able.

Janet

There’s less than two weeks left to share your accomplishments with us ahead of the 2018 Welcome Back Breakfast!  Please make sure to include a photo of yourself that relates to your achievement, as this year’s format will rely heavily on visuals.

A big part of our students’ success stems from the involvement and dedication of our employees. In what has become an annual Sheridan tradition, we are hoping to highlight your achievements over the course of this past year during our annual Welcome Back Event in the late summer.

This year, there are three categories of accomplishments: Individual Accomplishments, Team Achievements and Everyday Heroes.

Submissions are now being accepted through an online form, which can be found by clicking the links above. To help us meet our production deadlines, submissions are due on Friday, July 13.

We look forward to helping you celebrate your achievement with your colleagues at the Welcome Back Event.

Janet and I are very pleased to welcome a new colleague — Juan Arangote — to the position of Director, Academic Resources.

This new role was created last winter and will report to the Provost. The Director, Academic Resources is responsible for academic resource planning and strategic initiatives across the Academic Division. Specifically, Juan will undertake research and data analysis related to internal budget allocations, strategic enrolment management, and academic infrastructure needs. He will play a key role in Sheridan’s transition to a new budget model.

Juan has over 10 years of leadership experience in financial management, budgeting, reporting and project management within the private and public sectors. He has worked in Canada, the United States, and abroad at companies including Bank of America, Citicorp, Canadian Securities Institute, the Ministry of Finance, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and York University. He earned a bachelors degree in Accountancy from De LaSalle University in Manila, a post-graduate diploma in Leadership Strategy and Financial Management from the Asian Institute of Management, and is currently pursuing an MBA in Finance at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot Watt University. He holds the designation of Chartered Professional Accountant.

Throughout the hiring process, we were focused on identifying an outstanding candidate who possessed both financial and change management skills. Having undertaken a number of transformational projects at York and the GTAA, the hiring panel was unanimous in its decision to hire Juan. His references were glowing.

We are so pleased that Juan accepted our offer to join the leadership team at Sheridan. Please join us in welcoming him on Monday, July 16, 2018; his office will be on the second floor of B-Wing.

Melanie Spence-Ariemma
Vice-Provost, Academic

Benjamin Disraeli noted that change is inevitable. Change is constant. As if to confirm this for us had we any doubt, Ian Marley, Vice President, Student Services and IT, has announced his intention to retire from Sheridan at the end of September.

Ian has been with Sheridan for almost 20 years, nearly all of which were served as a Vice President. Ian has excelled as a versatile senior leader whose skills, knowledge and experience made him invaluable in many areas. Over the years, Ian has provided executive leadership to Student Affairs, the Office of the Registrar, Information Technology, Ancillary Services, and Marketing and Communications.

Although it seems that Ian has always been with the Sheridan community, before his arrival here in 1999 he had a successful career in IT with stops at Northern Arizona University, York University, and Canada Life Insurance Company.

Ian’s last day will be September 28^th. Details will follow on how we will celebrate and congratulate Ian on his outstanding career. I know that he has wonderful things to look forward to as he plans the next stage of his personal and professional life.

Dr. Mary Preece
President and Vice Chancellor

We are very happy to announce that Jon Mason has accepted the position of Manager, Enterprise Risk Management and Insurance at Sheridan.

In this role, Jon will be building, centralizing and overseeing an enterprise risk management framework for Sheridan. Jon will be working with stakeholders throughout Sheridan to identify risks to Sheridan strategies and business plans and will be recommending risk management systems, tools and monitoring mechanisms. Jon will also provide oversight of Sheridan’s insurance portfolio, including the filing and management of high dollar value claims.

Jon comes to Sheridan from Metrolinx, where he established an enterprise risk management framework for PRESTO. Previous to this, he was the risk and insurance analyst for Algonquin Power and Utilities Corporation and a risk analyst of the Canadian Depository for Securities. Jon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College and Master of Business Administration from Wilfred Laurier University. He is also a Certified Internal Auditor.

Please join me in in welcoming Jon to the Sheridan community.

Warm Regards,
Kathryn Cameron
Chief Risk Officer

The Board of Governors invites the Sheridan community to a celebration for Mary Preece on the occasion of her retirement from Sheridan.

• When: Monday, October 1, 2018 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
• Where: Trafalgar Conference Centre

For the last 10 years as Provost and VPA and then President and Vice Chancellor, Mary has committed her time, energy and expertise to making Sheridan a phenomenal place to work and learn. Her outstanding leadership along with her commitment to transparent communication has made a lasting impression on Sheridan’s history.

We look forward to seeing you at the celebration!

Supporting and promoting student mobility at Sheridan, the Pathways and Partnerships Office has fostered a collaborative relationship with the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) over the years.

To facilitate the continuation of this great work, Pathways and Partnerships will formally transition to the Centre for Teaching and Learning, complementing  the Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance portfolios. Sherri Murray, Manager, Academic Pathways & Partnerships will join the CTL leadership team as of September 1, 2018.

Sherri began at Sheridan in 2007 working in the Assessment Centre as part of the Office of the Registrar and then moved into the Senior Vice President Academic’s Office in 2011 as an Executive Assistant. In 2016 she became the Manager of Pathways and Academic Partnerships and has held the role since. Sherri will continue with her work on enhancing transfer opportunities for students through pathways, focusing on the maintenance and promotion of partnerships and articulations, both internally and externally. Sherri holds a Bachelor’s degree in Adult Education and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education.

CTL would like to extend a warm welcome to Sherri and her team!

The Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design, together with the Creative Campus Galleries, are pleased to announce that the winning entries for the inaugural Graduating Student Awards is now on display in the Trafalgar B-Wing Student Showcase, across from Tim Hortons.

The showcase features artwork from six graduating students in a variety of disciplines, who submitted their work for this new awards program, which awards outstanding work by graduating students.

The artwork on display has been acquired by Sheridan, and is now part of its public art collection.

The collection will be on display until October 1, after which it will become part of a new Art Lending Library, which will be administered by the Creative Campus Galleries. More details about the Art Lending Library will follow in a future edition of the Insider.

The recipients of the Graduating Student Awards are:

• Ali Carroll (Honours Bachelor of Illustration, Class of 2018), Racoon Goes to Market—Graduating Student Award, Ilustration
• Chelsea Ryan (Honours Bachelor of Art and Art History, Class of 2018), Rhapsody II—Graduating Student Award, Art and Art History
• Evan Wasse (Honours Bachelor of Craft and Design, Ceramics Studio, Class of 2018), Shovel Study #1—Graduating Student Award, Craft and Design
• Nicole Kwon (Honours Bachelor of Photography, Class of 2018), Asian Supermarket—Graduating Student Award, Photography
• Samuel Williams (Visual and Creative Arts, Class of 2018), Guswenta and Untitled #3— Graduating Student Award, Visual and Creative Arts
• Christina Gregoire (Honours Bachelor of Photography, Class of 2018), Shaw Park, Tobago— Graduating Student Award, Best in Show

The Sheridan Showcase is an initiative led by the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design and the Sheridan Student Union (SSU). More information about each artwork can also be found here: https://www.thessu.ca/studentshowcase/

Paul Vermeersch, a professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, will launch his sixth book of poetry, Self-Defence for the Brave and Happy, on September 10 in Toronto. Active in the writing and publishing world since the late 1990s, Paul teaches in the Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing & Publishing program at Hazel McCallion Campus.

Billed as “a survival guide for the dark age that lies ahead,” artist and composer Mark Mothersbaugh has hailed Self-Defence for the Brave and Happy as “nothing less than a manual for navigating the current landscape of booby-traps and hidden unravelling,” and poet Rob McLennan says, “Vermeersch’s use of humour, pop culture, surrealism and collage work to disarm the increasing anxieties surrounding the darkest possibilities of humanity’s demise.”

The launch will take place Monday, September 10 at The Piston, 937 Bloor St W, in Toronto, at 7 p.m. with special musical guests The Databats.

Among numerous other appearances scheduled, Paul will also be reading from his new work at the Oakville Literary Café – located at the Joshua Creek Art Centre – from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 16.  

Professor Craig Brazil from the School of Skilled Trades & Apprenticeship recently returned from an amazing educational and cultural experience in Taichung, Taiwan. The 48th Taiwan National Skills Competition was held in three different venues in the city of Taichung and had over 1,095 outstanding young talents from all over the country compete in the biggest annual event in the skilled trades communities.

The Taiwanese Government and Worldskills Taiwan invited Craig because of his role as the Skill Competition Manager for the Industrial Mechanic Millwright competition at Worldskills Abu Dhabi last year. He will take on the same role in Kazan, Russia in 2019. Craig joined 12 other Skill Competition Managers and Chief Experts from around the world to assist in evaluating practices and procedures and judging methods in a variety of Skilled Trade and Vocational competitions ranging from Cabinet Making to Graphic Design.

These competitions, like those held in Ontario and Canada, encourage youth to learn about the opportunities that trades and skills can give them as a viable career option and enhance the public’s understanding of the skilled trades. The National Skills Competition takes place every year.

“The Industrial Mechanic Millwright competition had 17 competitors from around the country compete where their knowledge and ability were tested over three days,” said Craig. “The competitors had to manufacture a belt driven assembly that encompassed machining, welding, fabrication and mechanical assembly skills to a high degree of accuracy of +/- 0.02mm. To see these young men and women compete at this level was a remarkable sight. Having the opportunity to interact with the IMM competition experts, the competitors’ trainers and the other independent judges was a fantastic opportunity to explore the ways we do things and the way they do things. This will only enhance what I bring to the classroom this coming year; each individual was very giving of their time and their willingness to share information and ideas was fantastic”.

Ian Marley will be retiring from Sheridan at the end of September. Ian would like to say farewell and thank you to all of his colleagues that he has worked with during his time at Sheridan.

We invite you to drop in to wish him well and enjoy some refreshments at the following locations:

• HMC: Tuesday, September 25 – 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in The Creative Campus Gallery, B-Wing
• Davis:  Tuesday, September 25 – 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Welcome Desk, B-Wing
• Trafalgar: Wednesday, September 26 – 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. in Theatre Sheridan

Over the next few weeks, a series of short videos featuring Janet will be released through our social media channels. The intent is to introduce her to our student community and provide some insight into her character, values and personal history.

We will also share the videos in this space, beginning today. Please see the video below to hear Janet’s reflections and advice to our students, and to get to know our new President better.

Research Leads and co-op students at Sheridan’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) showcased their talents in exciting real-time, virtual human puppetry and live compositing while in attendance at xoTO House, an invite-only event hosted by the City of Toronto to kick-off the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Real-time, virtual human puppetry allows you to control the face of a virtual character in real-time using a device like the iPhone X camera to translate 52 individual points of your face to the virtual world, and live compositing in a virtual production is a film technique that allows you to transport yourself into a virtual scene with only a Blackmagic Studio Camera and green screen.

Many notable guests attended the xoTO House including Toronto Mayor John Tory, Sheridan’s own Dean of Innovation and Engagement John Helliker and Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

To view more photos and video from the event, click here.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kathy McAndrew for being the successful candidate in the search for the new Director, IT Services effective September 17, 2018.

Kathy’s progressive background in IT, as well as her strong intra-departmental work in her current role as Campus Manager, IT Services Trafalgar, provide her with a strong customer-centric approach to delivering IT Services.

Please join me in congratulating Kathy as she embarks on this new and exciting opportunity!

Kevin Pashuk,
Associate Vice President
Information Technology

This weekend, Word On the Street – the Toronto Book and Magazine Festival – will take place at Harbourfront Centre, marking the 29^th year of the venerated literary festival.

This year, the festival is introducing a second day of programming; WOTSPlus+ will take place on Saturday, September 22 with a program that focuses on belonging, citizenship, and how we make sense of the world through stories.

One of the WOTSPlus+ panels features Creative Writing & Publishing faculty Thea Lim and Paul Vermeersch in conversation on the topic of dystopias. Both faculty have recently-released works with speculative elements – Thea’s novel, An Ocean of Minutes, was published in June and Paul’s new collection of poetry, Self-Defence for the Brave and Happy, was released earlier this month. Thea has also just had an essay published in The Paris Review, entitled “Because the Story Was Mine,” which discusses the connection between belonging and speculative fiction.

This panel is sure to be lively and thought-provoking, and is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the Harbourfront Centre Studio Theatre.

For the full Word On the Street program, click here.

To read Thea’s essay in The Paris Review, please click here.

First jobs are nothing short of memorable. They open the door for self-discovery and enable you to build the foundation of your work ethic.

Watch our president talk about her first job and what the experience taught her in the second episode of Knowing Janet. Check it out below!