Congratulations are in order for three members of the Sheridan community who have been chosen as finalists for the Canadian Online Publishing Awards!
The Ezine produced by a class taught by Journalism professors Andrew Mitrovica and Cheryl Vallender has been nominated under “Best Publication – Academic.” Click here to view the Ezine.
Also, Sheridan Journalism student Cory Morrison was chosen as a finalist under “Best Article or Series” for his article on autism services.
Congratulations!
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Nazlin Hirji as the Director of our Continuing and Professional Studies Department, effective Monday, September 24, 2018.
Applications for this position were welcomed from across Canada. The interview process consisted of two rounds of interviews with wide representation from across Sheridan, including the Department and Human Resources. The interview committee was unanimous in their support and endorsement of Nazlin as the successful candidate.
Nazlin has a deep understanding of what it means to be both an academic and an entrepreneur. Nazlin has taught undergraduate courses, coordinated and delivered educational programs, and she has more than seven years of senior leadership experience in postsecondary education. Most recently, as the Director of Continuing Education in the School of Health Sciences at Humber, Nazlin built purposeful relationships with industry partners, fostered and strengthened relationships across the School of Health Sciences and the College, and produced a successful business plan and marketing strategy that has led the school in being a strong revenue generating unit. She imagines possibilities and opportunities. Her results have come from working collaboratively and in consultation with the school and across the College to develop a common vision and shared sense of purpose, while recognizing and valuing innovative and creative ideas. Finally, and most importantly, she places great value and emphasis on the student experience.
Nazlin is a lifelong learner. She earned a M.Sc. from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, a Master of Nursing Administration from the University of Toronto, a B.ScN. from Ryerson Polytechnic University and completed a fellowship with the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation in Executive Training for Research Application. Most recently she completed the Executive Program for Growing Companies through Stanford Graduate School of Business.
I would like to thank the interview committee members for their contributions and support throughout this process.
I am excited and thrilled to welcome Nazlin to Sheridan.
Sincerely,
Melanie Spence-Ariemma
Provost and Vice-President, Academic
It is with great excitement that I announce that Carol Altilia has accepted our offer to become Sheridan’s Vice-President, Student Experience and Enrollment Management, effective January 14, 2019.
Over 70 applications were received for the position, from highly qualified candidates across Canada. The selection committee was deeply impressed with Carol’s track record in advancing institutional imperatives, while remaining open to innovation and creative problem solving. Her penchant for community engagement, formal training as a planner, and proven ability to balance the needs and interests of multiple stakeholders across functions – all while holding student success paramount – have earned her the respect and admiration of both academic and administrative colleagues alike.
Carol currently serves as University Registrar at York University in Toronto. She brings 30 years of experience in postsecondary education to the role, first earned as a professor at Ryerson and subsequently through her tenure in a variety of senior, administrative positions across several Faculties and administrative units at York.
Carol’s great depth and breadth of administrative leadership experience includes significant expertise in two key, pillar areas that fuel Sheridan’s commitment to operational sustainability – Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) and Activities Based Budgeting (ABB).
Prior to becoming University Registrar in 2015, she held the positions of Director, Office of Student & Academic Services, as well as Executive Officer at the Faculty of Environmental Studies, and later at The School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design. In these roles her achievements included the redesign of undergraduate advising to increase retention and completion, increased staff engagement, advancements in academic resource planning and curriculum design support, and the reengineering of financial infrastructure to enhance budget control.
As University Registrar, Carol has repositioned the mission of the registrarial function to be a critical and active component of the student experience. She has also revitalized York’s institutional SEM governance framework, creating coordinated enrolment initiatives across Faculties and an international enrolment growth strategy focused on diversifying markets and program choice.
Carol holds a Master in Environmental Studies (Planning), an Honours Bachelor of Commerce, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) from York University. She has presented at the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Ontario University Registrars Association Conference and the Canadian Association for Social Work Education Conference.
Following Ian Marley’s retirement on September 28 and prior to Carol’s arrival in mid-January, the Office of the Registrar, the Centre for Indigenous Learning & Support and International will report directly to me. Student Affairs and Library & Learning Services will continue to report to the Provost until Carol’s start date. Once Carol arrives, each of these distinct and important areas will report to her.
I look forward to welcoming Carol early in the New Year and to introducing her to all of you – the faculty and staff who underpin our exceptional character and truly help to set Sheridan apart. I know I speak on behalf of the entire selection committee when I suggest that Carol’s energy, passion, dedication and talent will undoubtedly make many lasting contributions to the advancement of Sheridan’s academic plan and our institutional priorities.
Sincerely,
Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor
We are very pleased to announce the hiring of Paul Kuehni as the new Senior Business Analyst in IT, effective September 24, 2018.
He will be part of the IT Finance and Asset Management team. Paul’s main responsibilities will be asset management and technology provisioning. He will play a key role in selecting and deploying the new asset management tracking system.
Paul has many years of experience in planning, budgeting, asset management and providing IT support. Paul has a Commerce degree from Ryerson, where he majored in Business Information Systems, as well as a Business Analyst certificate from Sheridan.
Sincerely,
Jackie McCann
Manager Finance, Business Operations
Information Technology
The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is excited to welcome Dr. Karen Csoli to their team.
As of September 24, Karen joined Sheridan as an Educational Development Consultant, Accessible Learning. In this role, Karen will work on the design, development, and delivery of Faculty Development offerings (i.e. courses, seminars, events, workshops and resources) related to the integration of academic accommodations and accessible pedagogy into instructional design.
Working directly with the other educational development consultants and faculty, Karen will also provide one-on-one consultations, mentoring, and coaching on these topics with faculty and staff. This position will be an important contributor to CTL and its commitment to realizing Academic Plan goals regarding supporting accessibility in Sheridan’s learning environments and the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s new policy and recommendations on accessible education. Although Karen is leaving behind her previous role as Manager, Accessible Learning, she will still be working closely with Student Affairs and the Accessible Learning team, to ensure alignment between the two departments’ academic plans and our joint commitment to enhancing accessibility support for Sheridan students and faculty.
Karen brings a wealth of education and experience to this important role. She has a PhD in curriculum, teaching, and learning from the University of Toronto – Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and is an Ontario Certified Teacher. She worked as a Learning Strategist for students with learning disabilities at Brock University and was an Adjunct Professor in Brock’s Concurrent Education Program before joining Sheridan as Manager, Accessible Learning. She also sits on the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario’s Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee, which is charged with creating accessibility standards for the college and university systems. Karen’s other academic interests include curriculum theories and curriculum design, holistic education, democratic education, spirituality of women, women’s ways of knowing, early Christianity and Indigenous spiritualities.
Student Affairs will commence a recruitment process to replace Karen within the next few weeks.
Please join us in welcoming Karen in her new role!
It is with mixed emotions that we announce the resignation of Christopher Treschak, Manager of Student Recruitment, earlier this month.
Chris has decided to pursue an exciting new opportunity within his family business. For the past three years, Chris has been a valuable member of the Sheridan team. He has contributed significantly to the success of Sheridan and we thank him for his commitment and dedication. The OTR has appreciated his knowledge, support and commitment to the Student Recruitment Team and his participation in developing the Indigenous Recruitment Plan and the new Strategic Enrolment Management Plan. Please join me in wishing Chris all the best in this new phase of his professional career.
New Manager of Student Recruitment
After a comprehensive recruitment process that received over 280 applications, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ashley McDonald as the Manager of Student Recruitment in the Office of the Registrar effective Wednesday, October 10, 2018.
Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts in Urban/Cultural Geography, and an Advanced Certificate in Project Management from McMaster University. In addition, she brings over eight years of comprehensive knowledge and experience in both Admissions and Recruitment.
Her previous roles include Project and Policy Analyst, Office of Institutional Research, McMaster University, Admissions and Recruitment Officer, School of Graduate Studies, McMaster University, and Associate Director of Admissions, Dalhousie University.
Ashley’s education and work experience has cultivated in an intimate knowledge of research and analysis of institutional data for the purposes of implementing admissions, recruitment and enrolment management strategies. In addition, she brings to Sheridan a strong capacity in project management, team management and cooperative leadership.
Please join me in welcoming Ashley McDonald to our team!
Sincerely,
June Cupido
Associate Registrar Admissions and Student Recruitment
Tune in to TVO on October 19 at 9 p.m. to watch FIXED!, a documentary highlighting the Toronto Repair Café. As you may be aware, Sheridan has embraced the Repair Café culture in recent years thanks to Sustainability Coordinator Wai Chu Cheng, who has long been involved with the Repair Café movement and was instrumental in bringing one of North America’s earliest and longest-running Repair Cafés to Toronto.
Repair Café events, which have taken place across Sheridan’s campuses over the past few years, are part of an initiative that fosters community togetherness through the free repairing of broken household items and the sharing of knowledge between volunteer fixers and visitors. This movement aims to change society’s throwaway mindset and divert waste from landfills by extending the life span of products.
To learn more about the movement, don’t miss FIXED!, a remarkable showcasing of what Wai Chu and her crew of volunteers have accomplished for the community.
Way to go!
FAAD is delighted to announce Chelsea Ryan as its new Digital Content Specialist and Creative Campus Coordinator, starting October 31, 2018.
Chelsea is a grad of the joint UTM/Sheridan Art and Art History program, and she’s a recipient of 2018 Graduating Student Art Award. She has experience working in a similar capacity during her years as a student for UTM Communications.
We are thrilled to welcome her to our Faculty.
Following 17 years of dedicated service to Sheridan, Simpson Siu has decided to retire at the end of this year.
Please join us for a celebration in Simpson’s honour to congratulate him on a very successful career, thank him for all of his hard work and friendship, and wish him all the best as he begins the next chapter of his life.
Event Details:
To assist us with planning, please RSVP by next Monday, November 26, using the form below.
We look forward to seeing you there!
From a social impact-focused entrepreneur to an award-winning producer, Sheridan’s crop of nominees for this year’s Premier’s Awards covers the gamut of success and ambition.
Sheridan has nominated six accomplished graduates for the 2018 awards, which recognize the outstanding social and economic contributions of Ontario’s college graduates.
Launched in 1992 by Colleges Ontario, each year the Premier’s Awards have recognized one winner in each category. Sheridan alumni have taken home the prize 16 times.
This year’s recipients will be announced at a gala event in Toronto on November 26.
Sheridan’s 2018 nominees are:
Alan Dick (Business Administration Marketing ‘85) is nominated in the Business category. Dick is the Senior Vice President of Global Business Services and Integration Management at Jacobs Engineering, where he leads the company’s efforts to integrate with the firms the company acquires.
In the Community Services category, Diane Hill (Community Planning ‘79) is nominated for her work helping to amplify the voices of underrepresented women and girls. Hill is the Director of Communications for the Gender Equality Network Canada — a new network of over 150 women leaders.
Shauna-Kay Jones (Software Development and Network Engineering ‘15) is nominated in the Recent Graduate category. Inspired by her brother who is autistic, Jones has dedicated herself to transitioning her college capstone project, the Motify app for students on the autism spectrum, to a start-up enterprise on solid footing.
Helen Lebeau (Media Arts ‘82) is nominated in the Creative Arts and Design category. As Vice President of Production, Lebeau oversees animation production of Toronto-based studio Nelvana. Her producing credits include “Bravest Warriors,” “Hotel Transylvania,” “Max & Ruby,” Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award-winning “Bubble Guppies” and the International Emmy Award-winning “Mike the Knight.”
Environmental and Chemical Engineering Technology grad Eric Liberda (‘02) is nominated in the Health Sciences category. Liberda is an award-winning associate professor and researcher specializing in environmental contaminants.
President and Chief Innovation Officer of Delvinia, Steve Mast (Architectural Technology ‘92) is the nominee in the Technology category. Mast leads an innovation team that provides data collection and market research solutions that enable businesses to make better decisions.
Learn more about all six nominees.
Students from Sheridan’s Bachelor of Game Design program presented at the recent CiCan Symposium and Student Showcase in Ottawa, providing insight into their valuable involvement in applied research partnerships with employers.
Watch this video to see Sheridan Bachelor of Game Design graduate Raphael Tetreault and fourth-year student Vincent Gutauskas discuss their applied research project, the development of a game in collaboration with York Regional Police.
Congratulations to Raphael and Vincent!
Sheridan’s Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Flack added another accolade to his illustrious career on Saturday, celebrating his 700th victory with a 101-97 triumph over Lambton.
“A few Alumni were here tonight and came into my office after the game. They are the real owners of 700,”Jim said. “I had no idea of the number, but I guess it makes me a marathoner of sorts. I don’t have a son but I’ve been blessed to have almost 200 of them over the years, all wearing Double Blue. It eclipses any win or championship I could be a part of.”
Jim has been patrolling the Sheridan sidelines since 1993, after spending one season as the head coach at Seneca. Consistency has been a staple throughout his career as his teams have won at least 20 games in 24 of his 26 previous seasons and are on pace to make it 25 this year.
They’ve also been a constant threat in the post-season, reaching at least the OCAA semi finals in 21 seasons, while winning seven OCAA championships, 15 total Ontario medals (seven silver, one bronze), and six national medals (three silver, three bronze).
He’s been the OCAA Coach of the Year 11 times and was named the CCAA National Coach of the Year during the 2001-02 campaign.
Jim now holds an overall record of 700-247 (a .739 winning percentage) and is 325-88 (.794) in OCAA regular season play.
Congratulations, Jim!
Visual and Creative Arts professor Bogdan Luca won the grand prize at SeeMe: Art Takes Miami 2018, a competition that showcases the work of contemporary artists internationally.
The grand prize is a $10,000 award, including a $5,000 production allowance at SCOPE Miami Beach, where his work was featured alongside leaders in the art, fashion and photography industries.
Bogdan won the award for his oil on canvas paintings, which focus on personal observations from his daily life and his dream state. The paintings visually combine the aesthetics of contemporary digital imagery with the tactile qualities of paint.
Congratulations, Bogdan!
Artwork featured above: Bogdan Luca, Crucible, 2018. Visit Bogdan’s website to see more of his work.
Professor Nicole Blanchett Neheli from Sheridan’s Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design recently published research findings on how metrics and analytics are changing current journalism practices.
Published in Digital Journalism, her paper “News by Numbers: The evolution of analytics in journalism” examines the use of audience data in newsrooms: does it affect best practice, the stories that are chosen for development, and/or how content is promoted online?
Nicole argues the importance of metrics and analytics, not just in building the scale of the audience, but also in the use of data on a deeper level to better serve a specific community – a strategy that might assist the sustainability of legacy media making the jump to digital.
These initial findings are related to Nicole’s PhD research, and were pulled from a multi-site, international ethnographic study assessing and comparing the use of metrics and analytics and journalistic practice at Norway’s national broadcaster, NRK; The Canadian Press, Canada’s national news agency; the Hamilton Spectator, a local newspaper in Canada making the shift from print to digital; and a similarly sized and situated local paper in the United Kingdom, the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
To read the full paper, please visit Digital Journalism online.
Congratulations, Nicole!
Animation and Game Design Professor Tony Tarantini recently visited Punjab, India to participate in the Global Week event organized by Chitkara University. Over 70 professors and educators from around the world joined together to share their knowledge and expertise. Tony delivered a five-day animation production workshop to animation and visual arts students.
“One of the greatest pleasures I take away from teaching is the ability to share my knowledge, enthusiasm and love for animation with young artists who are eager to learn,” says Tony. “My 18 years of teaching at Sheridan have convinced me that we attract some of the best national and international students from around the globe. Our reputation in the Punjab region precedes us, in a good way, and I took full advantage of it to further promote our great programs.”
While in India, Tony had the opportunity to network with aspiring students; he also hosted an additional three-day animation workshop at Arena, a private school in Chandigarh Arena, where he shared industry insights and tips with students. Check out his interview to learn more.
“This was an amazing experience that left a lasting impression on me,” says Tony. “The level of respect that students have for their teacher and hunger for information is truly admirable. This was a terrific opportunity for networking and the collegial sharing of ideas.”
“The hospitality was first rate and the university campus was full of life and absolutely inspiring,” Tony adds. “Everywhere you turned there was a quote meant to encourage student success. The one that really stuck with me was, ‘Having a dream and determination is a powerful combination.’”
Way to go, Tony!
Our talented 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 postsecondary institutions.
We believe in celebrating the remarkable achievements of all our employees – support staff, administrative employees and faculty. The Sheridan People Awards is a way for our community to recognize the outstanding work taking place across our campuses.
Please take the opportunity to nominate one or several of your colleagues for one of this year’s awards by March 1, 2019. The nine award categories available have been designed to recognize a wide range of achievements, including creativity, emerging leadership, commitment to student success and advancing truth and reconciliation.
This year we are pleased to also offer the new Dr. Mary Preece SWITCH (Sheridan Women Innovating Through the Creative Heart) Awards sponsored by our past President Dr. Mary Preece.
The winners will be announced at a special nominees’ reception in April 2019. We look forward to celebrating all of our nominees and winners!
Visit Access Sheridan> Human Resources Centre > Learning and Development> Rewards and Recognition to learn more about the awards program and how to submit your nomination.
You will need to click on the Learning and Development link on the left side menu to open up a secondary menu of links, one of which is Rewards and Recognition. Please see below:
If you have any questions about the program, please contact the Centre for People & Organizational Development at training@sheridancollege.ca
It is with great excitement I announce that Sean O’Flynn has joined the Sheridan Human Resources team as an HR Business Partner as of April 29, 2019.
Sean joins us from Hamilton Health Sciences, where he has worked as an HR Business Partner since November 2017. Sean holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph, a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University, and a Master of Industrial Relations from Queen’s University. Sean will be bringing over 10 years of Labour Relations experience, including experience at McMaster University, the City of Toronto and the City of Ottawa.
Please join me in welcoming Sean to Sheridan!
Sincerely,
Deborah Metrakos
Director, Employment Relations and Talent Acquisition
I am excited to share some great news with you. Over the last few months, we have been reviewing the current and projected needs within the Finance department. The two changes announced below are intended to help position us for success going forward.
Senior Manager of Fixed Assets, Treasury and Financial Reporting
Kasha Filipek has accepted a promotion to a new position within Finance. On June 1, Kasha will be the Senior Manager of Fixed Assets, Treasury and Financial Reporting, reporting to Janice Darnley, Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting. In this role, Kasha will be responsible for managing Sheridan’s $240 million capital budget that will be going to the Board for approval later this month. Additionally, Kasha will be leading the development and ongoing management of a cash flow budget for Sheridan. Sheridan’s cash and investments have increased significantly over the last five years; Kasha will oversee these assets and ensure that we are maximizing returns and protecting Sheridan’s financial interests. Finally, Kasha will oversee financial reporting, including the preparation of year-end financial statements, regular reporting to Sheridan’s Board of Governors and other key stakeholders. Kasha’s team will include our Senior Financial Reporting Analysts, Betty Wong and Doyin Odusanya, our Senior Project Officer for Treasury – Krystyne Mierzwa and our Fixed Assets Officer, Pina Silva. I am really looking forward to having Kasha in this important role – her significant experience, strong accounting and financial analysis skills along with her attention to detail will help us going forward with these important priorities.
Director of Budgets and Financial Planning
Catherine Zheng has accepted a promotion as the Director of Budgets and Financial Planning, also effective June 1 and reporting to me. Catherine has been with the college for nearly a year, overseeing the transition to Activities Based Budgeting (ABB). In this new role, Catherine will help the Finance department transition to the ABB model, which will include the implementation of new budget software. This will also include developing the 2020/21 budget, which will be done in parallel – both a traditional operating budget as well as a simulated activities based budget. Catherine’s team includes our three Budget Analysts, Belina Cheung, Teresa Sanderson and Vitalie Ghelan. I am excited to have Catherine working with us as we make this significant transition in how we budget. She has excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills that will help with the change management needed to make this successful across Sheridan.
Please join me in congratulating both Kasha and Catherine on their new roles!
Thank you,
Dan McKerrall
Associate Vice President, Finance
I am pleased to announce that Nicole Bonich will be joining the Office of the Registrar’s Records and Registration team in the role of Manager, Records and Registration at the Davis Campus.
Nicole has been at Sheridan for six years in the role of Manager, Financial Aid and Awards and has led a dynamic team of people devoted to the retention efforts of our students through the reduction of financial barriers.
Nicole began her career as a work/study student at York University working in the Registrar’s Office, while she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Nicole’s passion and love of working within a postsecondary environment has culminated in 21 years of experience in various roles at York University, the National Student Loans Service Center and here at Sheridan.
In 2017, Nicole continued her studies and earned a MEd in Post Secondary Studies from Memorial University with a focus on overcoming barriers and Strategic Enrolment Management.
Please join with me in welcoming Nicole to her new position in the Office of the Registrar!
Sincerely,
Emma Dickson
Associate Registrar
After 18 years of loyal service to Sheridan, Karen Richard, Manager, Events Services, has decided to retire.
During her time here at Sheridan, Karen has served four Presidents and executed thousands of events. Among the highlights were visits from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the CEO of Apple, Governor Generals and Lieutenant Governors, as well as Premiers, MPs, MPPs, Mayors and even the Dalai Lama.
Karen has overseen the opening events for seven buildings and one residence, and she had valuable input to the design of the Trafalgar Conference Centre. She also worked on Sheridan’s 40th and 50th anniversary celebrations, 17 Remembrance Day ceremonies, 16 Welcome Back Breakfasts and two Welcome Back BBQs. She has also participated in 22 convocation seasons (196 individual ceremonies!) over her career.
Karen will participate in her final 11 convocation ceremonies next week from June 10 – June 13, before setting off on retirement and getting some well-deserved rest at the end of June.
Details regarding a celebration will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!