The distinction between 2-year colleges and 4-year universities is becoming increasingly blurred, with the rise of polytechnics, collaborative and dual enrolment programs, postgrad certificates at university and applied degrees at colleges. (Sheridan College has not been coy about its ambitions to eventually become a university itself.) This week, Ken Steele’s conversation with Janet Morrison, president and vice-chancellor of Sheridan, concludes with an exploration of the differences and synergies between university and college.
Janet feels strongly that “this bifurcated lens on PSE in Ontario… really isn’t meeting the needs of learners today,” much less the needs of learners or the workforce of the future. “The system has to evolve” to ensure we are preparing students to be “agile, change-adept, resilient, independent, creative thinkers comfortable in a morphing space.”
Sheridan offers 26 four-year honours baccalaureate degree programs, with exceptional quality and university-equivalent rigor. All incorporate work-integrated learning, through co-op, placements, internships, capstone projects, and applied research – what a student called “the secret sauce” of a Sheridan education. Faculty members are actively engaged with industry, community, and NGOs to stay current. “What we’re doing is at the nexus of both a theoretical and a practical preparatory program, that positions students for work and life.”
Students already realize that they will be faced with an average of 11 career changes between ages 20 and 45; they will need skills and competencies to position them “as lifelong learners and adept, agile change-agents.” Higher ed will need to consider new approaches to credentialing and microcredentialing, to ease pathways for credit transfer between programs and institutions. At Sheridan, much attention is paid to pathways in, through, and out of the institution: fully one-quarter of Sheridan students arrive already having earned a university degree; there are 70 different pathways from Sheridan trades and certificate programs through degrees; and the Provost and Registrar often work with Sheridan grads to gain entry into graduate study. For 40 years, Sheridan has developed pathway agreements with universities in Canada and the US, but even graduates of Sheridan’s #1-ranked animation program still “don’t have unfettered access to graduate programming,” which suggests to Janet that the whole system needs “a rethink.” “If we expect students to navigate gray space… we have to do it too.” Janet also emphasizes the growing need to better develop global competency, and recognize the prior learning and life experience of international students.
Conversations about credit transfer, and a rethink of the PSE system, will be difficult and will demand courage and creativity. But Janet asserts, “if you position learning and learners at the centre, there’s far more alignment than you’d sometimes think.”
Dr Janet Morrison championed student success at York University for 17 years, ultimately as VP Students, before joining Sheridan College in 2016 as VP Academic, and 2 years later becoming Sheridan’s President. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in History and Education. (If you missed the previous parts of our conversation, see “Cultivating Creativity” at https://youtu.be/awH4WVFV-hcand “Mental Health & Student Success” at https://youtu.be/u3fHpn2Pt4A).
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Special thanks to Sheridan College for the onsite videography. (If you would like to host an onsite episode of Ten with Ken, please see http://eduvation.ca/twk/site-visits/for more information.)
Colleges and universities are investing more and more resources into student retention and success initiatives, and student mental health has become an escalating crisis on many campuses. This week, Ken Steele sits down with Janet Morrison, president and vice-chancellor of Sheridan College, to discuss some lessons she has learned over 25 years as a champion of student success, in the university and college sectors.
There is a wealth of research into student success, and Janet believes in programming that is “evidence-based and theoretically informed.” Institutions now need to understand their own specific demographics, and pilot-test interventions. Janet emphasizes that “on many levels student success is a commentary on privilege,” and many students at commuter institutions (like York or Sheridan) have very different experiences than the faculty or administrators responsible for their education. Many students are working in excess of 26 hours a week, and commuting an average of 2 hours daily, while attending school full time, and potentially also juggling responsibilities for dependents and significant debt. We need to “co-define success” with learners, in ways much more holistic than mere grade-point averages. Janet emphasizes the crucial importance of “purpose”, because when things inevitably become challenging, “that sense of purpose is the pull, the energy, the fuel, the accelerant to help students make it to the next gatepost.” She is truly inspired by the perseverance and dedication of many students who have overcome incredible obstacles.
Institutions can help support student success by conducting research to identify the top ten obstacles to student learning, which will differ by campus and by student demographic. Students need a sense of academic culture, and particularly for first-generation students, a lot of that falls to academic advising staff. Students need a sense of connection with faculty, staff and peers, and student affairs staff can organize co-curricular records, and promote wellness. “This really is a team effort” with staff and faculty fostering a sense of purpose, connectivity, and resourcefulness in our students.
Negative mental health in particular has been a rising issue on campus in recent years, with a significant increase in demand for counselling services on campus. Janet observes “a multitude of causal contributors” to the trend, but sums it up as, basically “life is more complicated.” Socioeconomic demands and anxieties, among incoming and graduating students, drives considerable stress. “There are limits to what post-secondary institutions can do to support students, and those are difficult conversations to be having.” Sheridan is trying to cultivate a healthy campus for students, staff, faculty and guests, but it’s a “really big” challenge. Students pursuing creative vocations can be particularly vulnerable, perhaps because they are more sensitive and introspective, and certainly need to face ongoing critique of their work.
Janet emphasizes the importance of psychological resilience, and shares one student’s metaphor of the “Bobo doll”: the ability to bounce back from setbacks and difficulties. “Being mentally health is a foundational requisite to student success,” and institutions need to continually improve. The crisis, however, is visible everywhere in broader society, in secondary and even primary schools: “it truly is the challenge of our time.”
Dr Janet Morrison championed student success at York University for 17 years, ultimately as VP Students, before joining Sheridan College in 2016 as VP Academic, and 2 years later becoming Sheridan’s President. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in History and Education. (If you missed part 1 of our conversation on “Cultivating Creativity”, check it out here: https://youtu.be/awH4WVFV-hc).
Next week, this 3-part series with Janet concludes with a look at the converging solitudes of colleges and universities (or 2-year and 4-year colleges). So you don’t miss it, be sure to subscribe! http://eduvation.ca/subscribe/
Special thanks to Sheridan College for the onsite videography. (If you would like to host an onsite episode of Ten with Ken, please see http://eduvation.ca/twk/site-visits/for more information.)
Sheridan College, in the suburbs of Toronto, is world renowned for its creative programs, such as top-ranked illustration and animation degrees – and it has built its entire institutional brand on the slogan “Get Creative.” This week, Ken Steele sits down with Janet Morrison, Sheridan’s president and vice-chancellor, to discuss how higher ed can cultivate creativity, equipping students with crucial skills for the future, and preparing staff and faculty across campus to embrace innovation and change.
Janet begins by explaining that Sheridan’s commitment to creativity goes far beyond the obvious creative programs. Creativity relates to people, process, product and space. CEOs and thinktanks agree that creative thinking will be an essential skill for graduates in the new economy, and AI experts anticipate that more creative functions will be the last to be automated. Creativity can a valuable “inoculator” against constant change and disruption, and provides tools to deal with ambiguity and complex problems. “The only certainty is that things are changing.”
Post-secondary education is a transformative experience, both personally and socially, beyond the undeniable economic impact on graduate earnings. Higher education cultivates a sense of happiness, leading to more social engagement, political activity, and volunteerism. “PSE is a public service. It does good things for the public,” Janet asserts. “How we foster engagement, teach and mentor them to be active citizens in a democracy really matters, maybe moreso today than ever.”
At Sheridan, they believe that creativity can indeed be taught: “it is totally possible.” More than 3,000 students, 300 staff, and 100 external community members have taken courses or workshops in innovation and creative thinking at Sheridan. Janet says the workshops “have fuelled creative thinking and innovation in not just our programs but our service delivery.” Sheridan’s mission is being “fuelled and accelerated” through training and development in creativity.
Sheridan is proud of its three “creative campuses,” which Janet explains authentically reflect the institution’s values. “Space matters… We want people to experience creativity from the minute they’re on our properties.” Sheridan has installations at its Creative Campus Galleries that challenge students, faculty and staff to reflect and rethink. An annual “creative speakers” series has brought Ken Dryden, Roberta Jamieson and others to campus, to cultivate curiosity and allow people to see the world through a different lens.
Janet emphasizes the importance of listening, consultation and collaboration, and “capitalizing on the contributions that students, faculty and staff can make to move the institution forward.” She has led an Academic Planning and now also a Strategic Planning process at Sheridan that aim to be “the most open and engaged in Sheridan’s history.” If you hire the right people, she observes, “they’re opinionated, well-educated, with great experiences” and inevitably disagree at times about the direction of their learning community. “When people care about the place, they’re going to express those opinions with a level of enthusiasm.” The task of the campus leader is to sift and sort, triangulate the input from across campus, and find “not consensus but a level of alignment and mutual agreement.”
Dr Janet Morrison championed student success at York University for 17 years, ultimately as VP Students, before joining Sheridan College in 2016 as VP Academic, and 2 years later becoming Sheridan’s President. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in History and Education.
Next week, Ken’s conversation with Janet continues, with a look at Mental Health and Student Success. So you don’t miss it, be sure to subscribe! http://eduvation.ca/subscribe/
Special thanks to Sheridan College for the onsite videography. (If you would like to host an onsite episode of Ten with Ken, please see http://eduvation.ca/twk/site-visits/for more information.)
This week, Ken Steele continues his conversation with Larry Rosia, the president and CEO of Saskatchewan Polytechnic, about the fourth industrial revolution, workforce changes, rising interdisciplinarity, and the strengths of polytechnic education – particularly, their close connections to industry. “We like to say we have industry in our DNA,” Larry says.
The fourth industrial revolution, as the World Economic Forum calls it, is being driven by the rapid development and adoption of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation in the workforce. “The topic fascinates me… but it’s one of the topics that keeps me awake at night as well,” Larry observes wryly. “The economy is changing, and the jobs of tomorrow are going to be significantly different than the jobs of today. The trouble is that tomorrow is coming sooner than we think.” Sectors are being disrupted, skill requirements are changing, and as the world of work evolves, higher education has to keep pace. Moreover, education itself is going to be disrupted by emerging technologies: “it’s hard to believe that we’re immune.” Larry challenges people at Saskatchewan Polytechnic to “disrupt or be disrupted.”
For 15 years now, the category of polytechnic institution has been gaining visibility in Canada, and many innovative college and university programs are hybrids of the two traditional approaches. Polytechnics are “the third way,” Larry observes, with applied learning, applied research, and strong partnerships with business and industry. But all three types of PSE play a role in the higher ed ecosystem.
Work-integrated learning is crucial, and 75% of SaskPolytech programs have a WIL component. Students take classroom learning to the jobsite, but they also learn skills on the jobsite, including the soft skills that employers are looking for. Polytechnics offer degrees that universities don’t offer, where industry is demanding advanced skills. Every program area has advisory committees of industry leaders, who review the curriculum for currency, skills and competencies. A growing number of college and university graduates are pursuing postgraduate education at SaskPolytech, to get the applied experience they need to get a job.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic recently reorganized its programs around industry sectors, to send the message that they are “open for business” and provide a clear point of contact for employers, and potential applied research partners. “If you want to be good in business, you have to make it easy for customers to do business with you.” The restructuring aligned SaskPolytech’s programs with industry, and as a result gave new momentum to interdisciplinary programs.
Some students are already pursuing polytechnic education, not to gain a traditional credential, but to gain the skills and competencies they need in their current job, for a new career, or to start a new business themselves. Larry uses the analogy of a music playlist to describe the sort of personalized education that will be coming soon: students are bundling courses together to prepare for careers that we’re not even thinking about. Companies like Google and Amazon have stated openly that they are no longer hiring based on credentials, but are seeking skills and competencies. Higher ed institutions need to become more nimble, and unbundle traditional programs so that students can assemble their own career pathway. Larry doesn’t believe that credentials will entirely cease to matter anytime soon, but unbundled learning will be critical for lifelong upskilling and reskilling.
Dr Larry Rosia (@LarryRosia on Twitter) has a background in telecommunications engineering, and holds a PhD in academic leadership from the University of Calgary. For more than 35 years, he has worked in higher education as an instructor, program chair, marketing manager, and senior administrator. Larry served as Dean of the School of Construction at SAIT from 1999-2012, and has been President and CEO of Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly SIAST) since 2012. He authored a 2009 book, “The Successful College President: Strategies for Leading in a Complex Environment.” Larry also sits on the boards of many organizations including Polytechnics Canada, Skills Canada Saskatchewan, the Chair Academy International Leadership Board, the International Mineral Innovation Institute, and the Saskatchewan Post Secondary International Education Council.
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Special thanks to Saskatchewan Polytechnic for arranging the onsite videography. If you would like to host an onsite episode of Ten with Ken, please see http://eduvation.ca/twk/site-visits/for more information.