Sheridan Strategic Mandate Agreement

September 28, 2012

Presented to The Honourable Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

Preamble
At Sheridan we are putting students first by creating worldclass pathways to give our students a globally competitive education and the best chance for employment. Degrees improve their chances and we can deliver quality undergraduate teaching-based degrees. Traditional, research-focused universities are challenged in their ability to fully meet the needs of undergraduate students. Sheridan serves a population of more than 1.2 million in the western GTA, and we are prepared to deliver a teaching-centric undergraduate experience to students in our communities. Private career colleges are rushing to fill the credentials void that has been created by unmet student demand. These institutions are exempt from the rigorous oversight that our public institutions receive. Their graduation rates are low and their OSAP default levels are high. We need Provincial quality assurance to give our students the best opportunities to succeed. Sheridan is ready and able to provide three- and four-year degrees that combine the best vocational preparation with the best academic theoretical experience. We are expanding our depth, breadth, scholarship and affinity. Sheridan students will not just be job ready, they will be career ready as we combine the best in soft and hard skills training to prepare our graduates for the multiple career opportunities that await them in the twenty-first century. Sheridan will be the provincial leader in applied research with scholarly support for faculty and students in place, including expanded lab and library capabilities and multi-platform delivery of industry and knowledge-based materials. As a teaching-oriented institution, our facultys primary focus will be in the classroom. We are committed to year over year increases in full time teaching positions with a goal of 70 per cent across disciplines. Through the newly-constituted Sheridan Senate, we will employ clear academic freedom policies that will provide an autonomous environment that brings the necessary breadth to our degree offerings. As we move toward AUCC accreditation we will work with MTCU to increase our degree offerings until 51 per cent of our students are enrolled in degree-granting programs. In the new knowledge economy our students need the proper credentials, with a depth of learning and an applied skill set that gives them the best opportunities for employment and to pursue postgraduate degrees here in Ontario and around the world. Sheridan will have an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum with applied outcomes that will invest each program stream with a course in applied creativity and problem solving. We will provide our students with problem-solving skills that will set Sheridan graduates apart and add essential depth to the general education component of their course of study. In the twenty-first century Sheridan is moving to where the puck will be. The knowledge and agility, the creativity and practical problem-solving that we are equipping our students with will prepare them for the multiple careers that await them. As the western GTA continues to grow toward two million people by 2020, Sheridan will be ready to combine a top quality undergraduate experience with an outcome-based teaching culture that will keep class sizes small, and creativity, critical thinking and applied knowledge at the leading edge of tomorrow.

The futures we inherit are not of our own making, but the futures we create for generations of young people who follow us arise out of our ability to imagine a better world, recognize our responsibility to others, and define the success of a society to the degree that it can address the needs of coming generations to live in a world in which the obligations of a global democracy and individual responsibility mutually inform each other. Henry Giroux Chair in Communication Studies McMaster University

Introduction
Framed by the themes articulated above, Sheridan is pleased to present this Strategic Mandate Agreement. We have found its development to be a valuable exercise that has challenged us to make the connection between our Sheridan 2020 Strategic Plan and the priorities of the provincial government. We have drawn upon the considerable strategic planning undertaken by our Board of Governors over the past year, which culminated in the development of a new Sheridan Vision, Mission and Strategic plan. At the same time, we have listened carefully to the issues raised through the Ministers consultation roundtables and believe that the following Sheridan priorities will help address the challenges confronting the postsecondary system in Ontario, while also delivering on the promise contained within our strategic plan to our students and our communities.

Priority #1:
The Creative Campus
A core value at Sheridan is our commitment to creativity. From our earliest days as a small arts school in Mississauga to our current status as an international powerhouse in animation and digital arts, creativity frames our relationship with our students. This mandate agreement acknowledges the increased role that creativity will play in a renewed Ontario economy through our commitment to establish a Centre of Excellence for Creative Innovation. The Centre will have a profound impact on our communities through the creative leadership and engaged citizenship of our students, and will include the following key features: Creative course in every program Sheridan will institute a five-year organization-wide transformation that will support the incorporation of creative thinking competencies across all programs by providing opportunities for students to engage in the study of creativity as a disciplinary subject. Curriculum in critical and creative thinking will be developed in the breadth area for degree programs and in the general education area for non-degree programs. An introductory survey course in creativity will be offered to students in every program and students will be afforded an opportunity to pursue further studies in this area by taking additional specialized or advanced courses, engaging in faculty-led applied research projects, or pursuing a credential in creativity studies in the School of Humanities and Creativity within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. International Creativity Advisory Group Sheridan will take a position of global leadership by collaborating on the development of a problem-solving toolkit with partner institutions around the world that can be applied across institutions and in the classroom. Through the use of interdisciplinary and collaborative models and with the support of an international network of thought leaders and institutional partners, Sheridan will focus on becoming a global leader in applied creativity using academically grounded methodology as applied to problem solving. The journey to innovation requires the engine of creativity and Sheridan will add this critical value to our graduates as they make their way into the new knowledge economy. Sheridan Creativity and Sustainability Institute As part of the Phase Two building plan at the Hazel McCallion Campus, the Sheridan Institute for Creativity and Sustainability (SCSI) is being built alongside a Creativity Commons. The SCSI will bring together multiple disciplines and leaders to create and share knowledge and train a new generation of undergraduate students. It will develop practical solutions to Ontarios most pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges of sustainability, especially as they relate to Ontario urban areas and municipalities. The Institute brings together four key areas within the college providing one integrative and innovative system for teaching, learning, and research on sustainability.

Priority #2:
Im encouraging young people to become social business entrepreneurs and contribute to the world, rather than just making money. Making money is no fun. Contributing to and changing the world is a lot more fun. Muhammad Yunus Banker to the Poor and Nobel Laureate

Delivering Productivity and Efficiency for Ontarios Postsecondary Sector

Reducing the Cost of Postsecondary Degrees As Ontario plans for growth in the number and availability of degree seats, particularly in the GTA, Sheridan is well placed to play a strong role in addressing this demand and doing so in a cost-effective fashion. Sheridan has a track record of success in undergraduate degree education with the highest rates of graduation and among the highest rates of employment for graduates of our degree programs. Notably, this success has not come at a cost premium for the Province. In fact, a comparison of the grant per student cost to the Province in a Bachelor of Science program in the regular university stream and a Sheridan four-year degree shows quite the opposite result. The cost to the province over the four years of a traditional Ontario university BSc program is $28,550 compared to a cost of $20,387 for students studying in a comparable studio and laboratory-intensive degree program at Sheridan a difference of over $8,000 per student. With the capacity to grow to serve 10,000 new western GTA college degree students, Sheridan would assist the province in seeing savings of approximately $20,000,000 per annum and over the life of a four-year program, total savings of approximately $80,000,000. These savings arise as the result of the instructor workload model at Sheridan where teaching is the priority activity and applied research is embedded within the teaching and learning model. Back Office Operations Sheridan has formed a consortium agreement with the PeopleSoft Colleges - Fleming, Georgian, Niagara, and St. Lawrence - to jointly develop a back office operation for PeopleSoft development. Initial savings are estimated at $500,000 per institution and Sheridan will take a lead role in consolidating these services across the PSE sector with an open invitation to any university partners as well. In colleges alone, this could result in savings of $60 million over the first five years. Sustainability Presently, over 100 students and faculty are involved in sustainability initiatives. As we implement our sustainability plan over the next five years, we will continue to create co-curricular and co-op opportunities. Sheridan plans to invest $10 million of our own funds in the implementation of college-wide sustainability initiatives over the next five years. Examples include the introduction of an integrated building automation system, and a complete campus-wide lighting retrofit. Through these initiatives, Sheridan will reduce our energy costs by approximately 50 per cent, resulting in cost savings of $2-3 million annually and in perpetuity. We will be well-positioned to take a sector-wide leadership position exemplifying and sharing best practices, with potential saving across the sector of $35 million per year.

Sheridan Global Business Innovation Hub Sheridans Global Business Innovation Hub will become the destination for entrepreneurial students and social innovators who want to make a difference in Canada and around the world. Focusing on unlocking entrepreneurial energy while bolstering the SME relationships in the Western GTA, Sheridans business school will incorporate leading concepts such as Harvard Professor Michael Porters Shared Value, and will build on the collaborative spirit and ideas generated at the Social innovation Summit held in Ontario in 2011. Sheridan will become a leading destination for students and faculty interested in the not-for-profit sector with a focus on project management and leadership. As well, Sheridans Innovation Hub will draw on our strengths in the arts to offer business degrees and certificates in Arts Administration. Finally, and by working with HalTech and Ontarios ONE Network, we will become the western GTAs social innovation leader.

Priority #3:
Pathways and Partnerships
Its not just a question of conquering a summit previously unknown, but of tracing, step by step, a new pathway to it. Gustav Mahler Year-Round Learning We are dedicated to year-round learning, starting courses not just in the fall but also throughout the calendar year through continuous intake and course-based registrations. Sheridans co-op enrollment is the fastest growing in the system and has more than doubled over the past seven years, from 1,938 in 2005 to 4,223 in the summer of 2012. Three full semesters of available study means students can choose when to work and when to attend classes. This flexibility recognizes that fall might be a better time for employment in their field of interest while summer is best for course work. It also recognizes that students know best what their needs are. Community Partnerships In the December 8, 2011 issue of Macleans.ca, The Honourable Glen Murray, Minister of Training Colleges and Universities, provided his thoughts on the changes ahead for Ontario: Murray thinks new campuses should be catalysts for downtown revitalization it {the expansion of Red River College in downtown Winnipeg} spawned a whole bunch of new enterprises, triggered a digital effects industry, and repopulated a whole bunch of heritage buildings. Sheridan College with campuses at Steeles and McLaughlin (Brampton), City Centre and Living Arts Drive (Mississauga) and Trafalgar Road (Oakville) is uniquely situated to meet this objective, and support and contribute to urban revitalization. The Mississauga Campus (HMC Phase I and II) is a cornerstone of the Mississauga Downtown 21 Project. The project has been an ongoing partnership between the college and the City. While the City has assisted with land purchase and the development of Scholars Park (outdoor space for both students and residents), the college has assisted with the cost of infrastructure (roadwork and park maintenance). The success of the Mississauga revitalization project is being used as the model for the Trafalgar Corridor changes. Trafalgar corridor revitalization has been proposed at both the regional level and municipal level in Halton/Oakville. Sheridan, with more than 0.4 km of frontage on to Trafalgar Road, is working in a collaborative way to bring transit into the college as well as expand the commercial/cultural activities on this vital arterial road within Halton Region/Town of Oakville.

Sheridan and Mohawk The Presidents of Mohawk and Sheridan have committed to exploring a collaboration which builds on the historic strengths of each institution while offering the students of the western GTA the highest quality educational experience. Consistent with our strategic plan, Sheridan has determined that we will focus on the maximization of our degree programs and leverage our existing strengths in the arts and design-related programs, business and IT. Mohawk is prepared to undertake responsibility for serving students in Sheridans traditional catchment area with programming that emphasizes its core strengths in health, trades and apprenticeship programs. Mohawk is also committed to finding new pathways for Mohawk students desiring to earn a university credential through an innovative collaboration with Sheridan. The Sheridan/Mohawk collaboration could result in colocating programs at each of Sheridan and Mohawks campuses resulting in a unique sharing of space and programs to serve the growing populations of Peel, Halton, Hamilton and Brantford. The objective would be that all students in these regions have access to a full breadth of postsecondary opportunities within their own communities. Other Partnerships and Pathways Sheridan is supportive of Wilfrid Laurier Universitys plans to establish a presence in Milton and sees this as a good opportunity for a further partnership that will help to serve the needs of the Milton area which is expected to double in population by 2020. Through our ongoing partnerships with UTM, Mohawk, York, Brock and Wilfrid Laurier and through the expanded use of online learning, Sheridan will increase the access, reach and diversity of learning opportunities for more students. Our commitment is to get the right people in the right programs irrespective of space, place and time. World Class Online Learning By harnessing our formidable expertise in the worlds of animation, design, gaming and IT Sheridan will lead a small consortium of Ontario institutions to develop a systems-wide online content generator. This collaboration will pilot gaming and interactive models for online courseware that will be available system-wide. The hybrid delivery strategy being developed by Sheridan represents a means of ensuring that all course offerings have an online component. The model is one of assimilating hybrid/blended approaches into the curriculum rather than considering hybrid/blended learning as something unique. Sheridan is approaching online teaching as an opportunity for faculty to engage in professional development to support teaching excellence and learning outcomes. Students and faculty will be offered self-evaluations to determine their readiness to engage in an online learning environment. The workshop-based curriculum being developed will approach online development and teaching as a creative activity in addition to creating an engaging learning environment. The Quality Matters rubric system will be applied to the workshop curriculum, therefore ensuring statistically reliable and valid criteria are used to establish best practices.

Conclusion
At Sheridan, creativity abounds. As Canadas largest postsecondary arts school and as the international leader in digital media, creativity frames our view of the world and will increasingly infuse our curriculum across all of our programming. It is that creativity and its progeny, innovation, that is critically needed at this time in Ontarios history. As the economy rises anew, graduates with knowledge economy skills, creative and critical minds, and the capacity to learn throughout life will be the graduates who will drive forward our economy and our social well-being.
Sheridan graduates will, in the words of Henry Giroux, imagine a better world.
7