BY STEPHANIE ALBA
Sheridan College welcomed Dr. Janet Morrison as its new Provost and Vice President, Academic on Nov. 28.
Morrison, 47, has 25 years of senior leadership experience under her belt at colleges and universities in Canada and the United States. She most recently worked at York University as Vice Provost.
In the two weeks since she’s been at Sheridan, Morrison has yet to have a normal day in the office. Instead, exploring what the college has to offer is at the top of her agenda.
“The people around me, students, faculty and staff are organizing an on boarding or orientation with at least one or two opportunities every day to go on an adventure,” said Morrison.
Jeff Zabudsky, Sheridan’s former president and vice chancellor, announced the appointment of Morrison in early September.
“Throughout her career, Dr. Morrison has shown herself to be a champion of quality undergraduate and professional education, and an educator focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning,” said Zabudsky in his announcement.
From visiting the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies, PineWood Toronto Studios, and the Davis Campus, it’s important for Morrison to have a hands on understanding of what the college is about.
“I think students learn best experientially when they have a chance to actually get out of a classroom and engage with the material. I learn best that way,” Morrison said.
When thinking of acquiring her new position at Sheridan, she says its aspirational community was what brought her to the college.
“I’m really focused on students and student experience, student success, student learning, and Sheridan has an excellent reputation for student focus and learner focused. I am really excited and energized by creativity and innovation. I think the aspirational nature of the community and the fact that it has goals, that it works collegially, that people seem to generally champion Sheridan was really attractive to me. It came out through the interview process which told me that it was genuine and real,” said Morrison.
When not on campus, Morrison, spends most of her time with her partner and kids Bennet, 11, and Olive, 8, at ball diamonds, pools and ice rinks.
She’s also an active volunteer and currently sits on the board of trustrees at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
With her new position as Provost and Vice-President, Morrison’s collaborative leadership style does not plan to divide but help continue Sheridan achieve its goals.
“My hope and aspiration is to help Sheridan achieve its goals and objectives. The community is so committed to excellence, creativity, innovation, and student success that I’m hoping in a little or big ways to contribute to what the students, faculty, and staff on campus think we as an institution look like in five to 15 years. My job is to help facilitate that, not to divide what in looks like and so I’m excited about that,” said Morrison.
