Student Experience Fund | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Barry Naymark, Advancement and Alumni

in the Fall 2017 issue

Seneca’s Student Experience Fund, part of the Alumni Affinity Program, supports faculty-led learning opportunities involving a student group participating in activities outside of the classroom. This includes attending a career, industry, or association-related conference, seminar, workshop, or presentation that supports specific learning objectives.

Here are three examples of faculty-led events:

Public Administration
Last November, students from the Public Administration program attended an industry training event and seminar. The Canadian Council for Private-Public Partnerships (CCPPP) hosted a two-day national conference and seminar on the fundamentals of Public-Private Partnerships (P3). Both are annual internationally-recognized forums that bring together over 1,200 senior government and business leaders from across Canada and around the world. The training was made possible by Seneca’s affinity program and by Jon Olinksi, professor of the School of Legal and Public Administration.

Hackathon
Students from the School of Information and Communications Technology recently competed in the Dementiahack, an international hackathon to create new solutions for dementia patients and caregivers through healthcare technology. The students collaborated in groups to showcase innovative ideas for various mobile applications, databases and websites. Ideas ranged from a GPS-tracking pacemaker to help locate sufferers if they wander off, to a web-based survey to help individuals detect identifying symptoms of dementia, and an app-based game that records progress of cognitive memory. Seneca’s teams were sponsored by the Seneca Alumni Student Experience Fund, and the event was spearheaded by professor Mark Buchner, who has done extensive research and work on experimental learning, and professor Cindy Laurin.

A Day in the Supply Chain
This year, Jim Wyer, a professor from the School of International Business and Management, established “A Day in the Supply Chain” event. Stemmed from the concept of bridging the gap between education and business, Wyer wanted employers to value the knowledge and experience Seneca graduates possess. The event is one-day tour (8-9 hours) of two related companies and industries each semester. Since January, Wyer has organized four tours at General Motors, Logistics in Motion, and to Ports Toronto and Porter Airlines, for second semester Supply Chain Management - Global Logistics Graduate Certificate students, and last semester International Transportation and Customs Diploma programs. Students from Supply Chain Management also presented Porter Airlines with a Certificate of Appreciation. Wyer is currently planning visiting Pearson International Airport and FedEx in October.

For more information on the Alumni Affinity Program or Student Experience Fund, contact Alumni Relations Manager, Barry Naymark barry.naymark@senecacollege.ca.

View the Fall 2017 issue of the Academic Newsletter.