An interview with Cindy Hazell, V-P Academic, Seneca College

Q.What are some of the most popular programs at Seneca College?

A.There's lots of fluctuation based on what's happening in society, in occupations, employment trends, and we make it our business to respond to that. We're seeing an growing trend in a number of our programs that are in social sciences or communications, and the social services area is seeing a significant increase in applications.

Fire protection applications went up 35%, police foundation is up 20%, law and security training is up 17%, social service worker is up 32%, and early childhood education is up 37%. We have increases in our two-year civil engineering program (48%) and for fashion arts (42%), also a two-year program. Gerontology has also seen a 21% increase.


Q.What kind of placement programs does Seneca offer?

A.There's lot of different formats they might take. Many programs have a formal co-op element to them where students are expected to be in class for a year, and then take a formal co-op semester, and then return to class to finish up their program.

We have many programs that have a field placement component. It's not for an entire term, but usually for a couple days a week.


Q.How important is the practical experience?

A.It's absolutely critical. It helps students understand how to apply the principle of learning in class. It enriches the dialogue when they come back to classroom, and they all benefit from each other's experiences. It also helps students when they graduate, and they gain experience, so there's a really practical advantage as well.


Q.What kind of career guidance can a Seneca student get?

A.We have it at many levels at the college. We have a centralized career service office where specialists assist students. They can go and discuss their interests and benefit from mentoring and the resources that are there.

We have program co-ordinators in the school and they are significant forces in mentoring the students. We also have student advisors who try to ensure the programs and curriculum choices the student makes are mapped out according to the student's goals.

We have regular job fairs that help students by bringing employers on site, so they can meet, dialogue and ask questions. They get first-hand guidance from the employers in terms of what strategies they should have.

Our newest innovation is CareerLink. It's an easy to use and free service for employers to post their job ads for Seneca's grads, students and alumni to look through.


Q.What's in the future for Seneca?

A.We have received funding through the provincial government Superbuild fund, and we have two major construction initiatives under way.

One is at the main campus, and it's a 55,000-sq.-ft., $36-million facility that will house a new centre for financial services, which is another hot area with high placement rates. Creating a focal point for that is appropriate given the number of new activities we have in collaboration with industry. It will help us accept an additional 2,000 students when the new curriculum starts in 2003.

There is also a joint project between Seneca and York University, and it will accommodate 4.000 additional students. It's called the Technology Enhanced Learning Institute (TELi), which will be a 345,000-sq.-ft., $46.99-million institution mandated to provide research and innovation in the use of new technology in teaching and learning, so we can evaluate the effectiveness of the new technology.


Q.What other benefits can a Seneca student enjoy?

A.We have a significant diversity in our student population. The multiculturalism on campus is quite impressive. It enriches the curriculum and classroom experience, the students' social experience, and it develops a citizenship.



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