Season 4, Episode 1: President David Agnew - It's a "bones day"

About Today's Show

This episode is the first episode of #SenecaProud Season 4! And we kick off the season with an interview with Seneca College President, David Agnew.

When we last spoke with President Agnew, things were a lot different. While Seneca College was completely closed with the exception of some key programs that absolutely required in-person teaching, there was still a lot going on. The transformative project, Au Large, was ramping up. (for more on what that project was about, you can click here, or listen to some episodes from last season, which was just about entirely dedicated Au Large)

Also in this episode, we also talk about:

1. What students, staff, and faculty can expect when they return to campus. Note: Anyone returning to campus needs to show proof of vaccination.

2. How technology is transforming some of the classes into "HyFlex" learning, allowing students to attend classes in whatever way is best for them.

3. The latest TikTok trend. (Hint: It's a bones day!)

About Today's Guest, President David Agnew

With extensive experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors, David Agnew became the fifth president of Seneca in July 2009, and has held that position for 12 years.

Under his leadership, Seneca has experienced record growth in enrollment and expanded its offerings in both undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the largest colleges in Canada, Seneca is growing its applied research, broadening international and corporate partnerships, investing in capital expansion and adopting an innovative academic direction to increase experiential, cross-disciplinary and flexible learning opportunities.

Mr. Agnew was Secretary to the Cabinet and head of the public service in the Government of Ontario, Canada from 1992 to 1995 after serving as Principal Secretary to the Premier. In 1995, he led the Public-Private Partnerships Project and was seconded to Massey College at the University of Toronto where he was a Senior Resident.

He was the President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, the first head of the organization recruited from outside the international development sector. As Principal for the consulting firm Digital 4Sight, he led the firm's global research initiative on Governance in the Digital Economy, an exploration of the impact of technology on government and democracy. In the co-operative sector, he was the Executive Vice-President and Corporate Secretary for the Credit Union Central of Ontario. Mr. Agnew was the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments, the national dispute resolution service for consumers and small businesses.

Mr. Agnew's working life started in high school as a newspaper reporter in Toronto and he continued his journalism career in St. John's, Ottawa and Edmonton. He was the gold medallist when he graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a B.A. in political science. Following his studies, he was a Parliamentary Intern at the House of Commons of Canada.

In 2012, Mr. Agnew received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to the community.

Important Links and Contact Information

• To find Noodle (yes, THAT Noodle) on Instagram, click here
• To find Noodle on TikTok, click here
• For more on the Au Large Program, click here
• To read more about HyFlex Learning, click here

All COVID-19 related information, questions or concerns should be sent to health@senecacollege.ca

For Updates on Seneca's Policies Regarding COVID-19, visit here:

https://inside.senecacollege.ca/health

This Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!

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Thanks for listening!

Pat Perdue