May 2023 Edited by: Devin Andrade

Dear Colleagues,

In a little more than a month, we will be honouring our graduates at the June convocation. You can find the schedule of ceremonies here. They will be held at the Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E, Toronto.

Please make every effort to attend. We are focused on making the event a wonderful experience for our graduates and their families. I know they love to see the Seneca faculty and staff that helped them achieve this milestone joining in the celebration.

Speaking of convocation, Northeastern University recently held its graduation ceremonies at Fenway Park in Boston. Northeastern President Dr. Joseph Aoun delivered the commencement speech. You may recall President Aoun from this fascinating conversation with Seneca Polytechnic President David Agnew on the future of education.

In his address, Dr. Aoun touched on a subject that has been top of mind for many of us recently – artificial intelligence and the emergence of ChatGPT. In fact, he opened his remarks citing ChatGPT:

“In preparing my speech today, I decided to ask ChatGPT to give me the top five commencement speech clichés of all time,” he said. “Here they are:

Follow your dreams.

You can make a difference in the world.

Believe in yourself.

Don’t be afraid to take risks.

Never give up on your goals.

Now that the clichés are out of the way, I would like to share with you a few lessons that I hope are more original.”

President Aoun went on to urge graduates to embrace global mobility, as the days of living in one place and having one job for 40 years are long gone. Instead, graduates will have multiple jobs in their lifetimes and move many times. In this context, intercultural competencies, global experiences, and an approach to lifelong learning are crucial for graduates to succeed.

President Aoun also stressed that machines and artificial intelligence will continue to improve every day, triggering major disruptions in the job market and how work is performed. But despite this exponential change, humans continue to have an edge, if we focus on what he called human literacies:

“It is the ability to create and to connect,” he said. “To sense the mood of a room, to take charge of a team. To desire, achieve, and change the world. There are countless ways to exercise our human literacy. Giving assistance to someone lost at the train station. Capturing an emotion through color or music. Launching a non-profit to end hunger. Standing with strangers to fight injustice.”

In short, he said, computational power is incapable of expressing empathy.

“Microprocessors cannot comfort the afflicted,” he said. “An algorithm cannot remedy the sting of systemic racism…So flex your human literacies every day. In your life and in your work. This is your edge. After all, machines don’t dream of lifting trophies. They don’t reimagine the world. They do not weep.”

President Aoun’s vision lays out a model for higher education that prepares students to succeed in ways that are beyond even the most sophisticated machines. It is in many respects very much aligned with Seneca’s Strategic Plan, with its emphasis on Human Skills for the Workplace and Life, our embrace of international experiences and global education, and our commitment to experiential learning.

Stay well and stay safe.

Kurt

The School of Media hosted their first ever CONVERGENCE event, a premiere networking event that converged students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals. The evening began with an emotional land acknowledgement from a student from the Event and Media Production program who spoke about the memory of his Indigenous grandfather. The rest of the event followed with a general reception, a welcome message from Acting Chair Tina Cortese, a panel discussion with alumni hosted by professor Peter McKeown, and an opportunity for each program to gather in break-out rooms with students and industry.

The event gave current students some valuable opportunities to network with their own faculty and make new connections with alumni who are working in the industry. Faculty and alumni enjoyed reconnecting with each other, as well as networking with industry professionals to foster new possibilities to collaborate.

“Convergence was a triumph. Tina's vision for the event came to light and created an experience above and beyond what anyone could have hoped for, and more. We reconnected, met “IRL” as many joked, learned from the panel and our charming host, and enjoyed many intimate moments to discuss the future, all in hopes of supporting the budding dreams of the many students who attended. I applaud the entire event team for their tireless efforts to strategically create this important experience for our community. It was a fantastic evening for all!” - Holly Cybulski, professor

Partnering with industry equipment suppliers, William F. White and Keslow Camera, students got to experience the feel of a feature film set while working collaboratively to make a short film.

Last month fourth semester School of Media - Broadcast TV students took over the Seneca@York to make a short film, utilizing nearly $1 million worth of industry standard tools & equipment, graciously donated for the day by William F. White and Keslow Camera. Filling all the roles required for a professional film shoot, students acted as directors, cinematographers, camera assists, sound recordists, grip & electric teams, script supervisors, and assistant directors. The experience was further enriched by partnering with students from Seneca’s Acting program who can use the work in their reels.

"The directing experience taught me the importance of communication on set, and the importance of pre-production to shoot multiple scenes in one production day," Oshan Ajay Apte, student director.

Overseen by Cinematography professors Glenn Heshka and Kyle Francis, the students also had the on-set support of Audio professor Dany Tremblay, and Program Coordinator Alan Elliot, with a script provided by Screenwriting professor Christopher Sweeney.

“This experience makes them more employable as we created a “real” work environment with all the pressure and sudden changes,” said Heshka.

The Large Production event has been a regular part of the fourth semester since 2017 - although this is the first time students have been able to participate in it since 2020 – and everyone was thrilled with the results.

“For me it was not a job, and it was not fulfilling a school project, for me it was… a dream come true! Thank you always for the space to let us be ourselves and keep getting to know each other,” said Cristina Torres, student director.

“It makes for an incredibly long day, but we had an ambitious script, and we were daylight dependent, pressure mounts, sometimes tempers flare. This exciting experience gives students a real taste of that environment before they set off into industry,” said Francis.

Some celebrities even dropped by, hoping maybe to end up on camera. No, not Ryan Reynolds this time, but Seneca President David Agnew, FCAD Dean Kurt Muller and School of Media Acting Chair Tina Cortese were among those attracted by the glamour of a big-time film shoot.

“We had to be creative with the space, the instantaneous shot changes, and working with the crowd. From the initial process to the actual day of work it really showed how everything in this industry worked. In short, it was crazy, fun, and mind-blowing,” said Nishon Shanel Lobo, student director.

Colton Royce, a 2013 graduate of the Acting for Camera & Voice (ACV) program, is set to star in a new Netflix series alongside Emmy award-winning actor Colman Domingo. The eight episode mini-series is a conspiracy thriller about a murder that takes place in the Poconos.

The foundations that I learned at Seneca have guided me throughout my career. The mentorship that I received was also vital for me to understand what I needed to do to be successful in this industry. - Colton Royce

Charles (Spider) Jones, a graduate of the Radio & Television Broadcasting program, received the 2023 Harry Jones Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Business & Professional Association. The award recognizes his career breaking down barriers and empowering the youth of today. The former boxer credits education as his ticket to success in radio and as the driving force behind his youth advocacy that includes creating empowering organizations like Believe to Achieve.

“In reflecting on this milestone, I have been feeling immensely grateful to my parents who have been pivotal in my success. My dad influenced my work ethic. Working hard, giving my highest standard and being kind was all influenced by him. My selfless mom helped me navigate through the challenges of being a working mother. While my parents played an important role in my ability to thrive in my career, it has been my students who have made it incredibly fulfilling.

Thank you to the thousands of students I have had the privilege of teaching. You are all special to me! I look back fondly at all my years of teaching and look forward to some of the best years still to come!” - Anna Cappuccitti

Anna, pictured with students at graduation ceremonies throughout the years, also shared some sentiments from students.

“Your dedication to your students, your passion for the course, and your unwavering support have truly made a positive impact on my life.” - Diana

“I consider myself so blessed to have had a teacher like you that really cared about seeing me succeed and do my best.” - Jessica

“I can’t wait to make you proud when I am working in the field and using the tools you have taught me.” - Caitlin

In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, Seneca is hosting a speaker series and events throughout May. It aims to help develop a deeper understanding of the diverse Asian diasporas who have been a vital part of Canadian society and history for hundreds of years.

The theme this year is "Asian Women in the Media" and features speakers from across the industry, including:

Jenny Jay, a content creator, entrepreneur, and speaker.

Hannah Sung, television producer, Co-Founder of Media Girlfriends, and former Much Music VJ.

Domee Shi, Canadian Filmmaker and Director of Disney-Pixar’s Turning Red.