Sheridan Brings Home Three Gold and One Silver From ACCC Awards of Excellence

Sheridan earned three Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) Awards of Excellence presented during its annual conference held this week in Niagara Falls.

For Immediate Release: June 9, 2010
Oakville, Ontario

Sheridan earned three Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) Awards of Excellence presented during the annual conference held this week in Niagara Falls. The ACCC presented 15 awards in five categories, with the winners chosen from nominations submitted by over 130 colleges and institutes across the country. Sheridan was recognized in the following four categories:

Teaching Excellence – Gold Medal: Doug Greenwood, School of Business
Program Excellence – Gold Medal: Bachelor of Applied Arts – Animation
Leadership Excellence – Silver Medal: Michael Collins, Dean, School of Animation, Arts & Design
Student Leadership Excellence – Gold Medal: Crystal Bennett, President, Sheridan Student Union

“As Sheridan’s new President, it’s very exciting to see our faculty, staff, students and programs receive such accolades at a national level,” says Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, who assumed his role at Sheridan in February. “This recognition truly reflects why Sheridan is so widely considered to be a gem in the Canadian postsecondary education system.”

About the winners:

Doug Greenwood has been a professor of marketing at Sheridan for the past 13 years. He is highly regarded for his integrity, commitment to student success, and effective teaching methods. As one of his former students commented, “Doug instilled me with a sense of interest and personal challenge that few instructors could. I felt that his devotion to his students had to be met with equal amounts of effort and dedication to the program. I gained more experience and knowledge from his classes than I did in my university business courses.”

Bachelor of Applied Arts – Animation is the only college degree program of its kind in Canada, and builds on the legacy and longstanding quality of Sheridan’s animation training. The program offers a unique blend of time honored classical animation skills and knowledge, along with an understanding of contemporary digital tools and technology. Students in the program also benefit from a new Animation Centre that is a designated space created to support teaching and film production.

Michael Collins is the former dean of the School of Animation, Arts & Design, and was recently appointed to the new position of Associate Vice President, Academic and Research. During Dr. Collins’ tenure as Dean, the School created multiple new programs, increased enrolment numbers significantly, and developed and launched several baccalaureate degrees, including the BAA-Animation.

Crystal Bennett is a 2010 graduate of Sheridan’s marketing program and was recently elected to a second term as President of the Sheridan Student Union. Last year, she undertook a reorganization and rebranding of the organization which won the praise of students and administrators alike. She has maintained an exceptional academic record while conducting her Student Union work and also leading numerous fundraising activities.

About the ACCC:

The ACCC is the national, voluntary membership organization created in 1972 to represent colleges and institutes to government, business and industry, both in Canada and internationally.