Sheridan celebrates CICan Awards of Excellence winners

Sheridan is proud to recognize two silver recipients of the 2023 Colleges & Institutes Canada (CICan) Awards of Excellence: Dion Fawcett for the Leadership Excellence Award for Non-Managerial Staff and the Office of Inclusive Communities for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The recipients were honoured at today’s World Congress CICan Awards of Excellence Luncheon in Montreal. 

As a Case Management Specialist on Sheridan’s Student Affairs team, Dion Fawcett is regularly called upon to consult and manage complex student cases. He collaborates with external partners, internal colleagues, students and alumni to provide the best possible mental health and basic needs assistance to students. 

“Dion’s exceptional work in supporting and empowering our students to navigate complex systemic barriers is extraordinary,” said Dr. Janet Morrison, Sheridan President and Vice Chancellor. “Dion is a strong, student-centred connection to all areas of the college. He has an incredible ability to break down barriers and support students throughout their educational journey, directly supporting Sheridan’s commitment to improving the well-being and mental health outcomes for diverse learners.” 

Sheridan’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is a cornerstone of Sheridan’s 2024 five-year strategy, Galvanizing Education for a Complex World. Inclusion and equity are empowering enablers of Sheridan’s mission, and recognizes the importance of everyone at Sheridan actively embedding equity and inclusion into their spheres of influence to create a thriving community. 

The Office for Inclusive Communities, under the leadership of Dr. Jane Ngobia, Sheridan’s first-ever Vice President, Inclusive Communities, was created in 2019. The Office has the responsibility of working across the college and partnering with all to embed diversity, equity and inclusion in all of Sheridan’s policies, processes and practices. Community engagement, collaborative consultation, respect for Indigenous ways of knowing and diverse perspectives, truth and reconciliation and putting people first, are considerations at the fore of Sheridan’s approach to building inclusive communities. 

“We're proud to be a member of College and Institutes Canada’s recently launched ImpACT-EDI initiative, which will facilitate the sharing of best practices and promote a coordinated approach to foster a culture of inclusion specific to the college and institute system,” said Dr. Morrison. “We reaffirm our unwavering stance that diversity fuels excellence and this Award of Excellence for our Office of Inclusive Communities is a well-deserved recognition.”

The CICan World Congress also showcased Sheridan’s leadership toward improving outcomes for international students with an overview of this important work in partnership with the City of Brampton. The Brampton Charter for Improving the International Student Experience is a roadmap for making Brampton a best-practice leader in supporting international students.