Leaders in Halton Region are putting their support behind Sheridan's journey to become a university. At this week's regular meeting of regional council, they voted in favour of Sheridan's plan to expand postsecondary education options in the Western Greater Toronto Area.
“Halton Region is endorsing Sheridan’s plan to become a university because improving access to quality educational opportunities in the Region supports our overall economic objectives and prospects. Sheridan’s university status will help ensure Halton continues to have a strong and skilled labour force to meet the needs of local employers. It will help attract talent and new companies to Halton, accelerating the growth of new start-ups, and will allow Halton to develop as a complete community,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “By working together as community partners, we will ensure that Halton remains a great place to live, study, work, raise a family and retire.”
"We're building on our successful past to become a new and exciting undergraduate teaching university," - Dr. Jeff Zabudsky,President and CEO of SheridanThis approval marks the fourth in a growing group of leaders in support of Sheridan’s plan to become a university. In November 2013, the City of Brampton was the first to support the proposal. That was followed by the Region of Peel’s endorsement in February 2014. Region of Peel Councillor and Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell moved the February motion, which was seconded by Region of Peel Councillor and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion.
“Sheridan is a world-class post-secondary institution with an important presence in Peel, educating thousands of students from Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga,” said Fennell. “A university presence will lead to new job creation, new businesses, a stronger economy and greater prosperity by elevating the quality of life for residents.”
This spring, the Town of Oakville also supported Sheridan’s journey, voting in favour of the idea in March 2014.
“Council and I are proud to actively support Sheridan’s plan to become a university,” said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton. “Sheridan’s presence in Oakville as a world-class educator, employer and post-secondary institution, will certainly be enhanced once Sheridan becomes a university.”
Now that Halton Region has offered its support, one of the next steps in becoming a university is to gain membership in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). This will enable Sheridan’s graduates to have more pathways to the continued learning that will underscore their personal, career, and industry success.
“Sheridan is going through a transformation; we’re building on our successful past to become a new and exciting undergraduate teaching university. Our focus will be on small class sizes, strong ties to industry and programs that give students the hard skills they’ll need to get their first job and the soft skills in areas like creative problem solving that will set them up for a future in which success will be tied to the power of ideas,” said Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President and CEO of Sheridan. “The support of our leaders in Halton Region, along with those in Brampton, the Region of Peel, and the Town of Oakville show that there is a need for growing postsecondary choices in our community, and that we are headed in the right direction.”