October 2023 Edited by: Devin Andrade

Dear Colleagues,

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of joining Seneca faculty, support staff and administrators as we celebrated graduates from the Faculty of Communication, Art and Design at the Fall 2023 Convocation, hosted at Meridian Hall. Thank you for all you did to make the day extra special for these students and their families, and for all you have done throughout their studies to make it possible for them the cross the stage and receive their credential.

Below is an excerpt from President David Agnew’s keynote address from the ceremony:

"I have to say that in the 14-plus years that it has been my honour to be president of Seneca, this has been one of the more challenging set of remarks I've had to prepare. Because – let's be honest – it doesn’t seem there are a lot of uplifting and inspiring things happening in the world today. You know the list: climate change, the Middle East, Russia-Ukraine, out-of-sight housing prices, geopolitical tensions around the globe... I don’t need to go on.

Let’s just say in far too many places on the planet, innocent people – civilians just trying to do their best to make their way in the world, working hard to make ends meet and give their children a better life – those innocent c ivilians are paying the price for our collective failure to respect human rights, to reject violence as a way of solving differences and to build lasting peace.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Human beings have proved to be remarkably adaptable with a highly honed sense of survival, as the pandemic demonstrated. I firmly believe that however grim the headlines might be today, in the long term, in the great sweep of history, life is getting better, collectively, for all of us on the planet."

President Agnew went on to cite the work of data scientist Hannah Ritchie, senior researcher at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Ritchie describes herself as being cautiously optimistic about the future, and she uses her skills as a data scientist to root this optimism in facts and data. However, she is also clear-eyed about the fact that our current trajectory is not sufficient to address climate change. Dr. Ritchie argues we now have the tools and strategies available to achieve true sustainability for the first time in history.

Her work highlights the remarkable progress made to reduce extreme poverty and child mortality, and that a number of countries, including Canada, are growing their economies while burning less oil gas and coal per capita — thanks to the falling costs of more sustainable forms of energy.

One striking statistic: If Tesla had existed in the early 70s, the car battery would have cost between $500,000 and $1 million. Today, that same battery, depending on the model, would cost between $5,000 and $12,000.

Dr. Hannah’s latest book, Not the End of the World, How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet, is due for release next year. In the meantime, if you would like a dose of “cautious optimism” supported by data, check out her Ted Talk.

Stay well and stay safe,

Kurt

Jessie Huang, a professor in the School of Marketing, received The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for Community Contribution. In a post from her LinkedIn, Jessie shared the significance of the award’s timing.

"Receiving The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Award for community contribution from two esteemed Members of Parliament this past weekend was a deeply humbling and cherished experience. It is a testament to the principle articulated by Winston Churchill: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Or at least I try to!

Moreover, this weekend held special significance as it coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a cultural celebration shared by nations such as China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, and Japan. Against this backdrop of cultural richness and unity, we had the privilege of hosting 70 accomplished female businesswomen. They came together at the picturesque Bayview Angus Glen Golf Course, adorned in traditional dresses, to partake in an enchanting blend of music, art, high-end porcelain, and a ceremonial tea gathering."

Fashion professor Sabine Weber is interviewed in an article from The Charlatan about the connection between micro-trends and overconsumption. Since micro-trends can contribute to a cycle of constant buying and overconsumption, Sabine provides insights on how consumers must be mindful of how trends are marketed.

“Fashion has the function to reflect the spirit of our times, but a lot of the trends are not really reflecting the spirit of our times, but are artificially made by the industry so that we consume more,” said Sabine.

CBC announced David Common, a graduate of a previously-offered program in journalism, as the new host of the most popular radio morning show in Toronto - Metro Morning. David took his seat in the hosting chair on October 16th. Metro Morning is known for offering listeners an optimistic, sometimes humorous view of the world, together with the day's more serious news.

With David’s previous experience hosting CBC's award-winning consumer watchdog show Marketplace, serving as a foreign correspondent for CBC News, and hosting CBC Radio's World Report, he is ready for the early mornings and variety of stories the job includes.

Excerpt

Fun aside, Common said he wants the show to focus on the biggest issues facing Torontonians today, from the daily cost of living to the turmoil of transportation to the soaring price of rent.

"We want to help people navigate the challenges of our daily lives and be better informed to help our families thrive," he said.

"And we are here to hold governments and others in power to account. It is imperative we do our jobs to ensure others are indeed serving the public and not the other way around."