LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE CERTIFICATE

2024-25 PROGRAM YEAR

MANDATORY SESSIONS

Webinar: The college, the board and the governor: legal framework and obligations
This session provides an essential overview of the board's roles, the general and specific legal duties of governors, personal liability for corporate acts and omissions, and a brief overview of risk management and indemnification. College leaders will deepen their understanding of college governance.

Presenters:

Victoria Prince, National Practice Group Leader, Corporate Commercial
Borden Ladner Gervais

Katherine Carre, Counsel
Borden Ladner Gervais

Leadership Accountability Gap

Using asynchronous and synchronous activities, participants will discuss what it really means to be a leader today. This has become the most critical question for colleges as they contend with a myriad of challenges at a time of unprecedented change and disruption. To succeed, colleges will need truly accountable leaders in place at every level. This thought provoking and practical session will help participants become the truly accountable leader colleges require. Participants will walk away with practical insights on how to:

• be a more deliberate and purposeful leader
• learn to tackle the hard work that is holding you back
• build a strong leadership culture in your college

Dr. Vince Molinaro, Founder and CEO
Leadership Contract Inc.

Webinar: Working with college boards
As a senior college leader, working effectively with boards of governors is a critical skill set. This session will highlight important aspects of the roles, intersections with the board, and how to ensure the board is educated, informed and able to perform its governance responsibilities effectively.

Presenter:

Catherine M. Raso, President
CMR Consulting

Webinar: Understanding college financial statements
Financial statements provide critical information on a college’s financial health and its ability to pursue and achieve its strategic objectives. This session will provide an introduction for board members, board staff and senior managers on:

• basic components of financial statements
• financial statement objectives
• generally Accepted Accounting Principles “GAAP” for colleges
• role of senior management and boards vis-à-vis financial statements
• what to focus on when reading the financial statements
• reporting of financials to key internal and external stakeholders
• upcoming “GAAP” changes for college financial statements

Presenters:

Robert Wilkes, CPA, CA, Partner
BDO Canada LLP 

Marcus Sconci, CPA, CA, Partner
BDO Canada LLP

Leadership Symposium:

Strategic Change Leadership - Creativity, Innovation and Experience in Higher Education
This session will explore the role of creativity and innovation in advancing transformative change among leaders, educators and learners in post-secondary education. 

Participants will consider the tools, mindsets and approaches required to steward cross-disciplinary collaboration, human imagination and meaningful experience among teams and learning communities. 

Through a combination of discussion, interactive exchange and group exercise, participants will engage such topics as:

• Leading Innovation in Higher Ed: Creativity, interdisciplinarity and story
• Inspiring Change: The role of experience in learning organizations 
• Implementation of Innovation Initiatives: Best practices, intrinsic motivation and impact 

Facilitator:

Dr. Yael Katz, Vice President, Academic
Georgian College 

ELECTIVE SESSIONS
A minimum of six (6) elective credits is required.
Two of these credits must be in-person credits, from the 2024 Higher Education Summit.

In-person, elective credits.
Attendance at the Higher Education Summit is mandatory to receive TWO elective credits there.

All concurrent sessions at HES will provide elective credit.

Visit the Higher Education Summit website for more information. 

In-person, elective credits.
Attendance at the OCASA Leaders & Innovators Conference is optional to receive TWO elective credits.

Please visit the OCASA website for more information.

Webinar: The college system – an introduction
Join this session to better understand the context for the college system as a whole. Current key issues will be discussed, along with the challenges and opportunities ahead, and the strategic priorities for the system. College governors and college leaders will gain a critical appreciation for the sector in which their college operates, and its strategic role in the province.

Presenter:

Marketa Evans, President & CEO
Colleges Ontario

Webinar: Labour and employee relations – an introduction
The College Employer Council (CEC) provides system leadership to labour and employee relations. Join this session to better understand the role of CEC, collective bargaining across the system, managing with collective agreements, and legislative frameworks.

Presenter:

Graham Lloyd, CEO
College Employer Council

Webinar: Risk management for senior managers – an introduction 
This session will look at the critical role senior management plays in leading risk management, building a pervasive risk culture and ensuring that the board has the information it needs to endorse the president’s proposed approach to, and proposed strategies for, risk management.

Presenters:

Philip Racco, Partner
Enterprise Risk Practice, MNP LLP

Sarah Dionne, Senior Manager
Enterprise Risk Practice, MNP LLP

Webinar: College financial leadership
Financial leadership is critical to both boards of governors, and senior college administrators. This session will highlight good governance practices around financial leadership, key components of revenue and expenditures, financial health indicators, the current financial status of the college system and the influence of the province on college financial matters.
Within the financial context, this session will also integrate good governance concepts, the importance of understanding legislation, regulations, risk management and fiduciary duties and standard of care, along with strong financial oversight.

Presenter:

Sanjay Puri, VP Administration & CFO
Humber College