The Principal’s Office: Hi-Tech Meets Heart in Serving Students

As Fall classes get underway, Interim Principal Mark McGowan reflects on the rich culture of research and education that characterizes St. Michael’s in this story from the Spring 2021 President’s Report.

Image depicts the outside of Brennan Hall

For Interim Principal Mark McGowan, the purpose of a university is clear: to help students—and the world—pursue the important questions. “The research toolkit that is part of the humanities teaches you to seek out data and weigh evidence in the pursuit of truth,” McGowan says. “These skills are portable and can go with you throughout your life, whether you are presenting at a school board meeting or at the board room table.”

For St. Michael’s, responding to life’s big questions means a continued focus on opportunities for students and faculty to study and conduct research, attend major conferences, share their results, and engage with the broader academic community.

“Faculty research and student research energize each other,” McGowan says, noting that events such as the recent research colloquium for St. Mike’s students on “Citizenship, Community, and Belonging”, as well as a university-wide colloquium on “The Role of the Catholic University in the 21st Century”, are indicative of the ways in which this engagement spills out of the classroom and into the broader life of the university.

“It is vitally important to continue to build a research culture on campus, engaging faculty in meaningful, innovative work while also encouraging students,” he says. “This is not just in-the-moment work but efforts that have long-term payoffs.

“There are many ways and resources to help answer the big questions,” he continues, citing for example important grants that have been awarded to support both faculty and student research and to fund attendance at major conferences, enhance classroom space for new approaches to teaching and ways for students to connect and, of course, the ongoing attention to the John M. Kelly Library, one of the University of Toronto’s finest.

Efforts continue to build up the four undergraduate programs St. Michael’s sponsorsBook and Media Studies, Mediaeval Studies, Christianity and Culture, and Celtic Studies as well as the three first-year seminars—the Gilson Seminar in Faith and Ideas, the McLuhan Seminar in Creativity and Technology, and the Boyle Seminar in Scripts and Stories—which weave themselves naturally into St. Mike’s undergrad programs.

McGowan notes, for example, that an increasing number of cross-appointments for St. Michael’s faculty members to the University of Toronto allows them both the joys of teaching in an intimate college classroom while also the exposure of working at U of T, the top-ranked Canadian university in the SQ World University Rankings 2021, with U of T ranking 25th in the world.

The resulting benefit, he notes, isn’t just for professors. Dr. Alison More’s cross-appointment to U of T’s Centre for Medieval Studies, for example, means she can easily reach out to colleagues at the Faculty of Music, the Department of Art History, or any of the divisions that might have crossover with her own work, expanding not only her scope but that of her students at St. Mike’s.

As the university looks to the future, McGowan notes there will be an increased emphasis on hiring with diversity and inclusivity in mind, building a team reflective of the student body.

This comes as the university considers and adopts ways for faculty and staff to work even more closely together.

“I don’t think in terms of divisions but see ourselves as one unit,” McGowan says, citing professors teaching at both the undergraduate level as well as in the Faculty of Theology.

“We are blessed with a strong teaching faculty, and a collection of really good people working throughout the university. This is just the beginning for us.” 


From University of St. Michael’s College President’s Report, Spring 2021

Ask.smc@utoronto.ca offers a single point of access for student to find the help they need  

Image depicts the south facade of Brennan Hall on a sunny day.

From academic advising to assistance with financial aid, accessibility needs and career planning, the Office of the Registrar and Student Services provides essential help to students in all stages of their St. Mike’s journey. Although the physical office has been closed since mid-March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Student Services team continues to provide timely, crucial support to St. Mike’s students online, and the team is optimizing its services for remote delivery this fall as well. 

The effort on the part of the office to optimize online service delivery for St. Michael’s students in a matter of days “is truly something I have never witnessed before,” says St. Michael’s Registrar Giancarlo Mazzanti 

“Advisors have stepped up to deal with the very significant increase in student inquiries, while working at putting into a virtual format everything that students have come to expect of the Registrar’s Office and Student Services,” Mazzanti says. “The university has made a commitment to the continuation and expansion of Student Services to be certain that all students will have the advising and services that have become synonymous with the student-centered St. Michael’s approach. 

During this unique time, a single point of access has made it easier for students to find the help they need: ask.smc@utoronto.ca. Students can email this account to get in touch with an advisor directly, and to get connected with a variety of ongoing services. 

Academic Advising is a primary focus of the office. During one-on-one sessions, advisors provide assistance with registration, course selection, program selection and scheduling. In addition, advisors can provide students with guidance regarding workloads relative to other aspect of their student life, and help provide clarity on options for financial aid, some of which are available directly through the University of Toronto.  

Nicole LeBlanc MSW, RSW has been the Wellness Counsellor at St. Michael’s since the fall of 2016. All students and residents of St. Michael’s are welcome to set up an online half-hour counseling appointment with her by emailnicolem.leblanc@utoronto.ca. Other wellness resources can also be found through St. Michael’s Student Services under the Wellness Counsellor tab.  

Dr. Andrea Graham and Julia Andrews are the Academic Success Learning Strategists at St. Michael’s, and they support students in all areas of learning and academic performance. Graham and Andrews are available to help students discover their best ways of learning, adapt to university expectations, increase their efficiency, identify and pursue their goals, improve their work, and get the most out of their academic learning experience. Appointments with each can be set up through ask.smc@utoronto.ca, and additional resources for academic success are available through University of Toronto Student Life.  

Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto can help students with temporary and permanent accessibility needs receive necessary academic accommodations. St. Michael’s accessibility advisor can be reached through ask.smc@utoronto.ca, and more information about registering for services is available through University of Toronto Student Life. 

It’s no secret that writing at the university level can be a challenge, especially for new students. That’s why the Writing Centre at St. Michael’s continues to offer one-on-one appointments for students looking for guidance on all aspects of the writing process, from researching and outlining to drafting and editing. 

Support for students also includes help with the period that follows graduation. This is where St. Michael’s Career Educator Husna Arif comes in: she helps students with exploring career options, applications for grad school, upgrading job search skills, conducting mock interview, learning about employment opportunities, and making plans for after graduation. As with the Office of the Registrar’s other services, digital appointments with Husna can be set up through ask.smc@utoronto.ca. 

As these services continue being offered digitally through the summer, Mazzanti says remote service is being optimized for the Fall term as well. “We have doubled the number of front-line advisors available to answer student inquiries as well as adding resource to the financial aid portfolio, in personnel and funds,” he says. Regular services offered during the Fall and Winter terms such as the Math and Computer Science Success Centres will be available remotely, too  

Many students will also be making their transition to university during this uncertain timeand the Office of the Registrar and Student Services team is already working hard to make the move as seamless as possible. “We have over 20 events planned over the summer to facilitate the student transition to university,” Mazzanti says, including “welcome events, course planning and selection and other events that will allow students to actively participate, collaborate and meet with our advising team.”