Photograph of Elmsley Place in the fall with orange and yellow leaves on the trees and Brennan Hall in the background

Hiring Announcement

The Office of the Registrar and Student Services is happy to welcome two new Assistant Registrars to their team:

Alyssa Ficaccio
Assistant Registrar

Alyssa Ficaccio has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Economics and Master of Educational Research in Adult, Community and Higher Education from the University of   Calgary. Prior to joining USMC, Alyssa has held roles in academic advising, media relations, curriculum development and program planning at institutions in Alberta. Alyssa (she/her) has focused her educational research on inclusive, diverse, accessible and innovative ways of thinking in a post-secondary environment to best suit the needs of all types of learners. Coming from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Alyssa is excited to now call Toronto home and join the University of St. Michael’s College community. 

Kaitlyn Lubniewski 
Assistant Registrar

Kaitlyn Lubniewski joins St. Mike’s with a background in registrarial work. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Contemporary Studies at Ryerson (X) University. Kaitlyn (she/her) brings positive energy, adaptability, and attention to the student experience to all her roles. She arrives from Knox College at the University of Toronto, where she developed and ran community events with an eye to making students, faculty, and staff feel engaged. Kaitlyn is excited to continue her journey in the post-secondary education space at the University of St. Michael’s College.

Please join us in welcoming Alyssa and Kaitlyn!

In this story from the Spring 2021 President’s Report, Registrar and Director of Student Services Giancarlo Mazzanti discusses the range of supports and services that students receive at St. Michael’s.

Students wait for appointments outside the Registrar's Office in Brennan Hall in the fall of 2019.
Students wait for appointments outside the Registrar’s Office in Brennan Hall in the fall of 2019.

Giancarlo Mazzanti was sitting in a town square in Germany when he was tapped on the shoulder by a passerby. The man had seen Mazzanti’s St. Mike’s jacket and, as a fellow alumnus, wanted to make the connection. The anecdote, Mazzanti says, reflects the significance of profile the University of St. Michael’s College has not only locally but also worldwide.

“We have a great reputation around the world,” he says, noting it’s not unusual for him to hear from potential students in Switzerland, Hong Kong and New Jersey all in the same week. “We have a wonderful history, but we are also creating history, both with stellar students and with members of our alumni who are leaders in the public eye, whether in politics, health care, education, business or any of the endless places St. Michael’s alumni find themselves.”

Mazzanti, the university’s Registrar and Director of Student Services, says there are many reasons why St. Mike’s is such a draw for students, from its reputation as Canada’s top Catholic university to its convenient location in the centre of Toronto and its status as a federated college within the University of Toronto, which is consistently ranked among the top schools in the world.

Students are drawn by a reputation for strong academics, including the SMC One programs for first-year students, which promise unique course offerings and, in healthy times, international travel. Another draw is the recent increase in the number of full-time faculty members, all with exceptional profiles.

“These are the type of professors who appeal to high-flying students,” he says. “We are part of current conversations and our courses speak to that.”

The John M. Kelly Library, one of the U of T’s largest, offers plenty of study space and a ground-floor café. Students like to know they are just steps from the library, he says.

But Mazzanti thinks another crucial reason students are drawn to study and live at St. Mike’s is a reputation for a caring, welcoming environment that helps them achieve their best academically and socially. The result is that students graduate having developed skills that serve them—and their neighbours—throughout their lives.

“The richness of our community offers a diversity of debate, a chance to learn about other people’s lives and experiences, whether you’re sitting in the dorm common room or stretched out on the grass in the quad. This kind of knowledge is essential to our students’ futures.”

Students are also able to access a strong range of supports at St. Mike’s.

“Consider our First Year Check-in Program, which pairs incoming students with professors. Students have the opportunity to reach out to the professor assigned them for an informal chat or two,” he says. “It’s not specifically about academics, but it’s a great way for students to get used to speaking with professors, and for them to know they have someone they can go to if they are finding it hard to navigate university.”

But the first-year program is just one of many supports the school offers students. As demonstrated so well during the pandemic, when they quickly adjusted to the new normal of connecting with students all over the world, St. Mike’s academic advisors are dedicated to helping students with course and program selection and scheduling.

And there is plenty of help for students who are finding the adjustment to university expectations challenging. St. Mike’s provides access to academic learning strategists and wellness counsellors, who can all help students discover their own most successful ways of learning, how to adapt to university expectations, and how to get the most out of their academic life.

Similarly, the writing centre offers one-on-one appointments for students looking for guidance on all aspects of the writing process, from researching and outlining to drafting and editing. There are also supports in place for math and computer science students.

And while not all students applying to—or attending—St. Mike’s are Catholic, Mazzanti says there is a deep appreciation for the school’s roots, and an awareness among those of other religions that St. Mike’s is a school that understands the importance of faith and respects those who practise, regardless of background.

“We invite conversations with people of all faiths. We are a microcosm of the world as it could be,” says Mazzanti. “That’s who we are, and it is a privilege to be of service to others.”

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 email: nicolem.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 time, and 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.”