Sheridan College: HMC2 Delay
Year: 2017
Award Level: Bronze
Award Winner(s): Sheridan College
Award: Circle of Excellence
Category: Communications | Crisis Management
About the entry
On July 12, 2016 Sheridan College determined that its highly anticipated, $67 million, 220,000 square foot building under construction at our Hazel McCallion Campus (HMC) in Mississauga would not be ready in time for classes in September as was planned. The communications team created and executed a plan to share the disappointing news and Sheridan's contingencies for those affected. The campaign shared information in a proactive manner, offered solutions, helped people understand why Sheridan was powerless to prevent the outcome, and communicated the benefits of the new building - all to hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders, maintain people's trust, and protect our reputation.
From the Judges' Report
- The plan is solid and standard. Some anomalies: having the president as the spokesperson and positioning that seemed to place blame on the government processes.
- They had a good feeling that this delay would occur and did not wait - they started planning before it was official and continued through the planning and implementation well.
- They used standard practices and had only 9 students withdraw. Also, seems like they empowered the staff and faculty by providing them with timely information that they could share with students.