Friday, September 2, 2022
The School of Planning is pleased to announce a new administrative role and Mark Seasons has kindly agreed to undertake the responsibilities of Associate Director, Professional Practice. This role will support building and maintaining strong relationships with the Planning profession in addition to other relevant stakeholders.
Mark will work to identify opportunities, liaise with stakeholders, and take initiative in the following areas:
- Maintain and build professional relations with planning practitioners and planning institutes (i.e., Canadian Institute of Planners, Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Commonwealth Association of Planners, etc.)
- Facilitate knowledge dissemination strategies from academia to practice
- Promote faculty member attendance at professional events (e.g., Pragma, UWPAT, CIP and OPPI conferences)
- Promote faculty contributions to Canadian planning practice and academic journals (e.g., Plan Canada, Y Magazine, Canadian Planning and Policy)
- Support and help document practice connections by School faculty members
- Advance internationalization of the school and its professional connections
- Identify and communicate MA/MES (Planning) work experience/internship opportunities to students
- Provide support and information sessions for MA/MES (Planning) students in their internship search
- Provide student support in terms of questions regarding the planning profession and related matters (e.g., weekly 'Professional Practice' office hours)
- Identify opportunities to connect all our students but particularly those in accredited programs (MA, MES, BES Planning) with the profession and learn about professional status designation and processes
- Identify and help organize professional development opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students relevant to professional planning practice