Operational Excellence 23-24

10 Bay Residence Opens Its Doors

10 Bay Residence opened in September 2023, enabling students in graduate programs to lease an apartment-style housing location in downtown Hamilton. 10 Bay’s location allows for flexibility in travelling to McMaster’s main campus and satellite locations and provides all-inclusive utilities, Internet, parking and amenities like study and athletic spaces. The residence also features live-in community staff who look to connect students in the spirit of collaboration, friendship and inclusiveness. This building launch is part of a public-private partnership with Knightstone Capital.

Advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism in Athletics & Recreation

All Athletics & Recreation (A&R) staff undertook a nine-module EDIA and anti-racism training program in the spring of 2024. The department hosted biweekly EDIA meetings with senior staff and prioritized EDIA content in all-staff meetings. A&R also completed its first full year of having an embedded EDIA lead in the department to further advance EDIA strategies and tactics for the department.

Centralizing Key Information for Exchange Students

The Student Success Centre (SSC) partnered with the Office of International Affairs (OIA) to implement the iCent app to manage all the components of the exchange program and partnership agreements. This implementation will automate all manual processes and will capture the mobility of our students in one central location. 

Establishing Support for Indigenous Bursaries, Scholarships and Awards

Indigenous Student Services (ISS) established a new Indigenous Financial Aid Specialist role in partnership with the Office of the Registrar, Aid & Awards. The role provides dedicated support to Indigenous learners through the administration of internal and external bursaries, scholarships and awards, as well as Indigenous financial literacy programming and access to emergency supports.

Expanding Virtual Tour Offerings

Housing & Conference Services (HCS) has expanded its virtual tours, increasing access for prospective students and residents who cannot attend tours in person. This provides an alternative option, along with webinars and other existing resources, for students who may be more comfortable discovering McMaster at their own pace.

Personalizing Student Experiences through Technology and Data

Student Affairs: Marketing, Communications and Community Engagement uses data, technology and insights to enhance, enrich and personalize student experiences in content and activity planning. This includes robust social listening and reporting activities, as well as the application of new technologies such as generative AI.

Promoting Student Leadership and Collaboration During Welcome Week

The Student Success Centre (SSC) and Housing & Conference Services (HCS) provide robust online and in-person mandatory training, equipping student leaders with the necessary skills on topics related to health, safety, wellness, diversity, equity, work-life balance, empowerment and community engagement. A total of 1,193 student leaders received 33,361 hours of training. Together, partners and stakeholders use a coordinated decentralized model to streamline planning and implementation, ensuring that incoming first-year students receive an impactful experience as they transition to McMaster. 

The Pulse Welcomes More Students, Faculty and Staff Than Ever Before

The 2023–2024 year was the first full year of operation for the expanded Pulse Fitness Centre, which received 675K+ check-ins — the highest number ever of students, faculty and staff, and an increase of nearly 200,000 from the previous year. Program offerings included 40 weekly group fitness classes, 10 Women on Weights sessions and special events.

Streamlining Academic Accommodation Processes

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) completed a review to improve the intake process for students with disabilities and the support staff and faculty involved in academic accommodations. The intake wait time has been reduced and the Tim Nolan Testing Centre facilitated 25K+ tests, midterms and exams, a 25% increase compared to last year. These efforts are a result of continuous collaboration with faculty, staff and students to champion accessibility and disability inclusion at McMaster.