HartHouseAnnualReport-2017-18

The execution of the
Hart House strategic
plan is grounded in
integrated learning
and community
engagement across
programming in arts
and culture, dialogue
and wellness.
The student-majority
Board of Stewards
is the highest
governing body at
Hart House
GOVERNANCE
BRANDING—REPUTATIONAL
EXCELLENCE
A good brand is more than just a name
and a logo. It encompasses everything we
do and say, and just as important, what
others say about us. A well-thought-out
brand strategy helps position Hart House
and define the experience that we hope
clients will have when they interact with
us. To this end, we engaged the services
of SOS Design to help us refocus and
refresh our brand. Several months of
consultation with staff, students, alumni
and community stakeholders, as well as
research and awareness surveys, went
into the development of the brand and
positioning. The result was a logo lockup
that included the new tagline “For You,”
a reminder that - whether your personal
engagement is through the arts, wellness,
dialogue, community, food & dining or
one of our beautiful event spaces – Hart
House truly offers something for everyone.
In developing our new brand, we were
inspired by some key truths. These
included:
• Hart House is a social enterprise.
All that we do in one way or another
goes back to supporting student
programs, learning beyond the
classroom, and making a difference
in the community
• The “why” behind what we do is the
focus, whereas the “what” is how we
do it.
• Hart House is more than just a
building. It is a place whose reach
extends beyond the campus.
• The language and approach that we
use must speak to all current and
potential clients, not just those who
are highly engaged. We must meet
people where they are.
• The Hart House brand must support
our organizational values of diversity,
equity and inclusion.
ACADEMIC & COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIPS—
EXPERIENTIAL EXCELLENCE
Hart House has a long history of partnered
work across all three campuses and with
a wide array of community agencies.
These partnerships have included strong
linkages with the work of academic units.
Initiatives with academic units provide
rich experiences tied to course curricula
and research initiatives. The execution of
the Hart House strategic plan is grounded
in integrated learning and community
engagement across programming in arts
and culture, dialogue and wellness.
These partnerships and related initiatives
use an integrated learning approach that
intertwines co-curricular education with
classroom, research, artistic performance
and community experience. As such, this
work then makes a particular contribution
to the academic mission of the University
of Toronto, as well as to student learning
and student experience.
Building on the foundational history of this
work, the current Hart House strategic
plan encourages a focus on these
partnerships with academic units, with
particular focus on providing research,
experiential, and work-integrated learning
opportunities for students. In 2017–2018
some of our academic partners included:
• Faculty of Music
• John H. Daniels Faculty of
Architecture, Landscape and Design
• Munk School of Global Affairs
• Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical
Education
• New College Community Engaged
Learning: Equity Studies, Indigenous
Studies, Women & Gender Institute
• Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social
Work
• Faculty of Medicine
• Dalla Lana School of Public Health
• Centre for Drama, Theatre and
Performance Studies
• New College and Trinity College–
Equity Studies and Trin One Program
BOARD OF STEWARDS
COMMITTEES AND CLUBS
The highest governing body at Hart
House is the Board of Stewards, and
the majority of its voting members are
students. They include representatives
from each of the nine (9) student-led Hart
House Standing Committees as well as
one from each of the five student unions
across the University’s three campuses.
These students are joined on the Board
by senior members of Hart House and U
of T faculty and staff. Working together,
they uphold the Hart House Constitution,
provide broad oversight to ensure the
House is pursuing and achieving the right
priorities, and approve and monitor the
annual budget.
Through its Standing Committee
structure, Hart House provides leadership
opportunities for students and other
members of Hart House, and encourages
the exploration of ideas, perspectives
and issues of importance to not only the
House but to society at large.
The ten Standing Committees of Hart
House are:
• Art
• Debates and Dialogue
• Farm
• Finance
• Literary & Library
• Music
• Recreational Athletics & Wellness
• Senior Members
• Social Justice, and
• Theatre.
In addition to these committees, Hart
House supports many club programs in
the arts, dialogue and wellness. Clubs
build relationships between students
and community members across and
beyond campus. Hart House clubs help
participants develop skills, broaden their
outlook and enjoy new experiences.
Whether competing in national
competitions, performing live on stage or
making films, these programs support a
broad range of interests.
• Musical groups including the
Orchestra, Singers, Chamber Strings,
Chorus, Symphonic Band, Jazz
Ensemble and Jazz Choir
• Recreational clubs including Chess,
Archery, Bridge and the Underwater
Club
• Clubs focused on arts and culture
including Film, Camera, and the
Finnish exchange, and
• The Hart House Debating Club.
TRI-CAMPUS MANDATE
Hart House believes the unique
opportunities it presents to students are
core to the University’s mission to educate
the whole person; as such, they should be
readily accessible to all U of T students,
regardless of the campus on which they
spend most of their time. In a survey
conducted in 2015, we found that 90% of
students on St. George campus used Hart
House and an impressive 44% of UTM
and UTSC students did the same. Since
then, Hart House has embedded staff at
UTM and UTSC to expand programming
and further engage students across all
three campuses. Drop-in programming
such as Get Crafty and Board Game
Café as well as travelling Talking Walls
exhibits and film screenings are regularly
presented at UTSC and UTM. And unique
initiatives like the Hart House Global
Commons are helping today’s students
become tomorrow’s leaders and global
citizens by engaging students from all
three campuses in meaningful dialogue
and exchange with students from partner
universities all around the world.
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