Over 50 years ago, Trent University was founded on the premise that a system of university colleges made higher education personal, purposeful and transformative. This past summer, the colleges of Trent University were restructured following recommendations stemming from the recent Colleges Review. As a result, each college will now have a principal who will lead an individual collegiate community, define its identity, and connect alumni, faculty, staff and students in a multitude of ways. The changes are designed to reaffirm the fundamental values of the college system and further invigorate the Trent colleges with a particular focus on their academic roots.

Each principal, an educator in their own right, will be expected to administer the college, teach classes, and direct the academic and social life of the community. Each college office team will also include an academic advisor, an academic skills instructor, a college assistant, and student staff, all dedicated to enriching and strengthening the supports offered to students. The college offices will continue to be important hubs for all members of the college communities, including staff and faculty.

As we start the fall semester, the high level of student programming and engagement that Trent students expect will continue and be expanded. College principals will be promoting their particular college’s academic strengths and working to develop activities tailor-made to the unique identity of their collegiate community. The principals are also committed to exploring new fundraising and endowment opportunities for each of their colleges. This will help to develop scholarship opportunities for students and extend collegiate community spaces for students, faculty and staff. 

The recent changes, including the appointment of new principals, demonstrates a renewed commitment to one of Trent’s most distinct and beloved features. All students and faculty are encouraged to drop by their college offices and get to know the new principals and their college staff.

Traill College: Michael Eamon, Ph.D.

Michael is starting his fifth year as principal of Traill College. In addition to its new undergraduate mandate, Traill will continue to serve as Trent’s graduate college and home to Continuing Education. The study of the humanities remains the college’s focus and this year Traill welcomes the Trent/Swansea Law program as its newest academic department. Traill College support staff includes college assistant Jessica Becking, counsellor Karen Searle and academic advisor Jackie Orsetto; Kayla Wilkins and Dana Capell are also at Traill College as part-time academic skills instructors.  

Champlain College:  Tina Fridgen, M.Sc.

Tina has transitioned from her role as Champlain’s academic advisor to principal of Champlain College, while also entering her 11^th year teaching for the Biology department. This allows her to continue sharing her passions for teaching and lifelong learning with the Champlain community. The Champlain community will continue with the spirit of adventure, discovery, and global citizenship, captured in the college motto:  “continuer mes decouvertes,” “continue my discoveries.” Champlain is home to the Trent Global Living Community, for students interested in developing their global citizenship, and the Active Living Community, for those with a spirit of adventure who want to live healthy and active lives. This year, Champlain College will continue to focus on collaborations with the Political Studies and International Development Studies departments while welcoming the School of the Environment to the community. For 2018-2019, Haylea Leaman is the academic advisor at Champlain College and Sue Beckwith is the academic skills instructor.

Lady Eaton College:  Christine Freeman-Roth, Ph.D.

Christine is new to the role of principal but not new to Lady Eaton College. She has been the academic advisor in LEC since 2009 and began teaching with the Philosophy department in 2005. The motto of Lady Eaton College “Sapientia et Humanitas,” translated as wisdom and humanity, expresses core values of this community. The development of a critical understanding and engagement with the world and a commitment to take action to make that world a better place are threads which tie together Lady Eaton’s academic departments, programs and living and learning communities. Always interdisciplinary and inclusive, Lady Eaton College will continue to focus on the arts and humanities as well as civic engagement and activism. The college office is also the new home for Dana Capell as the academic skills instructor and Melanie Sedge as the academic advisor.

Otonabee College:  Stephanie Muehlethaler, Ph.D.

Stephanie is new to Otonabee College and has transitioned from her role as director of colleges to the principal of Otonabee. The college overlooks the river and in Ojibwe or Odenabe, Otonabee means "river that beats like a heart," which symbolizes the way this college looks to the horizon, and imagines how we can keep up with change in our fast-paced lives while honouring our hearts. The motto also reflects the meaning of Otonabee in, “tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis” (the times are changing and we change with them). Like the Otonabee River, our community is ever-changing and unrelenting. You can't stop this beating heart, this melody of voices creating waves of change. College office staff includes academic skills instructors Erin Stewart Eves and Lisa Davies (part-time) and academic advisor Lindsay Morris.

Gzowski College/Enweying: Melanie Buddle, Ph.D.

Melanie is returning as principal of Peter Gzowski College (Trent’s youngest college), a role she held from 2011 to 2014. She first joined Gzowski College as an academic advisor in 2009. She has taught in History and Canadian Studies, and looks forward to returning to the classroom in the upcoming months. She will continue to foster the strong collaborative partnerships that Gzowski College is known for, working with academic programs in the college and other members of the Trent and Peterborough community.  Gzowski College is housed in the Enweying building: the name of the building means “the way we speak together,” a concept that informs the college’s ongoing collaborations, particularly with the First Peoples House of Learning.  Gzowski’s programming keeps a spirit of partnership in all we do, as we aim to enrich the academic connections between our constituent departments, staff, faculty and students, and encourage an inclusive and lively community of knowledge. The academic advisor in Gzowski College is Christy Carlson and the academic skills instructor is Marisha Lamond.