New College’s Assistant Principal and Registrar receives U of T Awards of Excellence

New College would like to congratulate Kerri Huffman, Assistant Principal and Registrar, for receiving the 2024 Northrop Frye Award (Staff Category) for her work on the Academic Advisor Training Program (AATP).

Each year, the University of Toronto recognizes the outstanding contributions of faculty, staff, librarians and students with the prestigious Awards of Excellence program that dates back to 1921 and is awarded by the University of Toronto Alumni Association (UTAA). The criteria for each award may differ, but recipients all share a commitment to enhance the university experience and leave a significant impact through their efforts.

The Northrop Frye Award recognizes the excellence of an individual librarian/ staff member or a team who has undertaken a teaching and learning project within the last five years that has significantly enriched the undergraduate student learning experience. This award was established to honour Professor Northrop Frye’s legacy at U of T and to celebrate those who have re-imagined the learning experience.

We are proud to honour Kerri for receiving this award for her contributions and commitment to the University. “Kerri is committed to providing exceptional student supports, has been instrumental in transforming the Registrar’s Office services to meet the needs of over 6000 New College students, and works with students across diverse backgrounds and life paths, treating them all with respect and kindness. It came as no surprise that she would be part of a team that would receive such a prestigious acknowledgment for their outstanding contribution in creating a professional development program to help advisors learn inclusive advising strategies,” Interim Principal Dickson Eyoh shares on learning about Kerri’s recent achievement.

Kerri is a passionate academic advisor with over 20 years of experience at the University of Toronto. She re-visioned the service delivery model of the New College Registrar’s Office with a focus on providing comprehensive advising and a range of academic supports to foster student success having recognized the transformational impact that advising can have on the student experience, In 2021, she was a recipient of the Dean’s Student Life Award and is currently Co-Chair of the Academic Advising Training Program.

“It’s a tremendous honour for the Academic Advising Training Program (AATP) to be recognized with the Northrop Frye Award (Staff). This project represents a labor of love for our team, and the chance to collaborate with colleagues across UofT has been truly inspiring,” Kerri says about this achievement, “One of the most rewarding aspects of the AATP is the opportunity to mentor, witness, and foster the next generation of academic advisors. Seeing their dedication and passion for supporting students is incredibly exciting and motivating. We are deeply committed to nurturing these future advisors, knowing that they will play a vital role in shaping the academic journeys of countless students to come.”

Congratulations Kerri on this well-deserved achievement!