1960s

“Seneca changed me, indelibly, for the rest of my life.”

First student president helped build Seneca’s early identity

Marv Southcott

MARV SOUTHCOTT IS THE OWNER of some notable Seneca “firsts,” including first student recipient of the Seneca Cup (the highest student honour available) and the first elected president of the student government (now Seneca Student Federation). In that role, he also spoke at Seneca’s first convocation ceremony for Fashion Arts students in 1968.

These accomplishments are still fresh in Marv’s memory and close to his heart. With the encouragement of his wife, Mary, he took a chance on Seneca—a new experiment in Ontario postsecondary education—as a 27-year-old mature student changing direction after a planned career in law enforcement. He was in need of an upgrade in education to move forward, and he was looking for a place to belong. Seneca provided both.

“My education opened so many doors for me,” says Marv. “It took me by the horns. It shook me.”

While he obtained the education he needed to launch a successful career building audio tuners and receivers for the broadcast industry, Marv was also instrumental in building Seneca’s identity through his engagement. He worked closely with founding president, Dr. William T. Newnham to establish a strong relationship between students and administrators and even conducted interviews with visiting dignitaries for the Seneca TV station.

Marv’s Seneca was a small, tightly-knit community, where informal meetings with professors and students were the norm and fellowship among students was strong.

“Everybody knew everybody. We used to visit the Algonquin Hotel after school,” says Marv. “They even had the Seneca shield on the wall.”

Today, Marv is retired and living in Brampton with Mary, in their 51st year of marriage, and he is the president of his condo board. He happily notes that he is still drawing on the writing skills he obtained from Seneca Professor Tommy Proctor in this role. He also remembers fondly the relationships he built through student government, particularly with his successor, the late Bob Greer.

“I still miss him,” says Marv.

Marv is excited to return to campus as part of Seneca’s 50th anniversary festivities. During his last tour, he was “blown away” by the quality of lab equipment students could access, compared to the basic instrumentation he had as an Electronics Engineering Technology student. Yet he wouldn’t change a thing. At Seneca, Marv realized the most important thing you can do in life is to educate yourself and obtain the insights and tools to be successful.

“Seneca changed me, indelibly, for the rest of my life,” says Marv. “It brought me what I was missing.”