Seneca College - RED 2017 - 24

1960s

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

24 RED

2017

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."

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

PHOTO: JOANNE RATAJCZAK

For his contributions
to student life at
Seneca, Marv will receive
the 2017 Senecans
of Distinction Award.

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