When 25 years fly by

When Carolyn Posa joined the staff in 1992, the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute was becoming Ryerson Polytechnic University, and the downtown campus serviced about 4,000 full-time students. Twenty-five years later, Posa (assistant registrar in the Registrar’s Office) is still here, but the number “25” almost catches her by surprise.

“The time flies,” she said. “With how much Ryerson has grown, with how much we’ve expanded and evolved, with how much has changed in the world—that time just goes by very quickly. Twenty-five years may seem like a big number, but so much has gone on that there haven’t been dull moments. It’s been exciting the whole time.”

Posa was finishing her last year of undergrad and looking at career opportunities when “a friend of mine told me about this hidden gem of Ryerson, and that one day this would be an up-and-coming place. I loved school, and it was my realization of my passion for education that made me think, I want to be part of that. And here I am.”

Posa is one of 20 long-time employees inducted into the Ryerson University 25 Year Club this year, and one of more than 700 employees and retirees overall who are now part of the Club. She was also one of 17 new inductees present at the annual 25 Year Club celebration, held May 15 at the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre. “People are this university’s greatest attribute. We owe our 70 years of success to you and your colleagues,” said Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi in a speech at the ceremony.

“Just a year after you started working here in 1992, Ryerson achieved university status. So, you brought with you good luck. Since then, both what Ryerson offers and our footprint in the community has expanded dramatically.”

For Posa—working first in the former Financial Aid & Awards Office, then the Registrar’s Office—the transformation has been both dramatic and gradual. “When I first started it was about 4,000 students, and we didn’t have a graduate program. We’re at 40,000 now—a huge, huge increase.”

Over time, new programs and departments were built, and technology changed the way the Registrar’s Office was run. But if change felt gradual, that might be because every day at the office is different. “It’s a busy office,” said Posa. “The day changes depending on the time of the year. The start of the academic year, orientation, end of term, graduation periods—they’re all different days. You just open your arms to the day.”

What has kept her at Ryerson for 25 years? “Over the years you build a ton of relationships,” she said. “I had the opportunity to work with such fantastic people who were ambitious and reached for the stars, and it’s great to be a part of that. It motivates me to do more and better, and it becomes like a family.”

But the biggest factor has been the students. “They have so much energy and enthusiasm, so helping them achieve their goals and build careers, and watching them walk through the life-cycle of a student. There are those that we see when they first come in and when they graduate, and there are those we see more frequently. Helping to make their lives easier while they’re at Ryerson is very rewarding.”

For photos from the 2018 ceremony, visit https://www.torontomu.ca/recognition/events/25yearclub/. For information on other recognition events and opportunities, please visit the recognition web site at https://www.torontomu.ca/recognition.