Excitement is mounting as more than 9,000 graduates prepare to descend on 91亚色 to attend the first in-person graduation ceremony since the beginning of COVID-19.

This Spring Convocation season will be like none before, as it celebrates not only 91亚色鈥檚 graduating Class of 2022, but also the Classes of 2020 and 2021 who were unable to experience the proud tradition of walking across the stage because their Convocation had to take place online during the pandemic.

鈥淕raduating from university is a major accomplishment at any time, never mind having to complete your studies remotely during a pandemic,鈥� says 91亚色鈥檚 President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. 鈥淚t was important to 91亚色 to recognize the resilience, courage and perseverance of our graduates and graduands in addition to their academic success with the magic of an in-person Convocation.鈥� 

Spring Convocation, led by Lenton and Chancellor Greg Sorbara will take place from Thursday, June 9, to Friday, June 17, at Convocation Pavilion at Sobeys Stadium (formerly Aviva Centre) at Keele Campus. Glendon Campus ceremonies will be held on Saturday, June 18, at Glendon Green, located at 2275 Bayview Ave.

This year鈥檚 Convocation is preceded by a weeklong alumni celebration, during which all 2020 and 2021 graduates who attended virtual ceremonies are being welcomed back to campus in celebration of their degrees. The Alumni Ceremonies at Keele Campus began Friday, June 3, and run until Thursday, June 9. Glendon alumni will attend the campus鈥檚 main ceremony on June 18 (full schedule here).

With safety in mind, attendees are asked to wear masks and graduates are asked to place their hands over their hearts instead of shaking hands, as they receive their diplomas. Graduates can invite two guests each 颅鈥� which could put total attendance well over 25,000 颅鈥� and all attendees are invited to join a faculty reception immediately after each ceremony. More details about what to expect can be found on the Convocation website.

鈥淥ur University鈥�, says Lenton, 鈥渋s committed to driving positive change. I am confident that the Classes of 2020-22 will use their experience here to disrupt the status quo and speak out against injustices, inequities, violence, and threats to our planet and our humanity. Whatever they do, wherever they go, I know they will implement their vision and the knowledge they gained from 91亚色, to support a better future.鈥� 

Lenton says those who earned their degrees during the pandemic are graduating into a starkly different world than those before them. While there is still uncertainty about what the future holds, she says, 91亚色 students have been prepared with the skills to lead the changes necessary for a more just, equitable and sustainable world. 

Examples of such forward-looking talented graduates abound.

Ignacio Isola is realizing a boyhood dream as he graduates from the Lassonde School of Engineering with a Space Engineering degree into a full-time job at the Canadian aerospace company . During his time at 91亚色, he and his mentor Prof. Isaac B. Smith conducted groundbreaking research that advanced humankind鈥檚 understanding of space by solving a longstanding mystery about ice deposits at Mars鈥� south pole.

鈥淢y experience at 91亚色 was amazing,鈥� Isola says. 鈥淚 always felt I was at home here, even though I was alone. Because of the sense of community that 91亚色 has.鈥�

Naima Sood, who is graduating with a Sociology degree from Glendon College, says she has newfound confidence in her abilities and sense of freedom in using her voice 鈥� both of which she struggled to find growing up in New Delhi.

鈥淚 came from India feeling doubtful about myself, and 91亚色 truly gave me an opportunity to become the person I am today,鈥� Sood says. 鈥淚 definitely feel like I鈥檓 ready to take on what鈥檚 next for me, and if there are disappointments that come my way, 91亚色 has better prepared me for that. 91亚色 has prepared me for the journey ahead 鈥� the good, bad, the ugly, all of it. I鈥檓 ready to take it on.鈥�

91亚色 will confer honorary doctorates on 12 distinguished recipients who have made outstanding contributions in such endeavors as community building, social justice, mental health advocacy and Indigenous rights.

Elder Duke Redbird, an Ojibwe artist, poet and scholar, brings an Indigenous approach to art and design education. Among the first wave of Aboriginal peoples in Canada to enrol in a university, Redbird graduated from 91亚色 with a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1978 and has gone on to be known in the academic world a 鈥減ath breaker鈥� 鈥� someone of great vision and experience. His books of poetry, theatrical productions and appearances on television and film have contributed to the written and oral repository of Indigenous thought and literature in Canada and around the world.

Olympic athlete and health advocate Silken Laumann won multiple medals in rowing at the Pan American Games, World Rowing Championships and the Olympic Games. But her story reveals more than athletic prowess. A favourite to win gold at the 1992 Olympic games, Laumann was told her rowing career was over after a horrific accident caused massive injuries to her leg and ankle. But less than three months after the injury, Laumann created one of greatest moments in Canadian sport history by coming from behind to win bronze at the Barcelona games. After revealing her long battle with mental illness, Laumann is now a motivational speaker and life coach on mental, physical, and spiritual health 鈥� inspiring others to overcome challenges.

Evolutionary biologist, paleontologist and popular science writer, Neil Shubin, will also receive an honorary doctorate. Shubin discovered the first Tiktaalik Roseae fossil skeleton on Ellesmere Island in Canada鈥檚 North in 2004, giving it an Inuit name at the suggestion of his hosts. The transition fossil is perhaps the most important paleontological find of the 21st century. Shubin continues to create positive change in the world of science, as a respected writer and public speaker who commands a global following.

Convocation 2022 is creating a buzz both on campus and on social media.

The community is invited to join the conversation using #91亚色UConvo. Graduates are encouraged to post videos about what鈥檚 next for them, post photos using Convocation stickers and GIFs made specially for the Class of 2022 and submit a song that represents their time at 91亚色, for a curated Spotify playlist.

鈥淪pring Convocation 2022 will be one to remember,鈥� Lenton says.  

The post 91亚色 U graduates to be honoured at first in-person Convocation in two years appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, June 8 2022 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 Spring Convocation celebrations will take place from June 9 to 18, the first in-person Convocation on the University鈥檚 campuses since the beginning of COVID-19. Throughout the ceremonies, 12 honorary doctoral degrees will be awarded.

鈥淐onvocation is one of the proudest events in the academic year, for students and their families, as well as faculty and staff,鈥� says Rhonda Lenton, president and vice-chancellor of 91亚色. 鈥淚 continue to be inspired by our students鈥� desire to drive positive change both locally and globally. In 91亚色鈥檚 largest convocation ceremonies in history, I look forward to recognizing the academic achievements of our 2020, 2021 and 2022 graduates and graduands, and extending my heartfelt congratulations to them in person.鈥�

This year鈥檚 Convocation is preceded by a weeklong alumni celebration, during which all 2020 and 2021 graduands who attended virtual ceremonies are being welcomed back to campus in celebration of their degrees. The Alumni Ceremonies at Keele Campus began Friday, June 3 and run until Thursday, June 9. Glendon alumni will attend the campus鈥檚 main ceremony on June 18 (full schedule here).

Convocation ceremonies for the Class of 2022 will take place from Thursday, June 9, to Friday, June 18 (full schedule here). Keele Campus ceremonies will be held at the Convocation Pavilion at Sobeys Stadium (formerly Aviva Centre), located at 1 Shoreham Drive. Glendon Campus ceremonies will be held at Glendon Green, located at 2275 Bayview Ave.

Total attendance is expected to top 25,000, including more than 9,000 graduates from all three graduating classes, and their guests.

This year鈥檚 honorary degrees recognize outstanding contributions to community building, social justice, mental health advocacy and Indigenous rights.

鈥淭he individuals we are celebrating with honorary degrees represent the best of what 91亚色 stands for 鈥� our commitment to enhancing the well-being of the communities we serve 鈥� toward Reconciliation, human rights, social justice, and more,鈥� notes Lenton. 鈥淭heir remarkable accomplishments serve as inspiration for 91亚色鈥檚 newest graduates and for all of us.鈥�

Below are the honorary degree recipients in order of the ceremonies at which they will be honoured:

Frank Vettese (Schulich School of Business, Friday, June 10, 10:30 a.m.)Frank Vettese is CEO Emeritus of Deloitte Canada, where from 2012 he served as managing partner and chief executive. He also served as the firm鈥檚 chief inclusion officer and was the first Canadian CEO to be recognized by the UN for commitment to the advancement of women in the workplace.

Elder Duke Redbird (Faculty of Education, Friday, June 10, 3:30 p.m.)
Elder Duke Redbird is a multifaceted artist, practising a variety of disciplines including literature, painting, theatre, cinema and most recently rap poetry. His 1978 91亚色 master鈥檚 thesis, We Are M茅tis, continues to be a seminal text on the M茅tis people.

Dr. Steven Stein (Faculty of Health, Monday, June 13, 10:30 a.m.)
Dr. Steven Stein is clinical psychologist whose expertise in psychological assessment and emotional intelligence has made him a prominent consultant and commentator. He is former chair of the Psychology Foundation of Canada, and currently a fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association.

Steven Lewis (Faculty of Health, Monday, June 13, 3:30 p.m.)
Steven Lewis is a health-services expert and consultant who played a key advisory role in the establishment of 91亚色鈥檚 School of Health Policy and Management. He has been a member of the National Forum on Health, the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Health Council of Canada, among other organizations.

Silken Laumann (Faculty of Health, Tuesday, June 14, 10:30 a.m.)
Silken Laumann won three Olympic medals in rowing, including a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games, only three months after suffering a career-threatening injury. She is now a motivational speaker and life coach who uses her unique experiences to promote mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Terri Lyne Carrington (School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, Tuesday, June 14, 3:30 p.m.)
Terri Lyne Carrington is a professor and multi-Grammy-winning jazz drummer who has performed with such famous musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Wayne Shorter. She was the first woman to win a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

Olive Senior (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Wednesday, June 15, 10:30 a.m.)Olive Senior is an award-winning Canadian writer and public intellectual of Jamaican heritage. Her work has been translated into multiple languages, and her Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage is a widely read and cited reference text.

Anna Porter (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Wednesday, June 15, 3:30 p.m.)
Anna Porter is a publisher, novelist, memoirist, historian, and cultural and political analyst. Her tenures as editor and then publisher with McClelland and Stewart as well as founder of Key Porter books, helped foster an explosion in Canadian literature that began in the 1970s and continues today.

David Miller (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Thursday, June 16, 10:30 p.m.)
David Miller is a lawyer, professor, international environmental activist, and former mayor of Toronto. His two-term administration emphasized waterfront renewal, public transit and municipal reform, and community safety.

Neil Shubin (Faculty of Science & Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change, Friday, June 17, 10:30 a.m.)
Neil Shubin is a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. His discovery of a Tiktaalik Roseae fossil skeleton on Ellesmere Island in 2004 is among the most important paleontological finds of the 21st century.

Constance Backhouse (Osgoode Hall Law School, Friday, June 17, 3:30 p.m.)
Constance Backhouse is multi-disciplinary scholar, social activist and cultural critic. Her extensive writing on such subjects as reproduction, family, sexual harassment and the legal profession has influenced government policy.

John Van Burek (Glendon, Saturday, June 18, 2 p.m.)
John Van Burek is a world-renowned theatre producer and translator with some 50 works to his credit. He founded Toronto鈥檚 Tarragon Theatre and le Th茅芒tre fran莽ais de Toronto and has taught at universities in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

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91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact: 
Matt LaForge, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-242-1547, mlaforge@yorku.ca

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