Lakehead University’s 2013 Thunder Bay Campus Convocation Ceremonies

May 30, 2013 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead will graduate approximately 2,500 students during the University’s Convocation ceremonies at its Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses over the next two weeks.

In Thunder Bay, graduates, friends, family, award recipients, and honourees will celebrate achievements this Friday and Saturday at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.

Local and national honourees will inspire graduates as they step into the next phase of their lives – Dr. Dermot McLoughlin, the Honourable Paul Martin, John Mason, and Lakehead’s Chancellor-elect, Dr. Derek Burney, who will be officially installed during Friday’s convocation.

“On a day when we graduate those who will transform our world, tomorrow, it is fitting that we honour those who have, and continue, to do so, today,” said Chancellor-elect Burney. “Our hope is that our graduates will be inspired by these degree recipients’ deeds and words during this, a very transformative moment in their lives.”

Lakehead University President & Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Brian Stevenson, said: “Convocation is a chance to recognize the hard work our students have put into their studies, celebrate achievements, and look toward the prosperous future that awaits every one of our graduates.”

Around 1,500 family members and friends are expected to attend the Thunder Bay campus’s three convocation ceremonies, where over 1,000 students are expected to attend.

Convocation will include the first class to graduate from Lakehead’s Aboriginal Education Program’s Honours Bachelor of Education.

Media are invited to attend the following convocation ceremonies at the Community Auditorium:

 

Friday, May 31, 2013 – 2 pm

 

  • Dr. Dermot McLoughlin will address graduates and undergraduates of programs in Health and Behavioural Science and the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. McLoughlin will receive a Doctor of Science.

Dr. Dermot McLoughlin is an award-winning, community-minded staff radiologist with the Sioux Lookout Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre who takes pride in the role he has played as an Associate Professor with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and a founding NOSM board member.

 

  • Lakehead’s new Chancellor, Dr. Derek Burney, will also speak to graduates after his installation.

 

Saturday, June 1, 2013 – 9:30 am

 

  • The Right Honourable Paul Martin will address graduates and undergraduates of programs in Business Administration and Education. Mr. Martin will receive a Doctor of Laws.

A former Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Paul Martin leads the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative that aims to reduce the high school dropout rate of Canada’s Aboriginal youth and increase the number of Aboriginal students attending post-secondary institutions.

Saturday, June 1, 2013 – 2 pm

 

  • John Mason will address graduates and undergraduates of programs in Engineering, Natural Resources Management, Science and Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences and Humanities. Mr. Mason will receive a Doctor of Science.

Mr. Mason, a proud Lakehead University Geology graduate (HBSc 1975), is the Project Manager-Mining Services with the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC).

Honorary Award Recipients

2013 Professors Emeriti

 

  • Dr. Roger Delaney – Social Work
  • Dr. J. Bruce Minore – Sociology
  • Dr. Vincent Schonberger – Languages
  • Professor Alain Nabarra – Languages
  • Dr. Stephen Kissin – Geology
  • Professor Victor Smith – History
  • Dr. Ellie Prepas – Natural Resources Management

 

Young Alumni Awards

 

  • Mehdi Dashtban

PhD’12

Researcher and Postdoctoral Fellow

 

  • Deanna Burgart

BEng’10

Aboriginal Mentor, Speaker and Engineer

 

Alumni Honour Awards

 

  • Arnold Park

BA’71, Grad Dip Bus’72

Former CEO, McCain Foods

 

  • Dolores Wawia

BEd’83, Med’85

Professor of Aboriginal Education

 

Distinguished Researcher Awards

 

  • Dr. Sonja Grover – Professor of Education
  • Dr. Aicheng Chen – Professor of Chemistry

 

Distinguished Instructor Award

 

  • Dr. Judith Leggatt – Professor of English

 

For more information about the honorary degree recipients, click here www.lakeheadu.ca/about/news-and-events/news/archive/2013/node/15563.

Several awards will be presented to students and faculty during convocation ceremonies. Media will receive a brochure listing the award winners’ names at the Community Auditorium.

Convocation will be available through live streaming on Lakehead’s website.

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Media: For more information, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177.

Lakehead University is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. More than 8,700 students and 1,850 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in Orillia, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Lakehead University promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. In Orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards. For more information about Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.