ORILLIA CAMPUS CEREMONY

Saturday, June 8, 2013

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Graduands of Lakehead University’s 49th convocation ceremonies…

You did it.

Look at the wonderful things you have done.

You are transformed.

Before the eyes of your professors, parents, friends, peers, our community, and your University…   

You are transformed.

And because of you, Lakehead is transformed.

From your first steps onto this campus, to the steps you’ll take across this stage, today, your University is better because you are a part of it.

Lakehead’s vision is “To provide a transformative university experience that is far from ordinary.”

What do we mean by a transformative university experience?

Let's begin with a fact I am quite proud of:  60% of Lakehead graduates are first generation graduates. That is to say they are the first in their family to earn a university degree. This has an impact not only on you, but on your family, your community, the economy, and the nation.

This transforms our world.       

Today, you will step across this stage and we will celebrate what each of you has achieved while only imagining what wondrous changes you will bring to our world.

You have each proven that Lakehead students are far from ordinary. 

You are unconventional.

You are exceptional.

This is an institution where students fiercely grasp the possibilities for intellectual and social transformation that higher education provides, and examples of your accomplished spirit can be found in unexpected places.

Last fall, Scott Kress, a graduate of Lakehead’s Outdoor Recreation program, and Chris “Drooz”, a second-year Lakehead Political Science student, trekked to the Himalayas to make a perilous ascent. By chance, they both signed up for the same expedition to raise funds for wounded Canadian soldiers by climbing a twenty thousand foot mountain. They each came to this challenge from vastly different backgrounds 

Scott is an experienced mountaineer who has climbed the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. Chris is an army sergeant who is not fond of heights and who battled altitude sickness for most of the journey.

Both of them made it to the summit. Each displayed the relentless tenacity that sets Lakehead students apart.

They transformed others.

I see that tenacity in the determination of Sheri O’Connor, whose research will help safeguard the natural heritage of this region.

Sheri is a master’s of biology student on this campus who has been awarded a $42,000 Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Hutchinson Environmental Sciences.

She is reconstructing the ecological histories of Lake Simcoe’s shorelines – work that will be invaluable in managing, restoring, and protecting these crucial wetlands.

I see it in the determination of Shannon Green.

Because of Lakehead ORILLIA, she is realizing her aspiration of becoming a physician.

Had we not established this campus, Shannon would not have had the opportunity to earn her Honours Bachelor of Arts and Sciences.

And now, after pouring her heart and soul into her studies, she has been accepted to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay, this fall.

Students like Sheri & Shannon epitomize the razor-sharp intellect and wisdom of that famous humourist and Simcoe County resident, Stephen Leacock, who observed that:

“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

Lakehead transforms people.

Of course, Lakehead students thrive in sports, too…

You took the initiative in founding our varsity curling and rowing teams, as well as our many club teams.

Today, we are a proud new member of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association; which will only further expand our varsity program.

Being a part of the OCAA will also give our athletes more venues to showcase their competitive prowess in club sports like hockey, basketball, and soccer.

But excelling in athletics and academics is only part of the Lakehead experience. Our definition of scholarship runs much deeper than that.

It means venturing outside the classroom and reaching out to the wider world.

That was the purpose of a conference called The Right Path organized by Orillia’s professional year education students.

These teacher candidates brought over 300 gifted Simcoe County elementary school students to our campus to learn about the lifestyles and challenges of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples.

Lakehead transforms others.

I love hearing stories about you, because it is our students and alumni that give Lakehead its character.

In your quest for transformation you have fundamentally changed this University and we are better for it.

You have been the impetus for this university’s new mission statement that focuses on providing “an education that is about how to think, not what to think.” 

We have tried to capture the qualities of the young women and men who choose Lakehead by creating this university’s first-ever belief statement. 

At the heart of this declaration are the words we believe that our students have the passion and drive to realize their dreams and succeed. We believe that our students want the intellectual freedom to pursue the unconventional. We believe in our students.

These changes are part of a fresh, renewed vision that reaches far beyond the bounds of our campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia.

Your final year at Lakehead has seen the creation of a Media Studies program, a Criminology program, the arrival of our new Chancellor, Dr. Derek Burney, and our move to establish the Lakehead Orillia Centre — a gathering place for arts, culture, and community in this beautiful and dynamic city. 

Without you, these achievements would not have been possible.

You have transformed Lakehead Orillia.

Standing before you in my cap and gown, it’s easy for me to recall the mixture of uncertainty, pride, and excitement I felt at my own convocation. During that afternoon, I didn’t see where I would end up, nor how life’s numerous detours, setbacks, and opportunities would lead me to where I am, today 

Allow me to share with you what I have realized along my journey. 

Each detour is a learning experience.

Every setback is a teachable moment.

And few opportunities come twice.

Speaking of opportunities, I want to reassure all you proud parents out there that your son or daughter will have plenty of opportunities in their life and careers.

Recent data reveals that Lakehead graduates have very promising employment opportunities: Lakehead alumni have a 94% employment rate within two years of graduating—higher than the Ontario university average.

That said, graduands, finding a job is just one step in an ongoing process. Mistakes and missteps are an essential part of transformation in life.

You are ready because you know that excelling requires persistence and commitment.

You are unconventional.

You are exceptional.

Graduands, today, you are transformed.