PRESIDENT'S 2014 CONVOCATION SPEECHES

THUNDER BAY CAMPUS — CEREMONY #3

Saturday Afternoon (May 31, 2014)

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Turning 50 is a momentous occasion – a time to reflect on who we are and what we have accomplished.

And today we are celebrating Lakehead University’s 50th convocation.

Over the last half century, our students have infused this school with a youthful spirit. And as we reach this new milestone, Lakehead is being energized by a multiplicity of ideas and cultures.

Our students converge on Thunder Bay from Northwestern Ontario, the east coast, the west coast – and all points in between. They come from every conceivable background, each carrying their own unique aspirations.

Many of them are the children or grandchildren of immigrants who sought a better life. And, increasingly, those who choose Lakehead are arriving from other countries.

I count myself among them.

I was born in Canada but raised in Mexico, the home of my mother’s family. Spanish was my first language. When I returned to Canada at the age of 16, it was a huge culture shock.

I lived the immigrant experience of most new Canadians – I missed the comforting landmarks of my childhood, the familiar food, and the easy laughter of my relatives.

What got me through this?

The support of my family and the creation of a second family – one woven together of fellow students, friends, educators, and mentors.

I began to realize that having an international perspective was an incredible asset. One that enriched me and gave me the skills to adapt to changing situations.

My story reminds of a graduating Engineering student – Juan Pablo Jimenez.

Juan grew up in Colombia but finished high school in Canada.

His search for a meaningful career led him to civil engineering and to Lakehead University where he joined the World University Services of Canada, an organization that sponsors and empowers refugee students.

In 2013, Juan put his beliefs into action when he travelled to Guatemala with other World University members. Together, they studied how volunteerism affects sustainable development in rural communities and learned how to become development advocates.

Pursuing social justice is also a vocation at which Bob Rae and Frank Iacobucci excel.

Lakehead is bestowing these two outstanding national leaders with honorary Doctor of Law degrees for their efforts to build a more inclusive society and for their work with Northwestern Ontario First Nations to forge an equitable framework for mineral resources development.

Frank Iacobucci and Bob Rae understand that the voices of all Canadians should be heard. They know that diversity only makes Canada stronger.

So does Lakehead University.

That’s why we are reaching out to the world – we currently have students from 46 nations at our campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia.

We recognize that collaboration is essential to Canada’s well-being. That countries are now linked by their common need to foster environmental and economic sustainability and that education has become a vital currency.

Lakehead’s mission is to ensure that our graduates flourish in this swiftly changing universe.

And we are succeeding.

Our students are becoming independent thinkers and trailblazers in their chosen professions.

Cassandra Ostrom, who is receiving her Master’s of Science in Chemistry, recently spoke at the International Society of Electrochemistry to share her research about the creation of high-performance materials for hydrogen storage and purification.

Although it’s unusual for a student to be invited to speak at such a prestigious forum, the delegates were impressed by Cassandra’s research.

And they should be. Her work could help advance green energy alternatives – alternatives that are crucial to maintaining our standards of living.

Cassandra’s hands-on research experience at Lakehead University is not the exception to the rule.

With $22.5 million in research dollars last year and eleven specialized research centres and laboratories, including a world-class Paleo-DNA Laboratory, our students have phenomenal choices.

In fact, Lakehead was declared the #1 Ontario research university and the #2 Canadian research university of our size in the annual ranking of Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities.

Lakehead University’s research reputation is one of the reasons why the number of international students has skyrocketed from 146 when I arrived, to almost 500 this year. And within three years, international students will make up 10% of our student population.

Our faculty, like Natural Resources Management Professor Mat Leitch, are encouraging these international connections.

Mat is currently working with Stellenbosch University in South Africa to develop a load-bearing construction beam.

This beam, made by laminating South African pine trees with more durable Canadian trees, has the potential to generate a new export market for Canadian wood.

Mat and his Natural Resources colleagues also contribute to Lakehead’s outward focus by giving students the chance to get involved in land stewardship and wildlife management projects in places ranging from Finland and Croatia to India and Ecuador.

Lakehead’s commitment to internationalization took an important step forward with the establishment of our English Language Program in 2012.

The program helps international students transition to university studies in a safe environment where outdoor adventure and cosmopolitan culture exist side by side.

Some of these students are participants in Science Without Borders – an ambitious initiative that sends Brazilian students overseas to find solutions to global issues. Many of them have picked Lakehead University as their destination. As a result, we have the second largest population of Brazilian students in Canada.

And last month, Lakehead signed a historic agreement with three Mexican intercultural universities that will enable students and faculty to flow back and forth between Canada and Mexico and engage in exceptional academic programming and research.

Lakehead attracts talented international students by having the vision to see what it takes to thrive in the 21st century. This includes new opportunities for domestic students to study outside of Canada via exchange programs with Italy, Korea, Singapore, Australia, Finland, and Sweden.

Because we want all Lakehead students to be citizens of the world. To allow our common humanity to connect us.

Twelve Outdoor Recreation students experienced this connection in a profound way.

They just returned from a field trip to Europe with their Battlefield Tourism class. These young people went to World War I and II combat zones and paid their respects at monuments commemorating fallen soldiers. They now have an understanding of these transformative historical eras that could never be found in a textbook.

But I’ll leave the final words of this speech to engineering graduate Juan Pablo Jimenez because he expressed a conviction that makes me proud to be president of this university when he said, “Just because we are students, it doesn’t mean that we cannot make the world a better place.”

I wish each of the graduands in this auditorium the courage and determination to take this challenge beyond these walls.

Congratulations to you all!