May 2022: Convocation season
Convocation season is in full swing at Memorial University! More than 2,000 degrees have been awarded in convocation ceremonies held in Corner Brook and St. John’s.
We also recognized 10 extraordinary individuals with honorary degrees. In Corner Brook we celebrated the students who had their convocation ceremonies postponed due to COVID-19 public health restrictions and we will do the same later this month in St. John’s.
On top of that, this week students at Nunavut Arctic College (NAC) will graduate with their bachelor of education degrees that Memorial and NAC delivered jointly and, on June 24, the Marine Institute will celebrate graduation of students in advanced diploma, diploma and certificate programs.
I couldn’t be happier. Celebrating our students’ success face-to-face — seeing the joy on their faces and the pride of their loved ones — cannot be duplicated on a computer screen.
It feels a bit like stepping into the sun after a month (or 27 months!) of rain.
Celebrating students and honoraries
If you’d like to brighten your day with stories of hope, resilience and passion, check out the special feature about the Class of 2022 in the Gazette.
You’ll find stories about students like Hejun Meng, a nursing graduate at Grenfell Campus who lent a hand to the COVID-19 response before she even graduated. Or Ghanaian student Frank Holdbrook who persevered through adversity to earn a business degree. Or Mona Earle, who found her niche and was one of the first graduates of the Marine Institute’s master’s degree in applied ocean technology (ocean mapping).
Some of the highlights of convocation ceremonies were the truly memorable addresses delivered by our honorary degree recipients to graduates. Graduates heard from Patricia (Patty) Way, historian; Derek Green, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador; neurosurgeon Falah Maroun; Shane O’Dea, long-time English professor and public orator; master furniture maker Michael Paterson; businesswoman Iris Petten, also former chair of Memorial’s Board of Regents; Ross Reid, former member of Parliament, democracy advocate and international volunteer; Janet Rossant, eminent biologist and former head of the SickKids Research Institute in Toronto; author and social business innovator Barbara Stegemann; and Annette Verschuren, chair and CEO of NRStor Inc., a Canadian energy storage development company.
While they all had unique perspectives to share, their advice to graduates was remarkably similar. Do what you love. Lead responsibly. Think critically. Give back. Take a risk. Try to make the world a better place.
If ever you are looking to be inspired (and aren’t we all, at some point or another?) watch a convocation ceremony. Ceremonies from Corner Brook are available online now, and the St. John’s sessions will be available next week.
Chancellor Susan Dyer Knight
If you have seen or participated in a Memorial convocation ceremony in the last decade, you’ve witnessed our extraordinary chancellor, Dr. Susan Dyer Knight, as she presides over convocation. In all, she conferred nearly 30,000 Memorial degrees during her 10 years of officiating convocation ceremonies.
Dr. Dyer Knight is stepping down as chancellor, so this marks her final convocation season. We have been extremely fortunate to have her as our chancellor. Her warmth, kindness and unflagging energy is evident as she personally greets every student who crosses the stage. I look forward to celebrating her service to Memorial at a later date.
It takes a team
Finally, I was delighted to be formally installed as the president of your university on Friday (after more than two years on the job!). To lead Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador is the highest honour I can imagine.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the tremendous work of the team that organized the convocation ceremonies. Organizing 16 ceremonies across multiple locations is no easy feat.
Many units came together to ensure students had a special day and I could not be more proud of Team Memorial!