Trent University will welcome students, families, faculty and special guests to the University Court of the Bata Library on Symons Campus to celebrate the accomplishments of its newest graduates from across Canada and countries around the world at the 48th Convocation ceremonies from Tuesday, June 3 to Friday, June 6, 2014.
 
Dr. Don Tapscott, Trent chancellor, will preside over the Convocation ceremonies, along with Dr. Steven E. Franklin, who will celebrate his final ceremony as Trent’s president and vice-chancellor. The University will bestow honorary degrees upon five outstanding individuals: award-winning novelist Joseph Boyden, renowned anthropologist Wade Davis, educator and Arctic researcher Shelagh Grant, accomplished public servant Richard Johnston, and investment leader David Patterson will be recognized for their extraordinary contributions to academic life at Trent and to society as a whole.
 
During Convocation, Trent University will honour 1,732 members of the 2014 graduating class, over the course of eight ceremonies from Tuesday morning until Friday afternoon. A total of 1,636 undergraduate students will receive their degrees in 2014, including 8 students receiving diplomas. Statistics from the Office of the Registrar for undergraduate studies show that 68 per cent of 2014 graduates are female, while 32 per cent are male. Twenty per cent of this year’s graduates are named to the president’s honour roll, which celebrates undergraduate students graduating with a cumulative average of at least 80 per cent.
 
Trent will also bestow degrees upon 96 graduate students, 17 of whom will receive doctorates and 79 of whom will receive Masters degrees. Of this year’s graduate students, 41 are completing degrees in the arts and 38 in the sciences. At the graduate level, 54 students are female and 42 are male.
 

Among the 135 graduates of Trent University Oshawa, 51 are graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree, 21 with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree, 49 with a general Bachelor of Arts, nine with a general Bachelor of Science, two with a Bachelor of Education and one with a Bachelor of Business Administration. All Trent University Oshawa graduates will be recognized at the ceremony on Thursday, June 5 at 10:00 a.m.

As graduating students complete their chapter at Trent, many of them will be continuing their education in academic or professional programs or moving on to fascinating careers (read profiles of some of Trent’s brightest new graduates at trentu.ca/convocation/profiles.php). A new study released by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) shares that 87 per cent of Canadians agree that university research makes a major contribution to the nation’s economic prosperity. Similarly, Statistics Canada’s latest National Graduate Survey shows that university graduates have relatively high incomes and full-time employment rates, with over 90 per cent of graduates employed within three years.
 
During the 2014 Convocation ceremonies, Trent will also honour several of its most accomplished students with special awards.

• The Governor General’s Academic Medal to reward scholastic merit was established in 1873 by the Earl of Dufferin who served as Governor General of Canada from 1872 to 1878. The Silver Medal and Gold Medal are awarded to the students with the highest academic standing in the undergraduate and graduate programs, respectively.
• The President's Medal, established in 2009, will be awarded to three graduate students who achieved academic excellence in several degree programs.
• The Symons Medal, established in 1972 in honour of Trent’s founding president T.H.B. Symons, will be awarded to four undergraduate students in the Honours program who achieve high overall standing on graduation.
• The Bagnani Medal, established in 1986 to honour the late founding faculty member Professor Gilbert Bagnani, will be awarded to two students in the General program who achieve high overall standing on graduation.

Watch the live web-cast of the ceremonies at trentu.ca/convocation/coverage.php.
Follow @TrentUniversity on Twitter and Facebook and add your own comments and photos during the ceremonies by using the hashtag #trentConvo.
 
A detailed breakdown of each convocation ceremony is as follows:

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 – 10:00 a.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Arts degrees will be conferred upon graduates in Ancient History & Classics, Canadian Studies, Cultural Studies, English Literature, Gender & Women’s Studies, History, Modern Languages & Literatures: French, German & Hispanic Studies; and Philosophy. Also at this ceremony: an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree will be conferred upon Joseph Boyden; Dr. Mark Dickinson will receive the Symons Award for Excellence in Teaching; and professor emeritus Dr. Ian Storey will receive the Distinguished Research Award.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 – 2:00 p.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees will be conferred upon graduates in Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Environmental Studies, International Development Studies, International Political Economy, Mathematical Economics, Political Studies and Sociology, and Diplomas in Foundations of Indigenous Learning. Also at this ceremony: an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree will be conferred upon Richard Johnston; Katherine Curle will receive the Eminent Service Award. Student medals will be awarded to Sarah Buttle (Governor General’s Silver Medal), Linh Tran and Julian Tennent-Riddell (Symons Medal); and Susan Jones (Bagnani Medal).

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 – 10:00 a.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Environmental Science/Studies and Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science degrees will be conferred. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees will be conferred upon graduates in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Chemical Physics, Ecological Restoration, Environmental and Resource Science/Studies, Environmental Chemistry, Mathematical Physics, Physics and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Also at this ceremony: an Honorary Doctor of Science degree will be conferred upon Wade Davis, and the Symons Medal will be awarded to Brian Lukaszewicz.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 – 2:00 p.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees will be conferred upon graduates in Computing and Information Systems, Computing Systems and Physics, Geography, Mathematical Computer Science, Mathematics and Psychology. At this ceremony, the convocation address will be given by Dr. Don Tapscott, Trent chancellor. Student medals will be awarded to Liam Ledgerwood (Symons Medal) and Lindsay Dixon (Bagnani Medal).

Thursday, June 5, 2014 – 10:00 a.m. ceremony:

Degrees will be conferred upon all graduates of Trent University Oshawa. Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts, and Master of Science degrees will be conferred. Also at this ceremony: an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree will be conferred upon Shelagh Grant; Julia D. Harrison will be recognized as professor emeritus. Student medals will be awarded to Nora Casson (Governor General’s Gold Medal), Julia Grummit (President’s Medal), Otto Bedard (President’s Medal), and Dilyana Mincheva (President’s Medal).

Thursday, June 5, 2014 – 2:00 p.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Business Administration degrees and joint major degrees in Business Administration will be conferred. Also at this ceremony: an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree will be conferred upon David Patterson. 

Friday, June 6, 2014 – 10:00 a.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Education degrees will be conferred. At this ceremony, the convocation address will be given by Dr. Mark Dickinson, recipient of the 2014 Symons Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

Friday, June 6, 2014 – 2:00 p.m. ceremony:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees will be conferred. At this ceremony, the convocation address will be given by Dr. Steven E. Franklin, president and vice-chancellor. 

Green Initiatives

For the fifth year, several green initiatives designed to reduce the event’s impact on the environment will be part of Trent’s Convocation ceremonies, including:

• Water Bottle-Free Convocation: By eliminating the use of commercial bottled water at the ceremonies, Trent will reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of 5,000 single-use water bottles, which have been consumed at previous ceremonies. In lieu of bottled water, the University will set up a water station at an information table to provide tap water in biodegradable cups to all guests of Convocation. Graduates will each receive a take-home gift of a stainless steel water bottle which will be filled with tap water for their use during the outdoor ceremonies.
• free Passes for Peterborough Transit: In addition to the bottle-water free initiative, graduates and their families are being actively encouraged to reduce emissions by travelling, free of charge, on Peterborough Transit to and from the ceremonies. This option will also benefit guests by alleviating parking concerns on campus.

Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2014.