Entertainment mogul, Trent chancellor and Degrassi creator Dr. Stephen Stohn inspires youth to meet challenges with compassion and hope
When passed the torch as Trent University’s second alumnus chancellor, Dr. Stephen Stohn delivered a rallying cry to the 2019 graduating class and has been inspiring students ever since.
“In your everyday lives, use the skills we have learned here at Trent to face and embrace today’s challenges with the agility, the flexibility, the curiosity, the openness, and the compassion that have been fostered within you each and every day here at Trent,” Dr. Stohn said after being officially installed as chancellor during our special ceremony at the University. “Let us all, always, remember what our job really is. Saving the world. Being… A New Hope.”
Not even a global pandemic could stand in the way of Dr. Stohn in serving the University community in remarkably engaging and interactive ways. Dr. Stohn’s warmth has energized events in the classroom (in-person and virtually), within Trent’s collegiate communities, at alumni networking opportunities, the University’s virtual Grad from Your Pad celebrations, and local community events. As host of Trent Talks – an interactive video series offering timely, reliable and thought-provoking information, he engaged with faculty members and virtual audiences exploring a range of topics including the environment, epidemiology, learning-at-home, and unmasking racism.
“As someone who was a student at Trent in its early days, it has been my delight to serve as Chancellor, some 50 years later, at a time when the University is truly manifesting its early vision and promise in such exciting ways,” said Dr. Stohn. “I look forward to continuing to serve, and to being able to spend even more time not just online but also directly, in-person and on-campus, as the pandemic recedes and all of us in the Trent community face a new future.”
Dr. Stohn’s transformational philanthropic support for Trent has also been key in the development of several projects at the University, including a $1 million gift to make the new Student Centre a reality and establish Stohn Hall lecture theatre.
