Due to forecasts for wind and rain Friday, June 7, the University wishes to communicate plans for Convocation.   

For the Friday morning ceremonies beginning at 10 a.m., plans are to hold ceremonies outdoors. Please dress for the weather.

In the event of the need to move indoors today, guests will be able view the ceremony on a large screen via live feed at various locations around campus.

During Convocation, Trent University will honour 1,793 members of the 2013 graduating class, over the course of five ceremonies on Wednesday, June 5; Thursday, June 6; and Friday, June 7 on Symons campus.

Dr. Steven E. Franklin, Trent’s president and vice-chancellor, and Dr. Tom Jackson, the University’s tenth chancellor, will preside over the Convocation ceremonies.

Two ceremonies will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. On Friday, one ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. during which Trent alumnus, Mr. Don Tapscott will be installed as the 11th chancellor of Trent University. All ceremonies take place outdoors in the University Court of the Bata Library on the Symons Campus. Over 100 volunteers, mostly University employees and retirees, will be lending a hand at this year’s Convocation ceremonies.

Graduating in 2013 are 1,703 undergraduate, one diploma and 89 graduate students. Eleven Ph.D.s and 78 masters’ degrees – 40 in the arts and 38 in the sciences – will be granted.

Six students are graduating for the first time with Bachelor of Environmental Science/Studies degrees. The first Ph.D. in Cultural Studies will be awarded.

Also during the ceremonies, the Governor General’s Silver Medal will be presented to the undergraduate student with the highest standing. In addition, four Symons Medals and two Bagnani Medals will be presented to undergraduate students who have achieved high academic standing in their programs. The Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal will be awarded to a graduate student and two President’s Medals will be awarded to two outstanding graduate students. During the ceremonies, four distinguished Canadians will receive honorary degrees.

Statistics from the Office of the Registrar for undergraduate studies show that 67 per cent of graduates are female, while 33 per cent are male. At the graduate level, 54 graduates are female and 35 are male.

Undergraduate students graduating with a cumulative average of at least 80 per cent are named to the president’s honour roll. This year, 21 per cent of graduates are on the president’s honour roll.

A detailed breakdown of each convocation ceremony is as follows:

Wednesday, June 5 at 10 a.m. degrees will be conferred upon all graduates in the following programs:Ancient History & Classics; Canadian Studies; Cultural Studies; Economics; English Literature; Gender & Women’s Studies; History; Indigenous Studies; Indigenous Environmental Studies; Modern Languages and Literatures: French, German & Hispanic Studies; and Philosophy. An honorary degree will be conferred upon Mr. Justin Chiu, who will address convocation. Also at this ceremony, Professor Emeritus Zailig Pollockwill be recognized and Keith Walden will be presented with the Symons Award for Teaching Excellence.

Wednesday, June 5 at 3 p.m. all graduate degrees including doctoral, master of science and master of arts will be conferred along with degrees in the School of Education & Professional Learning. An honorary degree will be conferred upon His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, who will address convocation.

Thursday, June 6 at 10 a.m. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees will be conferred upon graduates in the following programs: Anthropology; International Development Studies; International Political Economy; Political Studies; Archaeology; Psychology; Sociology and Trent Oshawa. An honorary degree will be conferred upon The Honourable Ed Broadbent, who will address convocation. Also at this ceremony, Associate Professor Emeritus Jocelyn Aubrey will be recognized along with Professors Emeriti Susan Apostle-Clark, Paul Healy, and Susan Jamieson.

Thursday, June 6 at 3 p.m. Bachelor of Environmental Science/Studies and Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science degrees will be conferred. Degrees will be conferred on all graduates in the following programs: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Biology; Chemistry; Chemical Physics; Computer Studies; Computing and Information Systems; Computing Systems and Physics; Environmental Chemistry; Geography; Mathematics; Mathematical Computer Science; Mathematical Economics; Mathematical Physics; Physics; and Ecological Restoration. An honorary degree will be conferred upon Dr. J. Bruce Falls, who will address convocation. Also at this ceremony, Professors Emeriti Errol Lewars and Graham Cogley will be recognized. The Eminent Service Award will be presented to Betty Clark and the Distinguished Research Award to Dr. Don Mackay.

Friday, June 7 at 10 a.m. Bachelor of Business AdministrationDegrees will be conferred along with Joint Major Degrees in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Nursing. This ceremony will include the installation of Dr. Don Tapscott as the eleventh Chancellor of Trent University.

Green Initiatives

For the fourth 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.