KAMLOOPS – The first Thompson Rivers University Convocation Ceremonies for the Kamloops campus will be held June 9th and 10th, with this year’s approximately 1700 graduates among the first to receive their credentials in the name of Thompson Rivers University. TRU’s Williams Lake campus held its ceremonies last week.
Also this year, Thompson Rivers University graduates will receive their degrees, diplomas and certificates at on-campus ceremonies, the first since the ceremonies were moved off-campus in 1994 to accommodate increasing numbers of graduates. The ceremonies had been held in the campus gymnasium until that time.
Convocation this year will be held on the campus commons east of the Campus Activity Centre, in four separate ceremonies. In case of rain, ceremonies will be held in the gymnasium.
“I am extremely pleased that our graduates can celebrate Convocation where they studied, learned and practiced the skills and knowledge they will take into the world,” said TRU President and Vice-Chancellor, Roger Barnsley.
In order to preserve its commitment to comprehensiveness and inclusiveness, TRU will grant certificates, diplomas and degrees at each ceremony, which represents a cluster of programs. About 50 TRU staff volunteers coordinate convocation proceedings.
Each ceremony also has its own honorary degree recipient and valedictorian. Recognition will also be given at each ceremony to TRU faculty in that discipline who were awarded Scholarly Merit, Teaching Excellence (not to be confused with Master Teacher), and Distinguished Service awards for the 2004/05 academic year.
Ceremony B will also include the conferral of Master Teacher and Professor Emeritus designations.
Ceremony A, to be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, June 9th, includes graduates of certificate, diploma, degree and post-baccalaureate diploma programs in the Arts, Fine Arts, Journalism, Aboriginal Studies, Adult Basic Education, and English as a Second Language. An honorary doctorate will be conferred on Dr. Gilles Paquet, Professor Emeritus at the University of Ottawa and President of the Royal Society of Canada, and theValedictorian address will be delivered by Christine Heidi Nickel, who graduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography. University medals, granted to the student in each TRU degree program who achieved the highest grade point average over the assessment period, will be awarded to Kristina E. Fiedrich (Fine Arts), and Lailani Mendoza (Journalism) of Kamloops, and Kendra Lee McKay (Arts) of Williams Lake.
Ceremony B, to be held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, June 9th, includes graduates in the Sciences and Health Sciences. An honorary doctorate will be conferred on Sir John Daniel, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Commonwealth of Learning. Valedictorian is Alison Assmus, a Bachelor of Science degree graduate from Logan Lake. Medal winners include Paul Nguyen (Science) of Kamloops, Corrine Out (Nursing) and Jodi Vander Hoek (Natural Resource Science) both of Salmon Arm, and Governor General’s Academic Silver Medal winner Sachiko Takahashi of Kamloops, who achieved the highest overall academic standing upon graduation from a bachelor degree program.
Also at this ceremony, the title of Professor Emeritus will be conferred on two distinguished TRU science professors, David Williams and Jim Davies. A Master Teacher award, which recognizes the long-term career achievements in teaching, pedagogy, and the promotion of good teaching, will be conferred on a TRU health sciences professor whose name will be announced at the ceremony.
Ceremony C, to be held at 10:00 am on Friday, June 10th, includes graduates from the Schools of Business and Economics, Advanced Technologies and Mathematics, Trades and Technology, and Career-Technical Centres. An honorary doctorate will be conferred on Mr. Duncan MacRae, a distinguished educator and champion of comprehensive training and education in British Columbia. Valedictorian is Kristen Jordan of Kamloops, who graduates with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing.
Medal winners include Sharron R. Westlund (Accounting Technician diploma) of Kamloops, who will receive the Governor General’s Academic Medal (Collegiate Bronze), awarded annually to the student who achieves the highest overall average upon graduation from a diploma-level, post-secondary program of a minimum of two years, full-time duration, and Nathan Murray of Logan Lake, who will receive the university medal in Business Administration.
Ceremony D, to be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, June 10th, includes graduates from the Schools of Education, Social Work, and Tourism Management.
An honorary doctorate will be conferred on Ms. Claire Morris, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Valedictorian is Shawna Bava of Kamloops, who will also be awarded the university medal in social work.
Other university medal winners include University of British Columbia Medal in Education recipient Fred Schaub of White Lake, and Thompson Rivers University Medal in Tourism Management recipient Callandra Lea Ottmann of Canmore, Alberta.
For information on the ceremonies, please contact Linda Mueller, Convocation Coordinator, at 828-5479 or 372-2170. For photos or contact information, please contact Bronwen Scott, Media Coordinator, at 371-5739.
Thompson Rivers University Medal in Arts This medal is awarded in each TRU degree program to the eligible graduating student who achieves the highest grade point average over the assessment period.
Kendra Lee McKay Kendra McKay graduated in 2001 from Williams Lake Secondary School, located near her hometown of Hanceville, earning an entrance scholarship to pursue arts studies at TRU. A math major and geography minor, Kendra maintained high academic standing and continued to win scholarships while volunteering as a math tutor for TRU students. She also found time to prepare and present a scholarly paper at the Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting. An avid outdoorsperson and long-time 4-H’er, Kendra bikes, camps and kayaks, and volunteers at 4-H youth camps. She was married this past May and will be pursuing certification as a secondary school teacher this fall.
Thompson Rivers University Medal in Journalism This medal is awarded in each TRU degree program to the eligible graduating student who achieves the highest grade point average over the assessment period.
Lailani Mendoza Lailani Mendoza was born in the Philippines, and graduated from Mangatarem National High School in 1999. She then studied at the University of the Philippines for a year, where she was named to the Dean’s List. She moved to Canada with her mother and sister at the age of 18, and enrolled at TRU, where she again achieved Dean’s List standing. Lailani has volunteered for both World Vision and the Campus Crusade for Christ in the Philippines. Already a regular contributor to a youth-oriented on-line magazine, she plans to work at a magazine or newspaper in Canada.
Valedictorians: Ceremony A: Christine Heidi Nickel, Bachelor of Arts degree (Geography) Christine Nickel came to TRU after graduating from Fernie Secondary School. While maintaining high grades in her courses, winning the Hugh Neave Memorial 4th-year Geography bursary this year, she also found time to volunteer with the CSS Campus Life Team, the CFBX Campus-Community Radio station, and the Geography Club, where she served two years as treasurer. She will be studying broadcast journalism at BCIT this fall, and her long-term goals include world travel and completing a master’s degree. Her ultimate career goal is to combine her passion for geography with her interest in broadcasting, to become a television show host for a nature or science program.
