Convocation 2005
May 25, 2005 for immediate release
About 730 students from the University of Northern British
Columbia will be graduating this Friday
during the University’s 12th graduation ceremony. The event will begin
at
1:30pm in CN Centre (formerly the Prince George Multiplex). The
ceremony will mark the first time that degrees have been awarded in
Disability Management, Biochemsitry and Molecular Biology, and the
interdisciplinary Master of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies.
Prior to the start of the ceremony, graduates will gather
with faculty and staff at the Prince
George campus in the morning. The class photograph
will be taken at 10:45 on the ceremonial steps (weather permitting) in the Agora
Courtyard.
Honorary Degrees
Honorary degrees – the University’s most prestigious public
awards – will be presented to former UNBC Chancellor George Pedersen and Mary
Alice Danaher of Williams
Lake. Dr Pedersen has
been the President or Vice-President of five BC universities and his career in
education has spanned more than 50 years. Dr Danaher has spent the majority of
her 35-year teaching career in the Cariboo, working with the Canim Lake Band
and the Cariboo Tribal Council. She was instrumental in establishing the Weekend University with UNBC and the
University-College of the Cariboo.
Student Awards
The Governor-General’s gold and silver medals for academic
achievement will be presented during the ceremony. Jeanne Robert (formerly,
Horning) will be receiving the gold medal as top graduate student after
conducting research on the susceptibility of Lodgepole Pine to weevil attacks.
She is currently pursuing her PhD at UBC investigating the molecular basis of
defense mechanisms in conifers. Jeanne will be speaking during the ceremony on
behalf of the grad class.
The silver medal for the top student graduating with a
bachelor’s degree will be presented to Mark Lundeberg of Prince George. He will be receiving a degree
in Physics and will be graduating with his brother, Karl, who has completed a
Computer Science degree.
Regional Ceremonies
Following the Prince
George ceremony, the University will participate in
regional graduation events:
Terrace, May 29, 7pm, Skeena Valley
Golf and Country Club
New Aiyansh, May 30, 2pm, Nisga’a Community Hall
Quesnel, June 1, 6:30pm, Quesnel and District Senior’s
Centre
Fort
St. John, June 2, 7pm,
Northern Grand Quality Inn
There will also be three UNBC graduates recognized during
the Yukon College
graduation in Whitehorse
on June 4. The students have completed a locally offered master’s degree
program in Community Health.
Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations,
UNBC – 250.960.5622