Hundreds of local residents, students, UNBC employees – and even the Consul General of Japan – will be attending the installation of Dr. George Iwama next Friday, as he officially becomes UNBC’s fourth president.

The ceremony will begin at 2:00pm on October 16th in the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre and include the unveiling of Dr. Iwama’s convocation robes, an oath of office, and the delivery of greetings from representatives of universities and colleges across Canada. Among the other university and college presidents attending will be Stephen Toope of UBC, Allan Cahoon of Royal Roads, Ralph Nilson of Vancouver Island University, and CNC President John Bowman. Performances will be given by the Prince George Symphony, the Gitlakdamix Ceremonial Dancers from the Nass Valley north of Terrace, and a group of UNBC students and alumni called the Dakelh Singers.

Dr. Iwama was born in Okinawa, Japan, and moved to Vancouver at the age of 17. He attended UBC and later returned as a professor of Zoology for 15 years. His academic and administrative career also took him to Acadia University, the National Research Council, and Carleton University. He is the first Canadian university president of Japanese descent and the Installation Ceremony will have a distinctive Japanese feel: there will be a performance by traditional Japanese dancer Izumi Tanahara and greetings will be presented by Hideki Ito, the Consul General of Japan.

The Installation Ceremony is open to the public and local residents interested in attending can contact 250-960-6304 or email convocation@unbc.ca.

Previous UNBC presidents have been Geoffrey R. Weller, Charles J. Jago, and Donald A. Cozzetto.