The third Convocation ceremony this week takes place at 10:00 a.m. today. 677 undergraduates, 138 Master's, and 24 PhDs will graduate this morning. John North, Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, will bear the mace. Birgit Moscinski will sing the national anthem. Follow along with the livestream.
Heather Lynn Smith will become an Honorary Member of the University. Smith began her career at the University of Waterloo as a Records and Admissions Clerk in the Registrar’s Office in 1979 before moving to the Department of Psychology in 1985 where she would advance and serve as the academic advisor and program administrator of Psychology’s undergraduate program for 30 years. She graduated as a psychology major from the University of Waterloo in 1991. For her outstanding contributions she received a special Staff Recognition Award in 2004 and the Faculty of Arts Excellence in Service Award in 2014.
Ingrid Mary Mattson will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws and address Convocation. Mattson is a graduate of the University of Waterloo, where she earned a BA in philosophy and fine arts (1987). She completed her PhD in near eastern languages and civilizations at the University of Chicago, and is professor and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron University College at Western University of Western Ontario, and Senior Fellow of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan. She has published widely in the areas of Islamic theological ethics, Qur’an interpretation, and interfaith relations.
At
2:30
p.m.
the second
Arts
ceremony takes
place
and
will
include
graduating
students
from
St.
Jerome's
University,
Conrad
Grebel
University
College,
Renison
University
College
and
the
School
of
Social
Work.
507 undergraduates, 24 Master's and 1 PhD student will receive their degrees. Bearing the mace will be Wendy L. Fletcher, President and Vice-Chancellor, Renison University College. Birgit Moscinski will sing the national anthem.
Ashna Mankotia will deliver the valedictory address.
Sophia Chen will receive the Governor General's Silver Medal.
Ding Jia will receive the Alumni Gold Medal.
"Gordon’s record of winning awards and recognitions is extremely impressive," says his award citation. "In the Fall 2016 he was awarded the Alumni Gold Medal for Outstanding Academic Performance in a Doctoral Program. He is also a recent recipient of a SSHRC Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship where he was ranked number one out of 162 applicants nationwide. Gordon has already achieved a publication record that is worthy of a tenured faculty member at a top research-intensive university. He has published 33 peer-reviewed journal articles, 5 book chapters, several popular press articles and has an edited book on the way. His papers often contain multiple experiments and have significantly advanced theory. Gordon’s research in cognitive science has reached national and international academic and public audiences. His work is extremely insightful, shedding new light on how the human mind works, with practical applications for economic decision-making as well as deep philosophical implications for altruism and religious belief. His research focuses on issues of extreme importance for human psychology. Gordon is currently doing his postdoctoral work at Yale University."
Matthew Brooker will receive the Reginald Haney Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in the Legal Studies Program.
Karisa Parkington will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Studies award at the Master's level.
This story is originally published in the Daily Bulletin, June 14, 2017.