WELCOME

Martha Billes, Chancellor

During my student days here at the Macdonald Institute –one of this University’s founding colleges – in the early 1960s, we often heard a line from our beloved Dean Margaret McCready.

“Remember, ladies, you are Mac girls,” she said. “And Mac girls can do anything.”

Her words have stayed with me ever since. As I can attest from my own experience in research, business and charitable endeavours since graduation, Margaret McCready was right.

She was speaking to us a long time ago, but the same sentiment applies all these years later.

A University of Guelph education opens up doors and offers windows on the world.

Your experiences here have given you the tools and the wherewithal to strive for more, to make a difference, to improve life for yourselves and for others in the world around you.

Congratulations, and remember: You are University of Guelph graduates, and you can do anything.

Martha Billes, Chancellor

Franco J. Vaccarino, President and Vice-Chancellor

I am pleased to welcome everyone to convocation and to congratulate our graduates and their families on this very special occasion.

Today we celebrate the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance, inspiration and discovery. Today we recognize our graduates’ potential to use what they have learned to shape their life and to transform our planet.

I am an optimist by nature. In many ways, we are living through what might be remembered as one of the most exciting and important periods in history. Today is not the end of your journey, it is really just the beginning of your new life.

Life is, in fact, what the University of Guelph is all about. “Improve Life” is our brand, our identity. It reflects our teaching and research strengths, our contributions to society, and our commitment to enriching the minds and lives of students in hopes that what you’ve learned will serve you – and all of us – well.

To our graduates I say, our world needs more people like you. Our world needs more of the University of Guelph.

Franco J. Vaccarino, President and Vice-Chancellor

Congratulations and welcome to the alumni family!

Today is the day you become a lifetime member of the University of Guelph Alumni Association (UGAA) — a family of more than 179,000 graduates that spans 160 countries across the globe.

The University of Guelph has been an integral part of your life for the past several years and your graduation is an important milestone. We celebrate your achievements and share your excitement about the future — the possibilities are limitless! As you set out on your journey, we encourage you to stay connected to your alma mater.

Wherever life takes you, we are here to help you remain actively engaged in the life of the University. We will keep you informed of news and events, and we can help you stay in touch with classmates and friends. Membership in the UGAA has its privileges! When you have a moment, take a look at the exclusive services and benefits available to U of G alumni. All of the information is on our website at www.alumni.uoguelph.ca. Visit regularly as we are always adding and improving the perks and advantages for U of G grads.

While graduation may seem like an ending of sorts, it is the beginning of an exciting new chapter. On behalf of the UGAA, I wish you all the best in your personal and professional endeavours.

Richard Horne, Bachelor of Arts College of Social and Applied Human Sciences

Shauneen Bruder, Chair, Board of Governors

Like many of you, when I arrived on this campus I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do after I graduated. My time at the University of Guelph gave me the chance to explore new topics and find a fulfilling career path, but more importantly it instilled in me a love of lifelong learning. The ability to adapt to new challenges and leverage knowledge to create new opportunities is the greatest of many gifts U of G has given me over the last forty years.

So even though today marks the culmination of one academic journey, I hope that you will continue to ask big questions, engage with new ideas and test your intellectual limits. Now more than ever, the world needs people who can think broadly and engage with problems in innovative and collaborative ways.

On behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Governors, it is my honour to congratulate you and wish you every success in the future!

Sincerely,

Shauneen Bruder, Chair, Board of Governors