They’ve completed their final assignments and exams, persevered through challenges brought on by COVID-19 and have now reached the milestone moment they’ve been working tirelessly to achieve.

More than 3,500 students will cross the stage at Brock University’s 111th Convocation next week, marking the end of a significant chapter in their post-secondary journey.

Graduands will have their degrees conferred during nine ceremonies held from Monday, June 13 to Friday, June 17 in Brock’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day, with the exception of Friday, when only a morning ceremony will be held.

The weeklong celebration, for which tickets are required for graduands and their guests to attend, will mark Brock’s first in-person Convocation in more than two years.

Three honorary doctorates will be presented over the course of the week to Deena Ladd, co-founder and Executive Director of the Toronto Workers’ Action Centre and a champion for workers’ rights; David Lepofsky, Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance and longstanding disability rights advocate; and Bob Davis, Brock University’s former longtime Athletic Director, who over a more than 30-year career with the University helped to shape Brock athletics into what it is today.

Ladd and Lepofsky will receive their honorary degrees Tuesday, June 14, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, during the Faculty of Social Sciences ceremonies. Davis will have his degree presented during a Faculty of Applied Health Sciences ceremony Wednesday, June 15 at 2:30 p.m.

The return to in-person ceremonies includes a number of changes for graduands and their guests, including the requirement of tickets, and mask and vaccine mandates, which will be in place.

Graduands must reserve a free ticket for themselves as well as tickets for up to two guests to confirm their attendance at Convocation. Tickets will be scanned at the event and must be brought along to gain access to the indoor ceremonies.

To reserve tickets:

• Log-in to University Tickets using your Brock credentials.
• Click on ‘Brock Convocation’ under Categories.
• Choose your Convocation ceremony (found under your intent to graduate application, once approved, or via the Convocation schedule).
• Reserve tickets for yourself and up to two guests.

To ensure the health and safety of the Brock community, all Spring 2022 Convocation attendees, including graduands and their guests, must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth. Masks must remain in place at all times while indoors, except for speakers who are at a podium delivering an address.

Everyone attending Convocation is also required to be fully vaccinated.

For those unable to attend, all Convocation ceremonies will be livestreamed online at brocku.ca/livestream

Free parking will be available throughout Convocation week in Zone 1. If this lot is full, please follow signage to Zone 2 for overflow parking.

For more information, visit brocku.ca/convocation

Below is a schedule of this year’s Convocation ceremonies along with some of the highlight stories:

Monday, June 13, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Education

• Leanne Taylor, Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of Educational Studies and the fall 2021 Faculty of Education Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, will deliver the Convocation address.

Monday, June 13, 2:30 p.m. — Faculty of Education

• Dane Di Cesare, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Educational Studies, will deliver the Convocation address.

Tuesday, June 14, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Social Sciences

• Deena Ladd, workers’ rights advocate and co-founder and Executive Director of the Toronto Workers’ Action Centre, will receive an honorary doctorate and give the Convocation address.
• Samantha Romano, a highly-decorated student-athlete with Brock’s women’s wrestling team, will graduate with a degree in Psychology. During her time at Brock, Romano captured multiple provincial and national gold medals while making the Canadian team for the U23 World Championships.
• Mature student Kyle Edwards, 44, will graduate with his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology — 25 years after initially enrolling. Edwards was inspired to return to the classroom to focus on Psychology after years of mental and physical therapy recovering from a severe motorcycle accident.

Tuesday, June 14, 2:30 p.m. — Faculty of Social Sciences

• David Lepofsky, disability rights advocate and Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, will receive an honorary doctorate and give the Convocation address.

Wednesday, June 15, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

• Julie Stevens, Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of Sport Management; Special Advisor, Canada Games; and the 2022 Faculty Research Excellence Award recipient, will deliver the Convocation address.

Wednesday, June 15, 2:30 p.m. — Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

• Bob Davis, former longtime Brock Athletic Director who helped to shape athletics at the University, will receive an honorary doctorate and give the Convocation address.

Thursday, June 16, 10 a.m. — Goodman School of Business

• Skander Lazrak, Professor in Brock’s Department of Finance, Operations and Information Systems and the 2022 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, will deliver the Convocation address.

Thursday, June 16, 2:30 p.m. — Goodman School of Business

• Greg Berti, Vice-President, Global Markets, Industry Relations and Business Development for Andrew Peller Limited and a member of Brock University’s Board of Trustees, will deliver the Convocation address.
• The first three graduates from the Goodman School of Business’ partnership with ESB Business School at Reutlingen University in Germany will receive their degrees. The Bachelor of Business Administration International Double Degree program sees students complete two years at their home university and two years at Brock, earning a degree from each institution.

Friday, June 17, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Humanities; Faculty of Mathematics and Science

• Robert Alexander, Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of English Language and Literature and the 2022 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, and Costa Metallinos, Professor in Brock’s Department of Chemistry and the 2022 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, will each deliver a Convocation address.
• Amirali Madani will receive the Governor General’s Gold Medal Award, which is given to the graduate student with the highest academic average. Madani is receiving his Master of Science in Computer Science and finished with a 97 per cent average.