The stage is set to welcome new graduands and returning graduates back to campus this week for Brock University’s legacy and Fall Convocation ceremonies.

Traditionally a one-day celebration, this year’s Fall Convocation has been expanded to include two additional days of legacy ceremonies to welcome back the Classes of 2020 and 2021, who did not have the chance to cross the stage due to public health restrictions in place at the time of their graduation.

Legacy Convocation will take place Wednesday, Oct. 12 and Thursday, Oct. 13, with ceremonies at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. each day. More than 1,600 graduates from 2020 and 2021 are expected to return for the celebration.

Brock’s 112th Convocation will follow on Friday, Oct. 14, when more than 1,000 new graduands will receive their degrees in two ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

All ceremonies will be held inside Brock’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium in the Walker Sports Complex.

Friday’s morning ceremony will see Brock graduate and four-time Paralympian Elisabeth Walker-Young (BPhEd ’02) return to her alma mater to receive an honorary degree from the University. Walker-Young, who is widely recognized as a champion for inclusion and accessibility in sport, will also deliver the ceremony’s Convocation address.

Friday’s celebration will include the presentation of several awards, including the Governor General’s Silver Medals, awarded to the two undergraduate students with the highest academic standing in the Class of 2022. This year’s recipients are Jordan Masi (Medical Sciences), who will receive his medal in the morning ceremony, and Domenic Alfieri (Finance and Economics), who will receive his medal in the afternoon.

Also being awarded Friday are the Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock medals, presented to students who have demonstrated qualities of leadership, courage, innovation, inspiration or community involvement. This year’s undergraduate student recipient, Cassandra Campanella (Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies), and the graduate student recipient, Daislyn Vidal (Biological Sciences), will each receive the honour at the 10 a.m. ceremony.

Delivering the Convocation address for the Friday afternoon ceremony is Kai-Yu Wang, Professor of Marketing, International Business and Strategy, and Brock’s 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award recipient.

To help graduates mark this milestone moment in their lives, Brock has brought back its online celebration toolkit. Badgers can download a variety of graphics for use on social media, including cover photos, wallpapers, animated confetti and Convocation-themed filters.

The toolkit also includes a map of the University’s photo trail, which graduates are encouraged to travel down following their Convocation ceremony, striking a pose at some of Brock’s most iconic spots on campus. Grads are encouraged to share their photos on social media with the hashtag #BrockUGrad, so the University can celebrate with them.

After each ceremony held Wednesday to Friday, graduates are also invited to visit Alumni Alley in the South Block hallway nearest to the courtyard, where a celebration will be hosted daily by Alumni and Donor Relations. Graduates will have the opportunity to take pictures at a variety of photo stations, connect with their peers over light refreshments, celebrate with family and friends, and interact with the faculty and staff who have supported them along their academic journey.

Adding to Friday’s Convocation festivities will be the GRAD² Experience Area, which will welcome the newest graduates from the University’s Graduate Studies programs to celebrate with one another. Open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. above the Hungry Badger, the space will have refreshments, a photo backdrop, candy bar and swag giveaways, including packages of eco-friendly, seed-paper confetti.

Graduates are reminded that all guests for each legacy ceremony must be registered in advance. Tickets are required for Friday’s ceremonies. Free parking will be available on campus Wednesday, Oct. 12 to Friday, Oct. 14.

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

For more information on Brock’s legacy and Fall Convocation ceremonies, visit brocku.ca/convocation