After 10 years, more than 100 ceremonies and shaking the hands of more than 36,000 graduates, convocation hasn\u2019t gotten old for Brock University President Jack Lightstone.<\/p>\n
The final ceremony of Spring Convocation Friday afternoon also marked the last graduation as president for Lightstone, whose term ends on June 30.<\/p>\n
After Lightstone shook hands with the final graduate Friday \u2014 Nursing graduate\u00a0Elsa Zawady \u2014 a ceremony was held to switch his presidential garb out for a professor\u2019s robe.<\/p>\n
Lightstone addressed the crowd of Faculty of Applied Health Sciences graduates and their families and said his time as President had been a pleasure.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a distinct honour and pleasure to serve this university as president over the past 10 years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has been an honour to serve extraordinary students.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview earlier in the day, Lightstone said he enjoys the tradition of convocation.
\n\u201cEvery convocation is new. Whenever I get up in front of that microphone, from the moment I\u2019m there in front of them, it\u2019s as fresh and as exciting as the first time. I\u2019m just more relaxed than I was the first time,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Despite the repetition of years worth of ceremonies, even Lightstone still gets surprised sometimes. He was taken aback Wednesday afternoon when the Faculty of Education graduates were louder than their families during a point of the ceremony when the president encourages those in attendance to cheer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis class is truly unique,\u201d Lightstone told the students. \u201cWhen I ask the question of the graduates in every other ceremony I get this whimper and then I get this roar from the families behind them. So congratulate yourselves. You are the most lively group I have experienced in 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting back on that Friday, Lightstone said the fact it was Faculty of Education students was a good sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat went through my mind was that we need to get these young, bright, enthusiastic, well-trained teachers in front of the classes of our province and our nation. What if all that energy we had in that room was in every one of our classrooms across this province? How much better would our educational system be?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lightstone said he wraps up his convocation duties with a sense of accomplishment.
\n\u201cI\u2019m proud of where the University is at this point. That\u2019s not due to me, I think that\u2019s due to the hard work of all of the people who work here,\u201d he said. \u201cI really leave this last convocation with a sense of joy about our students and our faculty and staff and our future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t