Media releases

• Lesley Rigg to be installed as Brock’s seventh President at Spring Convocation

  Wednesday, June 07, 2023 | By mstdenis

  MEDIA RELEASE: June 7 2023 – R0048

  Brock’s Spring Convocation will begin with a historic moment next week, as Lesley Rigg is installed as the University’s seventh President and Vice-Chancellor.

  The milestone ceremony on Monday, June 12 at 10 a.m. will kick off the five-day celebration that will see about 3,500 graduands from seven Faculties receive their degrees.

  Brock’s 113th Convocation includes nine ceremonies from June 12 to 16, taking place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day, except for Friday, June 16, when only a morning ceremony is scheduled.

  Although Rigg began her five-year term as University President on Nov. 1, the ceremonial instalment always takes place during the first ceremony of the Spring or Fall Convocation that follows a President’s start date.

  An accomplished academic leader, research scientist and professor, Rigg joined Brock after previously serving as Vice-President (Research) and Professor of Geography at Western University in London, Ont.

  Rigg succeeds past Brock Presidents James Gibson (1965-1973), Alan Earp (1973-1988), Terrence White (1988-1997), David Atkinson (1997-2005), Jack Lightstone (2007-2016) and Gervan Fearon (2017-2021).

  In addition to the President’s installation, Spring Convocation will also see the University bestow honorary degrees upon three accomplished and impactful leaders who’ve made their mark in their respective fields.

  Deborah Rosati (BAdmin ’84), corporate governance champion and founder and CEO of Women Get On Board Inc., and Jenn Harper, an Indigenous entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics Inc., will receive their honorary doctorates on Tuesday, June 13, at ceremonies held at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

  On Wednesday, June 14 at 2:30 p.m., Brock will honour Kyle Dubas (BSM ’07), a professional sports executive who is now President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

  Each honorary degree recipient will deliver a Convocation address to the graduating class.

  All Spring Convocation ceremonies take place in the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium of Brock’s Walker Sports Complex and will be livestreamed online at brocku.ca/livestream

  Tickets will not be required to attend, but there is a two-guest limit per graduand and all guests will be required to check-in prior to entering the ceremony. Guests are encouraged to have the name and student identification number of the graduand they’re celebrating present at check-in.

  Complimentary parking will be available throughout Convocation week. Please follow the directional signage to Lot B and Lot D. If these lots are full, overflow parking will be available in Zones 1 and 3.

  For more information about Brock’s Spring Convocation, visit brocku.ca/convocation

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

  Monday, June 12, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Social Sciences

  • Lesley Rigg will be formally installed as Brock University’s seventh President and Vice-Chancellor.

  Monday, June 12, 2:30 p.m. — Faculty of Social Sciences

  • Erin Panda, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Child and Youth Studies and the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, will deliver the Convocation address.

  Tuesday, June 13, 10 a.m. — Goodman School of Business

  • Deborah Rosati (BAdmin ’84), corporate governance champion and founder and CEO of Women Get On Board Inc., will receive an honorary doctorate and give the Convocation address.

  Tuesday, June 13, 2:30 p.m. — Goodman School of Business

  • Jenn Harper, an Indigenous entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics Inc., will receive an honorary doctorate and give the Convocation address.
  • Twins Zade and Hamza Pasha will cross the stage together after earning degrees from both Brock and Dublin City University through Goodman’s international double degree program. The brothers have both completed co-op terms with the United Nations during their studies, while staying involved in opportunities at Brock and exploring their entrepreneurial interests.

  Wednesday, June 14, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

  • Stephen Cheung, Professor in Brock’s Department of Kinesiology and the 2023 Faculty Research Excellence Award recipient, will deliver the Convocation address.
  • A graduate student from Nigeria, Chimerem Amiaka has drawn on her personal experience to help incoming Brock international students find their footing. In addition to excelling academically, the Master of Science graduand and Spirit of Brock Medal recipient is active in the Niagara community as a social issues researcher for Future Black Female.

  Wednesday, June 14, 2:30 p.m. — Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

  • Kyle Dubas (BSM ’07), a professional sports executive who is now President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, will receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the Convocation address.
  • Amber Briar, a member of the Canadian Parafencing Team and Brock women’s fencing team, is a champion in the sport of wheelchair fencing and has won medals for Canada on the international level and the Badgers at the Ontario University Athletics Championships. She will receive a degree in Kinesiology from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.

  Thursday, June 15, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Education

  • Dolana Mogadime, Professor in Brock’s Department of Educational Studies and the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, will deliver the Convocation address.
  • Loredana Amatuzio earned two degrees through the Concurrent Teacher Education program while navigating the challenges of being a full-time caregiver to her late mother, who was diagnosed with stage-five renal failure during her first year at Brock. Amatuzio will cross the stage and also accept the Spirit of Brock Medal in honour of her mother, who passed away in January.
  • Tyler Powell and Joe Fowler, both graduating from the Technological Education Teacher Education program, have transitioned from skilled trades careers to become technological education teachers, helping to fill a shortage of these educators in Ontario classrooms.
  • An immigrant from Vietnam and member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Nguyen Hoang Giang (Kevin) Le has overcome discrimination and exclusion to earn his PhD in Educational Studies. He is committed to bringing the same support he experienced at Brock into the classroom for his future students.

  Thursday, June 15, 2:30 p.m. — Faculty of Education

  • Stanley (Bobby) Henry, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Educational Studies, will deliver the Convocation address.

  Friday, June 16, 10 a.m. — Faculty of Humanities; Faculty of Mathematics and Science

  • Mike Griffin, Lecturer in Brock’s Department of Dramatic Arts and the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, and Barak Shoshany, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Physics and the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, will each deliver a Convocation address.

  Media are welcome to attend Brock’s Spring Convocation. Interviews can be arranged in advance with graduands and faculty members. Photographers shooting from directly in front of the stage are asked to wear a Convocation gown, which can be arranged through Communications and Media Relations Specialist Doug Hunt.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock experts examine impact of PGA-LIV golf merger

  Tuesday, June 06, 2023 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: June 6 2023 – R0047

  With the announcement of a merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian-owned LIV Golf, Brock experts have examined the impact of the oil-rich kingdom on the trajectory of world sport.

  Assistant Professor of Sport Management Taylor McKee says it is crucial to understand that the new golf deal is not the PGA tour swallowing up a competitor and is instead a genuine partnership that is being developed with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund: the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

  “It would be naïve to imagine that this is the first instance of unsavoury money flowing into the coffers of professional sport organizations; however, it is important to note that the PIF is not simply purchasing a seat at the table: they are altering the blueprints, re-wiring the building and adding a pool to the backyard,” he says. “Just a year ago, PGA Tour officials and players were dead set against the incursion of Saudi money into the game, for reasons both legitimate and spurious. But the Tour now must acknowledge that either these issues have been resolved, which they have not, or that they are so satisfied with the financial upside of the deal that it outweighs their concerns regarding human rights.

  “Either way, this is a tricky situation with many questions left unanswered by the PGA,” McKee says.

  Associate Professor of Sport Management Michael Naraine says the deal is part of a long-term Saudi investment strategy into sport and entertainment.

  “Sport, elite sport especially, yields consistent returns over time, and so it’s not surprising to see the Kingdom diversify their investment strategy; this is ever more important as Western societies electrify and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels — where the Saudis make most of their cash,” he says. “However, there’s also the geo-political investment the Kingdom is making through ‘sportwashing,’ attempting to glaze over their record of human rights and social issue atrocities.”

  Through the ownership of football clubs in England, international circuit events like F1 and LIV golf, and even partnerships with the World Wrestling Entertainment machine, Naraine says not to expect Saudi financial involvement in sport to be a passing fad.

  “I don’t suspect the Saudis are going to stop investing in sport anytime soon,” he says. “In fact, their investments are only going to ramp up with a potential future target of an Olympic Games in 2036 or 2040, a so-called coming-out party of sorts.”

  In the present, as the battle between the PGA tour and a Saudi-funded renegade competitor ends with a merger, McKee says the priorities of all involved were obvious.

  “It’s clear that both sides are far more interested in collecting a ton of money than anything to do with morality,” he says.

  Brock University Assistant Professor of Sport Management Taylor McKee and Associate Professor Sport Management Michael Naraine are available for media interviews on the topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases