Media releases

• Brock biologist named President of Canadian Commission for UNESCO

  Monday, June 11, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 11 June 2018 – R00122

  Liette Vasseur’s passion for the environment knows no borders, whether she’s examining crops in Ecuador, helping an Ontario town deal with shoreline flooding or co-writing the first international guidelines on ecosystems governance.

  The Brock University biologist has headed up dozens of conservation and research projects throughout the years, working with farmers, government ministers, students, presidents of global organizations and many others while doing so.

  Now her leadership in the field has been taken to a new level, with Vasseur being named President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO).

  “Dr. Vasseur’s broad knowledge and experience in such areas as the environment, culture, women and communities here and around the world will be a priceless asset to the Commission, an organization dedicated to building a society of peace, equity and shared knowledge,” Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, said June 6 while announcing the two-year appointment.

  CCUNESCO, operating under the Canada Council for the Arts, seeks to connect Canadians to the broader work of the Paris-based UNESCO, whose work “contributes to a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future that leaves no one behind.”

  UNESCO’s more notable initiatives include designating World Heritage Sites, Geoparks and Biosphere Reserves, engaging with youth, encouraging women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and promoting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

  “I’m quite humbled,” Vasseur said of her appointment. “It is a genuine honour to have been chosen as the new President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The Commission does remarkable work in ensuring that UNESCO’s activities have a real impact in Canada and abroad.”

  Vasseur is no stranger to this international stage. In 2014, she was awarded a UNESCO chair for Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, which was renewed this year. 

  Last year, CCUNESCO appointed Vasseur to head up its Sectoral Commission on Natural, Social and Human Sciences, an 11-member group of Canadian scientists, academics and others providing knowledge and expertise on a range of issues. 

  The group is producing reflection papers on topics important to creating a long-range vision of how Canadians and the federal government can implement various actions related to sustainability. These include social and environmental impacts of climate change; conservation of natural heritage and water resources; inclusion of newcomers and vulnerable groups; reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people; youth engagement; and measures to fight discrimination, racism, violence, bullying and radicalization. 

  In her new role as President, a major focus will be the enhancement of Indigenous culture and knowledge in many of CCUNESCO’s activities. Other priorities include advocating for women’s involvement in STEM and engaging youth in UNESCO’s various projects and networks, she said.

  “This appointment demonstrates the high regard in which Professor Vasseur’s research and strong leadership are held, nationally and internationally,” said Brock’s Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.

  “It is also emblematic of the commitment of Brock University’s researchers to have their expertise make a powerful difference in the world. Scholars, evidence-based policy makers, and citizens from around the globe are fortunate to have Professor Vasseur serving in this influential role under the auspices of the United Nations.”

  Vasseur holds a number of high-profile leadership positions, including Past-President of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology; Vice-Chair (North America and Caribbean) of the Commission for Ecosystem Management of the International Union for Conservation of Nature; and lead of the thematic group on Ecosystem Governance. 

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688- 5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock closes Spring Convocation with celebration of 100,000th graduate

  Friday, June 08, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 8 June 2018 – R00121

  It was a moment she had no idea was coming, but one that she’ll never forget.

  Rebecca Alcock, a 21-year-old from Ancaster, became Brock University’s 100,000th graduate Friday, June 8 when she received her Bachelor of Arts from the University’s Faculty of Humanities.

  Breaking from the traditional prim and proper occasion of Spring Convocation, music rang out and red confetti rained down as Alcock was hooded by Brock University President Gervan Fearon.

  “I was very shocked and nervous, but it was exciting,” she said. “I’m honoured and proud.”

  The English Language and Literature major, who plans to enrol in teacher’s college at Nipissing University this fall, called it one of many highlights of her four-year experience at Brock.

  “I think the most memorable thing is the friends I met in first year who I’ve kept throughout my experience here,” she said.

  Early on in the planning, Fearon encouraged Brock staff to make the occasion a special one for the 100,000th graduate, while recognizing the importance of the students and staff who laid the groundwork for this moment.

  “The idea of being the President of Brock for this moment is an amazing honour, but it reflects the actions and efforts of every single President up to this point,” he said.

  “It places Brock in an elite group of universities and says that as an institution, we have a wide range of individuals across Canada and around the globe who can point to Brock as being where they got their post-secondary education.”

  Brock Registrar Geraldine Jones, whose office has been tracking graduate numbers over the years, said everyone was thrilled to be involved with the celebration.

  “This is the stuff we love,” she said. “Convocation is purposefully a serious occasion, but it’s always great when we can inject a little frivolity into the medieval traditions we recognize.

  “It’s an important marker of where we’ve come and where we’re headed,” she said.

  Honorary degree for legendary St. Catharines photographer

  Edward Burtynsky has gone around the world capturing remarkable images of humanity’s impact on our planet, and he doesn’t like what he sees.

  His images appear in more than 60 major museums, including the Guggenheim, but Niagara is where the roots of his art were planted. It’s also where a large collection of his photographs can be found hanging in the Rodman Hall Art Centre.

  Burtynsky was awarded an honorary doctorate from Brock University on Friday, June 8, and told the large group of graduands from the Faculties of Humanities, and Math and Science, that Niagara was where he first became interested in industrial landscapes.

  “This region has had a profound shaping of my consciousness to go out and do the things that I’ve done,” he said, pointing to the Ontario Street General Motors plant, the Welland Canal and quarries in Port Colborne as having a big impact on his early years.

  Burtynsky went on to receive a BAA in Photography/Media Studies from Ryerson University in 1982 before launching Toronto Image Works. His images have appeared in publications such as National Geographic and the New York Times, as well as in museums around the world.

  He said he wants people to experience his art so that they can understand the impact society is having on the planet.

  “I’ve spent a great deal of time in these landscapes watching them continue to change and watching us continue to change them,” he said. “Our collective impact is inevitable. As our population booms, so does our need for resources. We’re spending the land and seas like currency and the Earth’s systems are under threat.”

  Burtynsky encouraged the graduands to do something — big or small.

  “Our planet is fragile. Now is the time to take responsibility for our actions and our future,” he said.

  He also encouraged the grads to take risks and never accept no for an answer.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases