Media releases

• Brock President to announce Caribbean student scholarship in St. Catharines’ twin city, Port of Spain

  Thursday, May 17, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 17 May 2018 – R00108

  Brock University President Gervan Fearon will travel to the Caribbean May 19 to 23 to meet with institutional partners and alumni and to announce new funding for international students.

  The five-day trip to the nations of Antigua, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada will be highlighted by a Wednesday, May 23 reception in Trinidad’s Port of Spain, which became the twin city to Brock’s hometown of St. Catharines, Canada in 1968. The two cities have similar population sizes, are each home to a university, are surrounded by agriculture and house chapters from many of the same service clubs.

  “The City of St. Catharines has long held a special partnership with Port of Spain and the country of Trinidad and Tobago,” said Gervan Fearon, President of Brock University in Ontario, Canada. “We want to continue that partnership by helping students from across all Caribbean nations experience post-secondary education in the Niagara region.”

  At the May 23 reception, being held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Fearon will officially announce the Caribbean International Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to two students from a Caribbean nation choosing Brock University for their post-secondary education. The $4,000 per student entrance award will be given out annually starting in 2019 based on academic merit and financial need.

  “Brock is proud to be home to nearly 2,000 students from more than 100 countries,” said James Mandigo, Vice-Provost, Enrolment Management and International, who will accompany Fearon on the journey. “We believe that this new scholarship will help open the doors to international post-secondary education to students who may not otherwise have that opportunity.”

  The new Caribbean scholarship will be part of a growing roster of financial awards available to international undergraduate and graduate students who chose Brock. Earlier this year, the University announced a plan to cover tuition for international PhD students.

  Ana Ferreira, a first-year Brock Kinesiology student from Port of Spain, said this will add to the “superior scholarships available for international students.”

  “Once I experienced the Brock University campus first-hand, I was sold. The campus is very inviting and features a beautiful natural landscape, making it the perfect backdrop to complete my studies,” she said.

  What: Announcement of Caribbean International Scholarship

  Who: Brock University President Gervan Fearon and Vice-Provost, Enrolment Management and International, James Mandigo

  Where: Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Regency Room, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

  When: Wednesday, May 23, 6:45 to 8 p.m.

  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

• Brock set to host Canadian Fencing National Championships

  Tuesday, May 15, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 15 May 2018 – R00106

  More than 1,000 of the top fencing athletes in the country will descend on Brock University this week as the Canadian Fencing National Championships come to Niagara for the first time.

  Brock Fencing is hosting the Canadian Fencing Federation competition Friday, May 18 to Monday, May 21, where national champions will be decided in some four dozen categories, from under-15 to 40+ veterans and the national university championships.

  The championships have become the most important event on the Canadian fencing calendar, with the national teams to be decided, where athletes representing Canada at the World Championships and Olympics are selected from.

  The event will take over Brock University throughout the Victoria Day weekend with competition taking place from 8 a.m. Friday until Monday afternoon in both Ian Beddis and Bob Davis gymnasiums. In addition, hundreds of athletes and coaches are staying in the Brock residences, and a two-day coaching clinic will be held on campus May 22 and 23.

  “This event is a huge win from the perspective of all the University units working together to facilitate this hosting experience,” said Brock Fencing coach Tim Stang.

  He said more than half of the athletes are of the age where they’re considering their post-secondary education options.

  “This event will serve as a great tool to show what Niagara and Brock have to offer and what our varsity and club fencing teams can do. It’s a fantastic recruiting tool,” Stang said. “Our target is to get kids to come to Brock. It’s not just the individuals who want to come here for fencing, but it’s their brothers and sisters and extended family members. As beautiful as the campus is, they come here and fall in love with it.”

  In addition to a variety of age and gender divisions, athletes will compete in the three fencing disciplines including foil, epee and sabre.

  Each day will see preliminary rounds start at 8 a.m. with the finals beginning at 1 p.m. The university championships will be held Monday, when Stang believes the Brock Badgers have a legitimate shot at a couple of medals with Beamsville’s Malcolm McLeod, the reigning university men’s foil champion, and freshman Aaron Olmstead, who medalled in the provincial championships. Brock has 14 athletes competing with another seven competing from the Brock Academy club team, including the top-ranked under-15 sabre athlete in Canada, Pranav Parakh and top-ranked under-15 foil athlete Darren Dong.

  The Canadian Fencing National Championships are free to attend. For more information and a full schedule, visit fencing.ca

  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

  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