Convocation 2004 at Algoma

June 3, 2004 - Algoma University College is preparing for the 2004 Convocation Ceremony being held on campus Saturday, June 12, 2004 at 2 p.m. Algoma U will be graduating 155 students. Algoma University College is proud to have now graduated 4,011 students since its inception in 1967. This year’s Convocation is like no other.

As well as honouring this year’s graduates, the ceremony will include the presentation of the Algoma University College’s Honourary Degree Recipient and Honourary Member.

The day’s events will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:00 a.m. to mark the official reopening of the historic Manse, which has been vacant since 1974. The Manse, or Principal’s Residence, has undergone a $200,000 renovation, financed by the Shingwauk Education Trust. The reopening of the Manse as the "Shingwauk University Centre of Excellence" signifies the renewed efforts of local First Nations and Aboriginal communities to work in partnership with Algoma University College to make post- secondary education accessible in a meaningful way. This historic occasion marks the reclaiming and modernization of Chief Shingwauk’s vision.

In attendance for the ribbon- cutting ceremony will be The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Assembly of First Nations, National Chief Phil Fontaine, First Nations Ontario Regional Chief Charles Fox, Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Earl Commanda, as well as many Sault Ste. Marie dignitaries.

In addition, The Department of Canadian Heritage, under the Museums Assistance Program has announced the granting of $50,000 to Algoma University College in support of "The Shingwauk Preservation" project. This project is not only important to the university community and the Sault Ste. Marie community but to the Aboriginal communities in the Great Lakes region. The preservation, protection and sharing of this important part of our heritage will enrich future generations. The Shingwauk Collection consists of historical documents, photographs, art, Aboriginal artifacts, videos and records of the former Shingwauk Residential School. The Shingwauk Collection also contains important regional historical documents. This new funding will allow Algoma University College and the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association to retain the services of Museum Preservation/Assessor Specialists, Researchers, Cultural and Language Translators, while strengthening and preserving Aboriginal Heritage.

Later that afternoon, Lt. Governor James Bartleman will be presented with Algoma University College’s Honourary Degree (Doctor of Laws).

The Honourable James Karl Bartleman was sworn in as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on 7 March 2002. He is the province’s 41st vice-regal representative since John Graves Simcoe’s arrival in Upper Canada in 1792.

His Honour has identified three key priorities for his mandate: to reduce the stigma of mental illness, to fight racism and discrimination, and to encourage Aboriginal young people. He launched The Lieutenant Governor’s Book Program in 2004, which collected over 1.2 million used books, donated by generous Ontarians, to stock school libraries in First Nations communities in Northern Ontario.

Upon his installation as Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Bartleman became Chancellor and a member of the Order of Ontario. He was promoted to Knight of Justice in the Order of St John in 2002, and received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for public service in 1999. His Honour received the Dr Hugh Lefave Award (2003) and the Courage to Come Back Award (2004) for his efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness. In 2004 he also received the Phi Delta Kappa Educator of the Year Award in recognition of The Lieutenant Governor’s Book Program and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International District 7090. Mr. Bartleman serves as Visitor to the University of Western Ontario, and has received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Western Ontario (2002), York University (2003), and Algoma University College (2004). He is Honorary Patron to about 90 organizations.

Mr. Bartleman’s first book, Out of Muskoka, was published by Penumbra Press in October 2002. This memoir of his early life won the Ontario Historical Society’s Joseph Brant Award in 2003, presented for the best book on multicultural history published in the past three years. Mr. Bartleman has donated all royalties to the scholarship fund of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.

His Honour’s second book, On Six Continents, was published by McClelland & Stewart in March 2004. A vivid description of an adventurous life in Canada’s Foreign Service, the book chronicles postings, which took Mr. Bartleman around the world. Royalties are being donated to the Munk Centre for International Studies at University of Toronto, to fund the Lieutenant Governor’s Lecture Series on Shared Citizenship and mental health.

Mr. Bartleman had a distinguished career of more than 35 years in the Canadian Foreign Service. He was Canada’s Ambassador to the European Union from 2000 to 2002. He served as High Commissioner to Australia in 1999-2000 and to South Africa in 1998-1999. From 1994 to 1998, Mr. Bartleman was Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Foreign and Defense Policy, Privy Council Office. He was Ambassador to the North Atlantic Council of NATO from 1990 to 1994, Ambassador to Israel and High Commissioner to Cyprus from 1986 to 1990, and Ambassador to Cuba from 1981 to 1983. Mr. Bartleman opened Canada’s first diplomatic mission in the newly independent People’s Republic of Bangladesh in 1972, and served in senior positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade from 1967.

This year, the Algoma University College Senate’s Honourary Member of Algoma University College Award is being given to Mr. Gerry McGuire.

Mr. McGuire is the past President of Sault College and promoted and supported Bridge for many years, opening the door for inter-institutional collaboration in Fine Arts, which has resulted in a flourishing Algoma U degree program.

Mr. McGuire is now leading the Quality Communities Initiative for Sault Ste. Marie of which Algoma U is an active participant. In this and through numerous other activities, Mr. McGuire remains a very engaged and positive member in our community making it a better place to live, work and play.