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Convocation Draws to a Close With Guest Speaker Linda Franklin

June 13, 2008

The third Loyalist College Convocation ceremony for 2008 was held on Friday, June 13, for 776 graduating students in the Schools of Media Studies and Computing, Architecture and Building Sciences, and Continuing Education and Skills. The ceremony’s guest speaker was veteran advocacy and communications specialist, Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario. Linda Franklin joined Colleges Ontario in 2007 after serving as President of the Wine Council of Ontario for 13 years. Her accomplishments in this position were reflected in the growth of Ontario’s wine industry, including the Prince Edward County region. In 2005, Ms. Franklin was named Niagara’s Business Person of the Year and she was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee medal for her contributions to the advancement of the Ontario wine industry.

“To today’s graduating class, I would ask that – throughout your life – you continue to follow the Loyalist example and be Ontario leaders,” said Linda Franklin. “In our personal and professional lives, the pace of change is astonishing, and no generation has ever been better equipped to ride that wave of change than yours. Your generation has embraced change and technological advancement in ways that no generation before you ever has, and I can’t wait to see where you take us from here. And your college education will equip you to embrace learning throughout your career – an ability that will be critical to success in the future.”

“As you think about the future, I would urge you in your careers, as you have done in your education, to always stretch yourselves – never be satisfied with what you have achieved, but rather always be looking forward to the next challenge.”

Linda Franklin was presented with an honorary diploma by Bob Cottrell, Chair of the Loyalist College Board of Governors, in recognition of her outstanding contributions as a leader and an advocate for the Ontario college system and her distinguished career in the public sector, Ontario’s wine industry and education sector.

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Media Contact:  Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332; e-mail:  mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca

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