Loyalist College will hold its 2008 Convocation ceremonies on Thursday, June 12 and Friday, June 13. As the College celebrates its 40th Anniversary, distinguished guest speakers for the ceremonies include: The Honourable William G. Davis, former Premier of Ontario; Graeme McRae, President and CEO of Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.; and Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario.
On Thursday, June 12, the 10:00 a.m. ceremony will honour graduates in the Schools of Health Sciences and Human Studies. The guest speaker will be The Honourable William G. Davis, who served as a Member of the Ontario Legislature from 1959 until 1985 and was Premier of Ontario from 1971 until 1985. In 1962, he was appointed Education Minister. During the mid-eighties, Mr. Davis served as Canada’s Special Envoy on Acid Rain. This assignment resulted in a report that represented significant progress concerning this environmental issue. In 1986, he was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada and in 1987 Mr. Davis was invested with the Order of Ontario.
On Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., graduating students in the Schools of Biosciences, Business and Management Studies and the Centre for Justice Studies will hear an address by founder of Vetrepharm Animal Health and Bioniche Inc., Graeme McRae. Born in Australia, Mr. McRae has had a diverse career within the pharmaceutical industry in Australia and Canada. Bioniche Inc. was founded in 1992 by Mr. McRae to develop Vetrepharm’s technologies for human health applications.
The third Convocation ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 13, for graduating students in the Schools of Media Studies and Computing, Architecture and Building Sciences, and Continuing Education and Skills. 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 in Prince Edward County. 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.
Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332; e-mail: mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca.