June 6, 2022, President’s Update
Hello, Aanii, Bonjour,
I hope each of you had an opportunity this week to attend or view our convocation ceremonies, celebrating the achievements of our students from graduating classes of 2020, 2021, and of course, 2022. This week is a great reminder of our purpose in guiding students through their educational journey - it is why we are here.
This ceremony also highlights the many efforts of our faculty members and staff who have supported these students throughout their journeys. Graduates who have now become alumni are quick to credit the nurturing relationships they formed with faculty members. Each ceremony is memorable, from the husband and wife duo of Mark & Stefanie Armstrong, to the parents seeing their children in the crowd, and certainly the special moment where the Solomon-Straub family saw their fourth-generation of Laurentian graduates cross the stage. In addition, I encourage you to read more of our Graduate Spotlights, a series in which our graduating students were individually profiled.
These ceremonies have generated a special moment for our graduates and I would like to recognize the many faculty, staff, and volunteers who dedicated their time to making these ceremonies possible. Additionally, a special thank you to Dr. John Gunn and the leaders of the Environmental Sustainability Committee who graciously provided seedlings to graduates all week long. I am proud to be part of a community where faculty, staff and students wholeheartedly celebrate and support each other.
Our current students also give us many reasons to be proud, and this past weekend was a great example of this. A group of eight Mechanical Engineering students have won the internationally recognized “Over the Dusty Moon Challenge” put on by the Colorado School of Mines. The competition was judged by field experts from Lockheed Martin, ICON and NASA. Congratulations to Alexander Mackenzie, Adam Farrow, Ethan Murphy, Goran Hinic, Christian (Quade) Howald, Kevan Sullivan, Kyle Wulle, Reid Ludgate, Dr. Markus Timusk, and Greg Lakanen.
Congratulations to all of our recent graduates, we will be sure to follow your future successes closely and celebrate them at every opportunity.
Thank you, Miigwech, Merci,