More than 1400 new graduates will be recognized at Conestoga’s Fall 2015 convocation ceremonies be held on Saturday, October 31 at Bingeman’s Conference Centre in Kitchener. In conjunction with the ceremony, President John Tibbits will present a number of College-wide honours.
The 10:00 a.m. ceremony will recognize more than 700 graduates from Conestoga’s Business & Hospitality, Continuing Education, Health & Life Sciences and Community Services, Liberal Studies and Media & Design programs. Three special awards will be presented at the ceremony.
The Governor General’s Medal is awarded to the graduating student who achieves the highest composite academic grade average for all courses in a diploma program. This year’s award will be presented to Amanda Fox of Guelph, who completed the Health Office Administration diploma program in Spring 2015, earning straight A+ grades in every course through two years of study, resulting in a final average of 97.7 per cent. She is currently employed at Grand River Hospital.
The President’s Scholar Award will be presented to Ashlyn Ricker of Kitchener. This award recognizes the graduating student from a four-year degree program who achieves the highest composite academic average for all courses. Ricker completed the Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Audit and Information Technology in Spring 2015, graduating with an overall average of 91.4 per cent, higher than that of any other Conestoga degree graduate in 2015.
Dr. Stephen Hummel, faculty member in the School of Business & Hospitality, will be presented with the Aubrey Hagar Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes a faculty member for outstanding contributions and leadership in the teaching and learning process. Dr. Hummel joined Conestoga in 2006 after more than 30 years as an innovator and leader in the business community. His continued involvement in several companies and boards of directors helps ensure that the experience he brings to the classroom remains relevant to today’s business needs.
Colleagues describe Hummel as an exemplary educator and mentor. Current and former cite his passion, innovation, creativity and commitment to student success, and explain that he consistently challenges his students to be the best they can be.
The 2:00 p.m. ceremony will recognize approximately 700 new graduates from Engineering, Information Technology and Trades & Apprenticeship programs.
During the ceremony, Jordan Gage, a graduate of the Woodworking Technology co-op program, will be presented with the Conestoga College Mastercraft Award, which recognizes excellence in program-related technical skills. For his award-winning project, Gage built an acoustic guitar that featured intricate inlay work and incorporated several different wood species, including spruce, African ebony, curly maple, rosewood and mahogany.
Gage, a Kitchener native, is currently enrolled in Conestoga’s Small Business Ventures program. He hopes to use the skills and knowledge he gains to help him launch his own custom guitar building business.
For more information, including a full ceremony schedule, visit the Convocation website.