Ten thousand graduates, lined up shoulder to shoulder.
Might be enough to line the entire stretch of University Way.
Sometime today during the 20th UNBC convocation ceremonies at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre, the 10,000th graduate will take that walk across the stage to be presented a diploma.
By the end of convocation ceremonies, which are also scheduled next week at UNBC's regional campuses in Terrace, Quesnel, Fort St. John and Gitwinksihlkw (formerly Canyon City, in the Nass Valley northwest of Terrace), a total of 10,363 students will have earned at least a certificate, degree or doctorate from UNBC programs.
"It's exciting to celebrate our 10,000-plus graduates as we look forward to our 25th anniversary in 2015," said UNBC president George Iwama. "Looking at the list of our graduates, we see the future of our communities: the engineers, scientists, teachers, entrepreneurs, administrators, parents and leaders who will help sustain northern communities and improve the world."
Students began attending UNBC in August 1992 and the Cranbrook Hill campus opened two years later. Starting with the first convocation in 1994, UNBC has handed out more than 3,000 bachelor of science degrees, 2,000 bachelor of arts degrees, and has helped educate more than 1,000 nurses in northern B.C. Including the class of 2013, UNBC has issued 9,255 bachelor's degrees and 1,654 graduate degrees.
More than 700 graduates who attended the Prince George campus will take part in today's two convocation events, at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
In the afternoon ceremony, UNBC will hand out honourary degrees to Romeo Dallaire, the retired Canadian Army Lieutenant-General who commanded UN forces in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, and to Graham Hingangaroa Smith, a New Zealand professor known for his work in creating alternative education programs geared toward the Maori aboriginal people of his country.
Cherisse Seaton, a PhD student in psychology, will receive the Governor-General's gold medal for her graduate studies achievements (see related story), while commerce student Colin Castley will receive the Governor-General's silver medal as UNBC's top undergraduate.
University achievement awards will be presented tin the following categories: professional practice, mentorship or stewardship (Michael Gillingham, Jianbing Li, and Linda O'Neill); service to community and profession (Annie Booth, Henry Harder, Chris Johnson and Andrew Kitchenham); student-nominated awards for exceptional teaching (John Sherry, Tracy Summerville, Andrea Gorrell, Sean Maurice, and Hiroe Wood); exceptional research and scholarship (Alex Aravind, Chris Johnson, Matias Margulis, and Hughes Masicotte).
