Page 4Newsletter TitleMichael Grand’s Convocation AddressAlistair Summerlee (President) , MichaelGrand, Maureen Mancuso (Provost), KerryMr. Vice Chancellor, graduate class, parents,family and friends:To begin, I would like to thank Dean Daly forinviting me to address the graduating class.When I asked Dean Daly whether there wereany rules for framing my comments he saidthere were only two: Don’t talk about your researchAND don’t speak for more than fiveminutes.To ask an academic to not speak about one’sintellectual passions, and to be brief, no less, areindeed cruel and unusual punishments. Nevertheless,in the spirit <strong>of</strong> this occasion, I will giveit a try.A formal university education is directed towardsthe mastery <strong>of</strong> several disciplinary subjects,the integration and analysis <strong>of</strong> this material,the ability to communicate, and to do all <strong>of</strong>this while under the pressure <strong>of</strong> evaluation. Asyou are about to receive your degrees, clearly,you have accomplished these tasks. I suspect,however, for many <strong>of</strong> you, a few months fromnow, the formal content <strong>of</strong> your courses will be adistant memory. If this is so, then why have youexpended such efforts to arrive at this station inyour life? Was your university education simplyan expensive interlude between adolescence andadulthood?I would suggest that it is not the explicit aspects<strong>of</strong> your education, but the implicit ones, whichreflect the most valuable and enduring part <strong>of</strong>your time at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Guelph</strong>.So, let me give you my wish list for what I hopeyou have learned from your experiences in theclassroom, laboratory, library, and yes, even theBrass Taps and the Bullring, the UC and theAthletic Centre:I hope that you have learned to be able to challengethe contextual meaning <strong>of</strong> information.Knowledge is neither neutral nor wholly objective.It is always value laden, as meaning is onlyunderstood within the context in which it isgenerated. Today, with such easy access to information,we rarely take the time to considerthe contextual meaning <strong>of</strong> these facts. We have aresponsibility to slow down this process in orderto fully appreciate who generated this informationand whose interests are being served bythe form in which such information is presented.I hope you have learned to be able to articulate athoughtful and principled perspective. You havelearned much. You must continue to share yourunderstandings. Of particular concern for me isthe drift in our culture towards a style <strong>of</strong> discoursethat is based on divisiveness and disparagementrather than a thoughtful engagementwith the challenges <strong>of</strong> our country. What isimportant is not just what we say, but how wesay it.I hope you have learned to demonstrate respectfor others. The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Guelph</strong> is movingtowards the creation <strong>of</strong> a School for Civil Society.It could not have come at a more auspiciousmoment in our history. The demographics <strong>of</strong>Canada are changing dramatically. We have themost diverse population in the world. We bringdifferent cultural understandings to our encounters.We do not always share a common means<strong>of</strong> talking to each other. You are about to leave acommunity that honors the opportunity to civillydisagree with each other without belittlingthose who hold contrary views. It is my wishthat you will carry this respectful style into yourfuture lives.I hope you have learned to be a risk taker, tostrike out from the crowd, to go to those placeswhere the outcome is uncertain. Don’t worryparents, I am not asking that your sons anddaughters put their lives in danger, but to pushbeyond their comfort zone in order to find outwhat they are truly capable <strong>of</strong> being.I hope you have learned to be able to see opportunityin life’s disappointments. One <strong>of</strong> the fewthings that I can guarantee is that life will notalways go as you had hoped it would...but whenthis happens, we are also presented with thechance to re-evaluate where we have been headingand what we really wish to be doing. If youcan think <strong>of</strong> disappointment not as loss but anopportunity for time-out and self reflection, youwill have gained much.I hope you are aware <strong>of</strong> the privilege and theresponsibilities that accompany your formaleducation. In truth, very few in our society havehad the opportunity to spend a prolonged period<strong>of</strong> time encountering pr<strong>of</strong>ound and excitingideas. You have been asked to work on the leadingedge <strong>of</strong> emerging culture, generated throughuniversity research and teaching. The challengefor you is whether you are willing to leave this<strong>University</strong> with a commitment to be a goodcitizen, one who will carry on this task <strong>of</strong> generatingculture: to not accept what is given but toalways ask what is possible and then to reachwell beyond your grasp.And this is where I am going to break DeanDaly’s rules about a convocation address. Manyyears ago, a young graduate student came to meand asked that I supervise her thesis. It was tobe one on search and reunion in adoption. I declinedas I knew almost nothing <strong>of</strong> the topic, butshe persisted and once I started reading theliterature, I realized that she had set me on a lifetrajectory. Together, we published her resultsand the article is <strong>of</strong>ten cited in the literature.What is <strong>of</strong> more importance is that we took theresults to the street. After 25 years <strong>of</strong> politicalactivism, 90% <strong>of</strong> adult adoptees and their birthparents have the legal right to obtain identifyinginformation about their kin. Our research gaveus the legitimacy to help pry open sealed recordsacross this country. For me, academic freedomdoes not just mean that we have the opportunityto explore any topic we wish, but with it comesthe responsibility to make Canada a better society.Finally, I hope that you are ready to make acommitment to something, particularly a commitmentto community. Viktor Frankl, aViennese psychiatrist, who barely survived theAuschwitz death camp wrote “Ever more people,today, have the means to live, but no meaning tolive for.” It is my wish for you that your time atthe <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Guelph</strong> has helped you to setgoals and direction in your life. The path youtake will not be our path, and this is exactly as itshould be. What is important is that you buildmeaning into your lives and the lives that youwill touch. I wish you courage and fulfillment asyou continue your life’s journey. Congratulationsfor all that you have accomplished!
Volume 4, <strong>Issue</strong> 1Page 5Doctoral Graduates June andOctober Convocations 2012Above: Cailey Hartwick, Ph.D., with her two <strong>of</strong> her mentorsMichael Grand and Eileen GrossTop Left : Michael Grand with his student K<strong>of</strong>i-Len Belfon Ph.D.Bottom: Left: Pamela Taylor M.A . with supervisor MichaelWelcome to the Pr<strong>of</strong>ession!REGISTRATION as PSYCHOLOGIST with College <strong>of</strong> Psychologists <strong>of</strong> OntarioKate Spere (’10), Melissa Wells-Cave (’10), Alexandra Gousse (’11), Jacqueline Roche (’11), Nora Klemencic(’11), in December 2012 and Gillian Stanley (‘11) and Meghan McMurtry (faculty) in June 2012REGISTRATION as PSYCHOLOGIICAL ASSOCIIATE with College <strong>of</strong> Psychologists <strong>of</strong> OntarioTamara Burnie (’92), in October 2012; and Richard Hauer (‘89) in October 2011WEDDINGSTop: Gillian Stanley (’11) and Mark CoatesLeft: Bronwen Davis (PhD candidate) and Zachary Wolochatiuk February 2012
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