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Convocation Ceremony




2012 Listing of Convocation Ceremonies (Details to follow)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Morning (9:30 a.m.)
  • Bachelor of Education - Primary / Junior
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Afternoon (2:00 p.m.)
  • Bachelor of Education - Intermediate / Senior
  • Master of Education (MEd)
  • Advanced Bachelor's Degree in Education (AdEd)
  • Advanced Bachelor's Degree in Educational Leadership (AdEdL)
  • Bachelor of Education in Extension
  • Diploma in Education
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Morning (9:30 a.m.)
  • Master of Arts in History (MA)
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) - English Studies, Geography, History, Mathematics & Psychology
  • Master of Science in Mathematics (MSc)
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc) - Mathematics & Psychology
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Afternoon (2:00 p.m.)
  • Bachelor of Education - Junior / Intermediate
    • Consecutive Junior / Intermediate (BEd)
    • Concurrent Junior / Intermediate (BEd)
    • Concurrent Primary / Junior (BEd)
Friday, June 15, 2012
Morning (9:30 a.m.)
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Environmental Geography, Gender Equality & Social Justice, Social Welfare & Sociology
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc) - Biology, Computer Science, Environmental Biology & Technology, Environmental Science & Physical Geography, Liberal Science & Environmental Geography
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN)
Friday, June 15, 2012
Afternoon (2:00 p.m.)
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Administrative Studies, Child & Family Studies, Classical Studies, Culture & the Arts, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, Native Studies, Philosophy, Political Science & Religions and Cultures
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
  • Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
  • Bachelor of Commerce (BComm)
  • Bachelor of Physical & Health Education (BPHE)

procession

Convocation ceremonies will be held in the gym in the main building. Each ceremony is 2 - 2 1/2 hours in length. Please note that our gym is now air conditioned; however, water is available for all guests.
We would appreciate if each graduating students would limit their guests to four.

Students are encouraged to check on the WebAdvisor if unsure about their first major. If there is any change to the status of your degree, please inform the Registrar's Office. Students must complete an Application for Graduation form online through WebAdvisor (Graduation Form.pdf). Application is required of all graduates whether or not they plan to attend Convocation. Forms for 2012 Convocation must be returned to the Office of the Registrar before April 2, 2012. Applications received after the deadline will be applied to the next graduation.

Students who are unable to attend the Convocation ceremony may request that their degree be conferred "in absentia". Diplomas will be mailed to those who do not attend Convocation.

Students will receive final confirmation of graduation and an Instruction Sheet from the Office of the Registrar in LATE May regarding pick up of regalia and times to line up for the Processional.

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Brantford Convocation 2012

When: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 @ 2:30 p.m.
Where: Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, 88 Dalhousie Street, Brantford, ON
www.sandersoncentre.ca

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Fall Convocation 2012

When: To be determined
Where: Nipissing Athletics Centre, 100 College Drive, North Bay, ON.
Reception to follow

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First Aid

Personnel trained in first aid procedures will be present at each Convocation ceremony (in the gym) to assist any member of the public.

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Graduation Photos

Heritage Directories and Photography will be on site during Convocation for those who missed an opportunity to have graduation portraits taken earlier in the year. Graduates can also arrange a personal photo session with a professional photographer. There is a $20 sitting fee.

Photography appointments will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. They will be located in Room A241 Wednesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Photographs with family and friends are also available.

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Honorary Degree Recipients

Nipissing University confers an honorary degree at each of its Convocation ceremonies. Nominations for honorary degree are solicited from the university-wide community and are reviewed by the Honorary Degrees Committee and candidates are approved by the Academic Senate and Board of Governors. Criteria for an honorary degree nomination includes: national stature; relevance/contribution to Nipissing University; academic background; contributions to society (regionally, provincially, nationally, internationally) and sustained contribution to scholarship.

Nipissing University offers two honorary degree designations: Doctor of Letters or Doctor of Education. Each honorary degree recipient will provide a brief Convocation address to the graduating class. A short biography of each honorary degree recipient can be found in the Convocation program.

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Hooding

hoodingstudent

As graduands enter the gym during the Processional, they carry their hoods on their arms and are officially hooded by the Dean of their Faculty when they cross the stage. The hooding itself is the ideal Kodak moment for photos. Nipissing University’s Convocation ceremonies are a blend of the formal with a unique personal ambiance. One of Nipissing’s traditions is to allow the opportunity for faculty and staff members to hood a graduate who is a relative. This practice proves to be especially meaningful for both the graduate and participant.

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Instruction Sheet / Floor Plan

Please locate your ceremony date and time to view the specific instruction sheet for your Convocation Ceremony.You will find, it includes general information on what you need to know for your graduation date.

June 13, 2012 - 9:30 a.m. Faculty of Education
June 13, 2012 - 2:00 p.m. Faculty of Education
June 14, 2012 - 2:00 p.m. Faculty of Education
June 14, 2012 - 9:30 a.m. Faculty of Arts & Science / Applied & Professional Studies
June 15, 2012 - 9:30 a.m. Faculty of Arts & Science / Applied & Professional Studies
June 15, 2012 - 2:00 p.m. Faculty of Arts & Science / Applied & Professional Studies

The Nipissing University Mace

Nipissing University’s mace is a complex mixture of artistry and power. Its presence depicts the authority vested in the university to grant degrees, yet its design signifies more than the right to certify students as knowledgeable; it incorporates all the effort, history and tradition that surround both the site of and the vision for the university.

Designed after Nipissing received its degree-granting charter on December 10, 1992, the mace masterfully pulls together the many symbolic elements important to its identity: the university’s crest, the Athenian owl pictured on the crest, the Nipissing University logo, Nipissing’s motto “Integritas” and the traditions of the Ojibwa people who have been keepers of the land on which the university stands.

The Nipissing University mace is an expression of growth and transformation within a context of harmony and equanimity with the world in which we dwell: specifically the Nipissing landscape. From the wisdom of the Anishinabek people, the mace draws the symbolism of the four orders of creation – mineral, plant, animal and human (and the gifts of the four winds):

  • the mineral elements are represented by the local red granite, gold, silver, bronze and polished stones signifying the four cardinal directions – red, yellow, white and black
  • the plant world is represented in the form of oak and maple leaves carved into the shaft of the mace
  • the animal world finds its representation in the owl
  • the human element is represented by the hands that hold the mace and the hands that crafted it

As well, in keeping with Native tradition, the mace joins mother earth and father sky as it journeys symbolically from the fragment of granite at its base, through the trees to the golden sphere of the sun and the owl of the air.

Like the institution it represents, the mace is not static; it expresses growth, movement and perpetuity. Time is asserted through the four seasons and the transformation of the oak and maple from buds, to leaves, to fuit. The movement of the eagle feathers, the beads of the “medicine wheel” and the owl poised with an ambiguous relationship to flight add to the dynamics.

The university itself is represented by the embossed silver and enameled emblem, repeated to form a band, by the four coats of arms that support the crown and by the embossed silver motto "Integritas". The mace is designed to represent that which makes Nipissing University distinct:

Dr.Chase&Mace


Harmony

Growth

Perpetuity

(designed by Jean Laroque)




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Picture Taking

Information sheets will be distributed to the audience to provide recommendations on the best opportunities for taking pictures. These guidelines will be shared verbally by the President during the welcoming remarks. Friends and family members are advised to approach the stage using the centre aisle, take the photograph when their graduate is being hooded by the Dean, and proceed back to their seat using the far left aisle.

Graduates will approach the stage in groups of 10; please refer to the program to know when your graduate is expected to appear before the Reader. The Reader will announce the graduate’s name; he/she will proceed onto the stage to be hooded by the Dean and congratulated by the Chancellor and the President (in that order).

To facilitate picture taking and avoid congestion, friends and family are asked to wait until their graduate is in line to approach the Reader before they come forward to take a picture.

Please bring only hand-held cameras (no tripods) into the gym.

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Webcast

Friends and family who are unable to attend the North Bay Convocation ceremony in person can view a webcast of the event. Live webcasts of the event and archives of those webcasts can be found below:

Spring Convocation Webcast | Fall Convocation Webcast

Please note: participants in the North Bay Convocation are consenting to Nipissing University recording, altering, broadcasting, reproducing and using their visual and/or aural likeness from any still images, video recordings and/or audio recordings, in any medium, for any purpose, for perpetuity. Nipissing University is the copyright owner of the recorded materials, and reserves all rights.

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Processional / Recessional

The Processional is led by the Marshal who carries the mace. The graduands are first in line in the Processional that begins at the front doors of the Student Centre, leads down the path to the door on the far left-hand side of The Education Centre gym, enters the gym door and proceeds down the centre aisle. The Assistant Marshal assists the graduands in seating. The faculty members follow the graduands and pause at the middle aisle until the graduands have entered their designated seating area. Faculty proceed to their seating area located at the left-hand side of the stage. The Processional continues with members of the platform party, including the President, Chancellor, Dean, Honorary Degree Recipient, and Board representative who take their respective places on stage. All participants and members of the audience will remain standing until singing of the National Anthem and the Invocation have concluded.

When the ceremony is completed, the Recessional starts on cue from the Marshal. A Recesional march will be played. The audience will rise and remain standing while the Recessional departs. The platform guests will exit the stage area, followed by the faculty, then, lastly, the graduates. Music will continue to be played until the last graduate exits the gym. The Assistant Marshal assists the graduates during the Recessional. The Marshal leads the graduates out of the gym using the door at the far right, immediately turns left, proceeds down the corridor of classrooms, curving past the Geography wing and entering the back entance of the main cafeteria. All guests are asked to meet the graduates at the reception in the main cafeteria immediately following Convocation.

  • Students
    line up for the Processional (in the Student Centre Hallway) 45 minutes before the start of the Convocation ceremony.
  • Faculty
    line up for the Processional (in the F wing foyer outside the Registrar’s office) ½ hour before the start of the Convocation ceremony.
  • Platform Guests
    to be determined

Students will receive a pre-printed card when they line up in the Student Centre Hallway. (location still to be determined for student line up)

Education students will line up according to Section (e.g., Primary/Junior, Sections 1-7) and by the number indicated on the name card. Arts, Science, and Professional degree students will be lined up by degree program (e.g., BBA, BSc, BA) and by the number indicated on the card. Students will line up in pairs. More detailed instructions will be provided upon arrival. Students may highlight on the card any unusual pronunciation of their name (indicate phonetic spelling). Students should ensure that the Reader knows how to pronounce their name, before presenting their card to the Reader.

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Programs

Convocation programs are handed out to family and guests at the entrance to the gym for each respective Convocation ceremony. Graduates will receive a copy of the program at a separate time. Faculty and platform guests will find their programs placed on their seats.

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Reception

Following each ceremony, a reception for graduates and their guests will be held in the small gymnasium. The graduates will participate in the Recessional and, thereafter, meet their guests there. Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

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Seating

Special seating is reserved for graduates on the right side of the gym. The first four rows on the left side of the gym (facing the stage) are reserved for members of the Board of Governors, family members of the honorary degree recipients and other special guests. The audience is advised to arrive 45 minutes prior to the ceremony for best seating.

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Special Needs

In order to accommodate all special needs, please advise the Student Development office, in advance, if a wheelchair is required. Also, please notify the university if you are planning to bring either a stroller or wheelchair so that extra seating space can be arranged prior to the Convocation ceremony. Please contact Daralynn D’Angelo at 474-3450, ext. 4235.

Both the women’s and men’s change rooms in the hallway adjacent to the gym will be open during the Convocation ceremonies and available to parents who would like to use the room for any reason. Baby change stations are provided in these washrooms as well as the women’s and men’s washrooms located on the lower level, next to the main cafeteria.

Washrooms are located in:

  • the hallway next to the gym
  • in the F wing Foyer near the Registrar’s office
  • adjacent to the Library and to the main cafeteria
  • and also on the first, second and third floor levels

Personnel trained in first aid procedures will be present at each Convocation ceremony (in the gym) to assist any member of the public. Staff members from Special Needs will be available in the gym at each Convocation ceremony to offer assistance.

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Nipissing University
100 College Drive, Box 5002
North Bay, ON, Canada
P1B 8L7
Tel: 705.474.3450
TTY: 877.688.5507
Brantford Campus
50 Wellington St.
Brantford, ON, Canada
N3T 2L6
Tel: 519.752.1524
Muskoka Campus
125 Wellington Street
Bracebridge, ON, Canada
P1L 1E2
Tel: 705.645.2921
 

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