2,834 students make the grad

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/06/2011 (5228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maureen Flaherty noticed something odd in Ukraine, where she was part of a University of Manitoba project to establish a faculty of social work — the women she met didn’t talk about their personal histories.

It was the mindset necessary to have survived Soviet rule. “It was not safe to say anything to anybody,” said Flaherty.

Flaherty is one of 2,834 graduates at this week’s 132nd annual U of M spring convocation, the second-largest graduating class in the past decade.

When Flaherty subsequently enrolled in the recently established PhD program in peace and conflict studies at the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice at St. Paul’s College, she decided to return to Ukraine to talk to some of those women.

Now Flaherty is the first graduate of that doctoral program.

Her thesis, Narrating the Past to Vision the Future: Constructing Civil Society with Women in Ukraine, arose from lengthy talks with two groups of women, one pro-West, the other pro-Soviet, who eventually came together to work for Ukraine’s future.

“They talked about the work they’d be able to do together,” said Flaherty, who’s a sessional lecturer.

“The women told stories about themselves they’d never told before,” Flaherty said. “All of them said that no one had ever asked them to talk about their personal lives before.

“I had a Russian-Ukrainian translator — this woman was an incredible translator,” Flaherty said.

— — —

The Hacault family has this thing about the U of M.

Three of them are graduating at this year’s convocation, all on their second degrees, and the other two family members are enrolled.

“They (the university) get a fair bit of support from us,” Marcel Hacault said with a laugh from their home near Niverville. “Our family believes in lifelong learning. It’s more for personal growth, first and foremost.”

There are Marcel, wife Georgina Dyck-Hacault, daughter Anise Hacault, daughter Anastasie Hacault, and son Yves Hacault.

Marcel is receiving his MBA. A former farmer who’s now the executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, Hacault got his undergraduate degree in plant sciences.

His daughters have earned master’s degrees in agricultural economics, and the two, both grads of École Communautaire Réal-Bérard in St. Pierre-Jolys, work for agricultural organizations.

Dyck-Hacault is a teacher at La Barriere Crossing School in St. Norbert, who’s enrolled in a master’s course in education administration. And son Yves, a grad of Niverville Collegiate, is in University 1 at the U of M.

While some of his relatives went to St. Boniface University, it’s strictly the U of M for the Hacault family, Marcel said with a chuckle.

“Agriculture is recognized as a strong faculty at U of M — there’s really no other choice in Manitoba.”

This may be — maybe — his last course. “This MBA tapped me out — it took six years,” he said.

— — —

Well, OK, sailing the Arctic on the Canadian icebreaker was pretty nifty for future weatherman Chris Stammers, but nothing about his U of M experience topped chasing tornadoes in Kansas in the summer of 2009.

“That was one of the really neat experiences,” said Stammers, graduating in physical geography.

“It’s specializing in atmospheric science. I was interested in weather from a very early age,” he said.

The U of M storm chasers never did catch a tornado two summers ago, but bad weather, oh yes, definitely bad weather, enormous hail and winds that moved their car.

“It’s pretty intense. Obviously, safety is our greatest concern,” Stammers said.

The graduate of Murdoch MacKay Collegiate chose not to leave the province to take meteorology — Environment Canada recognizes physical geography as a prerequisite for becoming a meteorologist, he said.

The military, hydro, and TV weather channels are among possible employers, but, “I’m hoping eventually to become a meteorologist with Environment Canada,” Stammers said.

Stammers is also a longtime hockey official, running the clock and keeping score at high-level hockey games up to junior level.

This last semester has been tragic — his father, Ken Stammers, was killed by a snowmobile near their Transcona home this winter.

“It certainly posed a challenge” to finishing his degree, Stammers said slowly. “It was my last semester there. He’d want me to continue and to do well.”

— — —

Like Flaherty, Danny Malcolmson is one of the first grads at the U of M in his program.

Malcolmson and his classmates will be capped and gowned when they receive special certificates at Thursday morning’s convocation ceremonies, the first grads of the Campus Life program designed to give special-needs students a university experience.

A graduate of Glenlawn Collegiate, Malcolmson has been attending classes and labs at U of M for several years.

“We took ecology and anthropology, biology lab, astronomy class. We took film,” said Malcolmson, who also graduated from a daycare assistant course at Red River College.

His mother, Colleen O’Morrow, said professors met regularly with her son, and the U of M asked for volunteer note-takers to help Campus Life students. The notes would go to teaching assistants, who would tailor the notes and design projects based on the student’s learning abilities.

“It’s exciting that it’s being formally recognized by the university. It’s sending out a great message,” O’Morrow said. “Two professors gave him letters of reference about his work ethic and reliability.”

The program allowed Malcolmson to go to university with his peer group, while learning life skills, she said. Campus Life helped other students understand people with disabilities, O’Morrow said.

Malcolmson said he takes transit to campus and to his jobs, including working for the provincial Department of Labour downtown and at a daycare. “I’m working at Boston Pizza. I’m in the kitchen,” he said with pride.

“The biggest thing is acceptance — us learning from people like Danny,” beamed his mom.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

HONORARY DEGREES

Izzeldin Abuelaish lost his three daughters Jan. 16, 2009 when Israeli tank shells shattered his house in Gaza, but the tragedy did not harden his heart nor weaken his resolve to act for humanity. His book I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey describes his belief that knowledge creation crosses discipline boundaries and paves the way for inter-professional affiliations. He believes health care is an engine for the journey to peace. He has established many university and community partnerships to advance research and practice in obstetrics and gynecology, reproductive health, women’s health, and HIV/AIDS. Abuelaish was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

 Claude Bernier was born in Saint-Boniface in 1931. He graduated from U of M and joined the department of plant science in 1965. Bernier contributed as a consultant to many programs in developing countries, particularly in the north of Africa, and was consultant for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). He also led research projects in, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

 Stuart George Clark graduated in 1976 from U of M and has worked starting, financing and piloting several companies to achieve extraordinary business success. In 2001, remaining a director of Storm Ventures International, he left full time employment to pursue a number of business, personal, and philanthropic interests. He is a member of the board of advisors of the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship.

 Catherine (Kiki) Delaney is one of the University of Manitoba’s most accomplished graduates, being president of C.A. Delaney Capital Management Limited, where she oversees a portfolio of $1 billion. She was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2006 and was named to the 2009 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by the Women’s Executive Network.

 Gary Filmon was Manitoba’s 19th premier, possibly best known for his steady leadership during the Flood of the Century in 1997 and the worst forest fires of the century in 1989. A two-time graduate of U of M, Filmon has been recognized with both the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada.

 Janice Filmon is on the board of the University of Manitoba Foundation and is past president of its Alumni Association. She serves on the boards of the Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation and the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. The Janice C. Filmon Award for Leadership in Cancer Care in Manitoba was created in her honour.

 Philip S. Lee is Manitoba’s 24th Lieutenant Governor. He has a distinguished record of leadership within Winnipeg’s Chinese- Canadian community. Lee came to Canada in 1962 to further his education at U of M. Lee was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1999, and became a member and the Chancellor of the Order of Manitoba on Aug. 4, 2009.

 Dr. Allan Ronald, one of our nation’s foremost physicians and microbiologists, helped establish in Canada a clinical specialty in infectious diseases. In 1979, he was invited to coordinate a research training centre in Nairobi, Kenya, where he and other members of the Faculty of Medicine have significantly advanced HIV/AIDS prevention programs and the understanding of HIV transmission. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Officer of the Order of Canada.

 Terry Sargeant served in Parliament from 1979 to 1984 representing Selkirk-Interlake, later serving as a senior official in the governments in Manitoba, the Yukon, and British Columbia. He distinguished himself during his nine years as a member of the University of Manitoba Board of Governors, with four years as chair.

 TEACHING AWARDS

Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Saunderson Award for Excellence in Teaching:

Statistics Prof. Saumen Mandal holds office hours on Sunday if his students have an exam Monday. His research interests include optimal regression design, constrained optimization and estimation theory.

Sociology Prof. Rodney Kueneman joined U of M faculty in 1975 but he also taught in communities such as Pinawa, Steinbach, and Stony Mountain Penitentiary. An inspiring teacher who challenges the preconceived views of his students, Kueneman is recognized by his students for his enthusiasm, creative teaching style, and dedication — his students say he lacks arrogance and can take material one is uninterested in and transform it into something the student wants to keep learning about.

 Olive Beatrice Stanton Award for Excellence in Teaching:

Business administration Prof. Howard Harmatz was a child care worker on Vancouver island in 1970 when he began substitute teaching for the local school division. One year later he arrived at U of M, and taught principles of economics, remaining there ever since.

 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD:

Dedicated to the growth and promotion of Manitoba’s farms, Ted Bailey has been particularly influential in the success of the province’s egg industry, since graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at U of M in 1966. He became co-owner of Riverbend Feed Mill Ltd., the largest feed and service provider to the province’s egg industry. Under his leadership, a group of tireless volunteers raised $8.3 million towards the construction and endowment funds for two major faculty initiatives: the National Centre for Livestock and Environment (a research station that studies the long term economic and environmental sustainability of integrated livestock and crop production systems) and the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre, an innovative new agricultural education facility.

 CHANCELLOR’S AWARD:

Richard Lobdell is this year’s recipient of the Peter D. Curry Chancellor’s Award, given to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the governance and/or development of the University of Manitoba. Lobdell joined the department of economics in 1973 as a professor with expertise in economic history, began his eight-year term as associate dean in the Faculty of Arts in 1982, and more recently he served as the vice-provost (programs) in the president’s office.

 MAJOR STUDENT MEDALS:

GOVERNOR GENERAL’S MEDALS

Gold Medal — Wanjun Jiang

Silver Medal — Lauren Elizabeth Hayward

Bronze Medal (Diploma other than agriculture) — Nicole Suzanne Marie Leduc

 UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA GOLD MEDALS

Agricultural and Food Sciences — Kathryn Jolene Lepp

Architecture — Judith Chi Ting Cheung

Art — Teresa Marie Braun

Arts — Krista Danielle Reimer

I.H. Asper School of Business — Brittany Leigh Holt

College Universitaire de Saint Boniface — Zoe Anna Cressman

Dentistry — Adam Allen Agpalza

Education — Christopher David Heidebrecht

Engineering — Sumek Vijayan Elimban

Human Ecology — Rachel Joyce Lian Prowse

Kinesiology and Recreation Management — Peggy Ellen Hamilton

Law — Rachel Melissa Hinton

Music — Jennifer Margaret Gillis

Nursing — Amber Nancy Dawn Baker

Pharmacy — Julia Fiorino

Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment — Annika Elsie Putt

Science — Lauren Elizabeth Hayward

Social Work — Sara Elizabeth McGowan

 UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA PROGRAM MEDALS

Agriculture and Food Sciences:

Agriculture — Laryssa Ann Grenkow

Agroecology — Amanda Leanne Stefanson

Food Science — Nana Yaa Pramaie Marmah

Art:

Fine Arts Studio — Ellen Jean Tisdale

Fine Arts Studio Honours — Teresa Marie Braun

Arts:

General Degree — Kevin Alexander Brown

Advanced Degree — Erica Faren Lasker

Honours Degree — Jason Aaron Brown

I.H. Asper School of Business:

Accounting Major — Breanna Krysta Hall

Actuarial Mathematics Major — Garett Keith Ivan Klus

Entrepreneurship/Small Business Major— Andrea Lynn Gunter

Finance Major — Danyel Luc Campeau

Human Resources Management/Industrial Relations — Jeffrey Ryan France

International Business Major — Brittany Leigh Holt

Management of Organizations Major — Thomas Daniel Sontag

Marketing Major — Jeffrey Michael Lloyd

Dental Hygiene:

Nicole Suzanne Marie Leduc

Education:

Early Years Stream — Charisse Michelle Wurch

Middle Years Stream — Lisa Charleen Martens

Senior Years Stream — Eric Renald Himbeault

Engineering:

Biosystems — Warren Andrew Blunt

Civil — Andrea Marie Evans

Computer — Samantha Elizabeth Olson

Electrical — Sumek Vijayan Elimban

Mechanical — Carl Roger Bartel

Human Ecology:

Family Social Sciences — Maja Aziraj

Human Nutritional Sciences — Manon Gyslaine Roy

Textile Sciences — Mallory Margaret Mary Giardino

Kinesiology and Recreation Management:

Physical Education — Samantha Kandera McDougall

Recreation Management and Community Development — Ann Marguerite Mohammed

Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources: General Degree — Leigh Kathleen Bryant

Advanced or Major Degree — Lea Michelle Grzenda

Honours — Jolene Melissa Rutter

Science:

General Degree — Graham Brian Duff

Major Degree — Colin Brian Charles Rumbolt

Honours Degree — Brett Thomas Kolesnik