A long march to get degree

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This article was published 27/05/2009 (5972 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Now that Nelson Doucette is graduating from the University of Manitoba, he reckons he should visit Winnipeg for the first time since 1956 to pick up his degree.

Doucette hasn’t been here since 1956?

And he’s graduating from U of M at this week’s convocation?

"I’m a lifelong learner. Some people drink and smoke, I do courses," the 70-year-old Doucette laughed from St. John’s, where he earned his social work degree at home in Newfoundland by distance education.

"I was a soldier in Winnipeg in 1956 — I was 17 at the time. I’m returning for the first time, to receive my bachelor of social work," he said.

Doucette will be among 2,743 students receiving degrees during U of M’s 130th spring convocation this week. That’s about the same number of grads as in recent years, officials say, but down from the 3,000-plus annual average earlier in the decade.

Ceremonies take place at the Investors Group gym at 10 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

This is the third university from which Doucette has graduated. He took his entire social work undergraduate program through distance education, primarily online.

A former welder who’s just retired after a long career as a counsellor with Veterans Affairs Canada, Doucette noted that, "I did courses that were applicable to my job."

He studied vocational education and public administration at Newfoundland’s Memorial University, and gerontology at Mount St. Vincent University in Nova Scotia.

The U of M fit his needs the best when he opted for social work, said Doucette. "I must compliment them, they were always accessible.

"I started in 2003. I had nine years to complete my course," but did it in six. "Between jigs and reels, I managed to complete my degree."

Doucette is a Mi’kmaq with British heritage on his father’s side. Because he spent much of his career working with Newfoundland veterans from the First World War and Second World War, Doucette dealt with the British government, since Newfoundland’s veterans were not Canadian citizens until Korea.

Now that he’s got his latest degree, "I thought about hanging out my own shingle, or volunteering," he said.

Then there are much younger grads who went to class on campus, including twins who have twin tales of university success.

All right, twins attending the same university is perhaps not unusual. And they graduate at the same time, which makes sense, though officials at the U of M can’t recall twin grads recently.

But in the same program?

Gillian Purvis knew all along she wanted to study business, but brother Blair Purvis tried other programs first before switching to the I.H. Asper School of Business.

Both agree that they don’t look much alike, so it took a while for profs and students to realize that the Dakota Collegiate grads were twins.

"We were really close growing up. It’s nice having someone to bounce ideas off," said Gillian, who earned the gold medal for top marks among business school grads this year.

She got into business school after acting as a supervisor at the Whyte Ridge Cinema City. "I just really liked how everything functioned, and the different departments worked together smoothly," she said. "My dad was a business grad from U of M back in the day."

Blair said they shared about half their classes at the U of M together.

"We decided to take classes together to help each other out," working together in study groups and on class projects.

Back in kindergarten to Grade 12, they were only in the same class for parts of grades 5 to 9 at Hastings School.

Blair works for Manitoba Hydro in human resources and marketing, while Gillian is in finance with TD Canada Trust.

Meanwhile, other people get their professional degrees after decades in the profession.

After 27 years as a nurse in Manitoba, Harriet Yarmill is getting her nursing degree this week.

Yes, of course she was qualified to be a nurse all those years. "Diploma-trained nurses like myself can take a two-year degree" to get a bachelor’s degree in nursing, said Yarmill, who took one course at a time over six years of raising a family and working full-time as a palliative care nurse.

Watching foreign-trained professionals go back to school to upgrade their qualifications helped inspire Yarmill, who grew up in East Braintree near Falcon Lake.

"It was a real experience to put yourself back in student mode, getting back to learn how to study," she said. "The word ‘focus’ really does describe the mode you’re in."

The degree program helped Yarmill to see how to handle the administrative side of nursing, and how to learn to handle the needs of families and communities, she said. "I learned the beginning steps of research, of statistics. It’s given me greater tools to do my job," Yarmill said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

 

The University of Manitoba will award 2,743 degrees during this week’s 130th spring convocation. Ceremonies take place at the Investors Group building at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and at 10 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

HONOURARY DEGREES:

Jim Derksen, B.A. (Winnipeg)

A wheelchair user disabled by polio, Derksen has been a champion for the rights of disabled people in Canada for decades. 

Derksen helped convince the federal government that people with disabilities should be included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Their inclusion in the Charter resulted in Canada becoming the first country in the world to provide constitutional protection for the rights of persons with disabilities. 

Derksen has developed and led rights and advocacy groups for persons with disabilities including the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and the Manitoba League for Persons with Disabilities.

Kenneth Standing, B.Sc. (Hons.), B.Ed., M.Ed. (Manitoba)

Internationally renowned for innovations in the field of time-of-flight mass spectrometry as it relates to biomolecules, Standing is an accomplished researcher and educator.

A professor emeritus in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Manitoba, Standing has advanced the limits of sensitivity and the range of accessible sizes of biological macromolecules to where they have become extensively useful for real-world biomedical research.

His work has led to advances in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biomedicine and to the commercial development of several instruments using techniques developed in his laboratory.

Muriel Smith, O.C., O.M., B.A. (Hons.), B.Ed., M.Ed. (Manitoba); Ed. Dipl. (Oxford)

A passionate advocate for human rights and gender equity, Smith was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007 for her efforts on behalf of social justice around the world.

Smith’s legacy as a trailblazer began during her years as a student at the University of Manitoba in the 1970s. After teaching and counseling at the high school level, Smith began her political career in 1974. She became the first woman president in the history of the Manitoba New Democratic Party and eventually was elected to office in 1981. She held the position of Deputy Premier, the first woman in Canada to hold that post. She also held the portfolios of Economic Development and Tourism, Community Services and Corrections, Minister responsible for the Status of Women, and Labour and Housing.

After leaving government, Smith turned her attention to gender equity and human rights, serving as the National President of the United Nations Association of Canada.

Freda Ahenakew, C.M., S.O.M., B.Ed., LL.D. (Saskatchewan); M.A. (Manitoba)

An acclaimed researcher, scholar and pioneer in Cree literacy and language teaching, Ahenakew is recognized as a champion in preserving the oral traditions and heritage of her people. Her work has included transcribing and translating Cree myths, legends and other stories.

Born on the Ahtahkakoop First Nation, Ahenakew had 12 children before returning to school to obtain her high school diploma. Since then, she has obtained her M.A. in Cree Linguistics from the University of Manitoba and taught at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, U of M, and the University of Calgary. She held the position of head of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba before she retired in 1997.

She was named Citizen of the Year (1992) by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and earned a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 2001. Ahenakew received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, the province’s highest honour in 2005 and was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998.

Arni Thorsteinson, B.Comm. (Manitoba)

President of Shelter Canadian Properties Limited, Thorsteinson has played a leading role in building and supporting the Winnipeg business and cultural community.

Thorsteinson was a founding director and past chair of the Associates of the Asper School of Business where he was recognized as a valued leader with vision and dedication. His commitment and guidance to the organization over the last 25 years have played a fundamental role in building the Associates into the pre-eminent organization supporting a business school in Canada.

Thorsteinson chairs of the Associates Foundation, and has played a leadership role in making the Museum of Human Rights a reality. He has served as the chair of the museum’s advisory committee, played a pivotal role in the fundraising activities and contributed a sizeable personal donation to the museum. He was recently appointed as chair of the museum’s board of trustees.

Wanda Koop, Dip. Art (Manitoba); D. Litt. (Winnipeg)

A graduate of the University of Manitoba school of art, Koop is one of Canada’s most distinguished and inventive artists. She is also recognized for her tireless efforts to give inner-city youth a creative voice in their community.

Koop’s painting career spans three decades and includes more than 50 solo exhibitions. She was named by TIME Magazine as one of our country’s best artists. Her work has been exhibited internationally and hangs in numerous private and museum collections including the National Gallery of Canada.

While Koop’s artistic talents have been recognized around the world, she is also a noted champion of the role art and creativity can play in community building. In 1988, she founded the successful Art City Project — an art centre in Winnipeg that provides an opportunity for people of all ages, especially inner-city youth, to work with contemporary visual artists to find their own creative vision.

In 2006, Koop was named a Member of the Order of Canada.

 

STUDENT AWARDS

Student Medals

Governor General’s Medals

Gold — Michael James Andrew Potter, awarded for outstanding achievement at the graduate level

Silver — Signy Lauren Holmes, awarded for outstanding achievement at the undergraduate level

Bronze — Kelvin Scott Friesen, awarded for highest standing in the two year Diploma course in Agriculture

Nadine Joelle Pohl — awarded for highest standing in the in the two-year diploma program in Art, Dental Hygiene, or the Aboriginal Focus Programs

Gold Medals — Awarded for highest standing in an undergraduate faculty or school.

• Megan Elizabeth Galbraith, Agricultural and Food Sciences
• Shawn Michael Andrew Stankewich, Architecture
• Curtis Leonard Wiebe, Art
• Derik Philippe Thome, Arts
• Gillian Dawn Purvis, I.H. Asper School of Business
• Heather Alison Lane Ashdown, Collège universitaire de Sainte-Boniface
• Vaidotas Leskauskas, Dentistry
• Lauren Elizabeth Norquay, Education
• Kathryn Anne Hearson, Engineering
• Tabitha Fay Marshall, Human Ecology
• Erin Alice Christina Nieuwenburg, Kinesiology and Recreation Management
• Andrew John David Buck, Law
• Amber Jane Epp, Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music
• Angela Dawn Klassen, Nursing
• Heather Jeanne Campbell, Pharmacy
• Jeffrey Thomas Willows, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources
• Heather Lynn Collins, Science
• Judith Ellen Williams, Social Work

Program Medals — Awarded for highest standing in a faculty or school program.

Agricultural and Food Sciences

• Agribusiness, Matthew Jeremey Hink
• Agriculture, Jessica May English
• Agroecology, Jonathan Veilleux

Art

• Art History Honours, Crystal Dawn Beyak
• Fine Arts Studio Honours, Curtis Leonard Wiebe

Arts

• General Degree, Rebecca Sungwook Bae
• Advanced Degree, Brendan Tesleem Salakoh
• Honours Degree, Jennifer Heather Ann Woligroski

Asper School of Business

• Accounting Major, Ari Myles Hanson
• Actuarial Mathematics Major, James Malnar Dalton
• Finance Major, Gillian Dawn Purvis
• Human Resources Management/Industrial Relations, Andrew Michael Evans
• Logistics and Supply Chain Management Major, Christopher John Martens
• Marketing Major, Blair Warren Purvis

Dental Hygiene

• Nadine Joelle Pohl

Education

• Early Years Stream, Paula Leanne Sowany
• Middle Years Stream, Laurel Olan Lycar
• Senior Years Stream, Lauren Elizabeth Norquay

Engineering

• Civil, Kathryn Anne Hearson
• Computer, Linda Haidar
• Electrical, Dennis Lu
• Manufacturing, Aaron Michael Schoonbaert
• Mechanical, Tyler Andrew Brown

Human Ecology

• Family Social Sciences, Bonnie Lynn Land
• Health Studies Program, Melanie Carmen Hegg
• Human Nutritional Sciences, Tabitha Fay Marshall
• Textile Sciences, Lisa Dawn Dyck

Kinesiology and Recreation Management

• Kinesiology, Lindsay Dawn Zylstra
• Recreation Management and Community Development, Diana Catherine King

Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources

• General Degree, Caitlin Holly Adlard
• Advanced or Major Degree, Colton Robert Inkster
• Honours Degree, Ryan Daniel Kressall

Science

• General Degree, Navdeep Kaur Bhullar
• Major Degree, Matthew Anthony Kolybabi
• Honours Degree, Erin Michelle Knight

 

AWARDS

Olive Beatrice Stanton Award for Teaching Excellence

Prof. Sergio Carvalho, marketing, Asper School of Business, is an inspiring teacher, prolific researcher and supportive mentor. This is not the first time Carvalho has been recognized for his teaching excellence. He was chosen ‘best professor’ at the Graduate School of the University of Fortaleza in Brazil and received a teaching award at Baruch College. In addition, he has received the University of Manitoba-UM Faculty Association Merit award for teaching for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007).

Robert Charles Armatage Award

The Robert Charles Armatage Award is given annually by the University of Manitoba Students’ Union to a student who is exceptionally involved in student affairs and university governance.

Gurpeet Chahal is a graduate of the I. H. Asper School of Business, recognized as an active leader and volunteer who inspires those around her. Throughout her time on campus, Chahal has been an active participant in student government and volunteer activities. This past year, Chahal held the position of president of the Asper School of Business Accounting Association. She has also acted as co-ordinator for the annual Gathering of Accounting Associates, Professionals and Students Conference. Chahal was also involved with the Asper School of Business Faculty Student Council, the Commerce Students’ Association and the University of Manitoba Students’ Union for a number of years.

Peter D. Curry Award

The Curry Award is given to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the governance and/or development of the University of Manitoba.

David Graves is a graduate of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Engineering. He is an active business and community leader and is currently director, president and chief executive officer of IMRIS, a position he has held since the company’s formation in 2005. The company is a global leader in developing advanced surgical imaging systems. Previously, Graves was president and CEO of Centara Corporation, a venture capital firm. Prior to that, Graves was the founder and CEO of Broadband Networks Inc., a leading-edge developer of wireless telecommunications systems that was acquired by Nortel Networks Corporation in 1998.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is presented by the Board of Governors for exceptional contributions to Manitoba in areas which are of major interest to the University of Manitoba, and/or which are directly associated with the University.

K. Garry Bolton is recognized for his commitment and dedication to the engineering profession and to his community. A graduate of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Engineering, Bolton has worked in the consulting engineering field all of his career, both in Manitoba and Alberta. In 1987, he returned to Manitoba to assume a position with SMS Engineering. In 1991, Mr. Bolton became a principal and now serves as president of SMS.

Mark Evans, a graduate of the University of Manitoba department of computer science, is recognized for his innovation and leadership in the area of computer science. Evans joined the department of computer science at the University of Manitoba as a faculty member in 1988, becoming a tenured associate professor in 1994. Beginning in 1990, Evans developed a corporation called Emerging Information Systems Inc. (EISI) which has become the largest international supplier of software solutions to financial planners. Despite the advantages associated with moving his company to a different part of Canada or elsewhere in the world, Evans has steadfastly insisted that the future of EISI remain in Manitoba. Evans was also co-chair of the Engineering and Information Technology Complex fundraising campaign.

Conrad Wyryzkowski, a skilled farmer and respected Winnipeg lawyer, is also a recognized leader who has had a significant impact on his community and its people. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, Wyryzkowski retired from his law practice in 2004. Today, Wyryzkowski serves on the board of the St. Paul’s College Foundation and sits on several committees at the St. Boniface General Hospital. For years, Wyryzkowski has offered a listening ear, prayers and communion to palliative care patients at the hospital.

Emeritus Conferred

The titles President Emeritus, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, and Professor Emeritus are honours conferred by the Board of Governors on individuals after retirement who have rendered distinguished service to the university and who have significant records in teaching, research and scholarship.

President Emeritus: Emoke Szathmáry, anthropology and biochemistry and medical genetics

A distinguished scholar, teacher, researcher, administrator and leader, Szathmáry led the University of Manitoba through an unprecedented period of growth and achievement during her tenure as the 10th president and vice-chancellor of the institution.

Szathmary’s academic career began at Trent University where she was an assistant professor of anthropology. From there, she rose through the ranks at McMaster University where she ultimately held the position of chair of the department of anthropology. After a term as dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Western Ontario, Szathmáry returned to McMaster University as provost and vice-president academic.

In 1996, she was named president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba. Szathmáry served the University of Manitoba with distinction. She led the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the province and under her leadership the university joined the elite group of Canadian universities that receive over $100-million in research funding each year.

During her tenure, the university added 48 new academic programs and many infrastructure upgrades and new facilities and buildings were added to the two main campuses.

Her many honours include membership in the Order of Canada, fellowships in both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society of Canada.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus: Garry Martin, psychology

Martin is one of Canada’s most acclaimed psychologists with an international reputation as a leading researcher in developmental disabilities and sport psychology.

He was instrumental in establishing the applied behavioural analysis program in the department of psychology, as well as the research and training programs at St. Amant Centre, where his work has had a profound impact on the well-being of Manitobans with developmental disabilities.

Martin was one of the first applied psychologists to show that persons with severe developmental disabilities are capable of learning functional skills if provided with positive learning environments.

Professors Emeriti:

Godfrey Harding, medical microbiology

A distinguished physician, educator and researcher, Harding is credited with training many of the leading infectious disease specialists in Canada. He is also considered one of the world’s leaders in issues related to urinary tract infections.
A graduate of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, Harding has promoted the University of Manitoba’s infectious diseases and microbiology programs locally, nationally and internationally.

He is considered to be one of the pillars of those disciplines in Manitoba and a prominent clinical microbiologist who has contributed significantly to the interaction of medical microbiology with infectious diseases in the areas of diagnosis and treatment.

Fernando Guijon, obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive science

One of the world’s foremost experts on Human Papilloma Virus and gynaecological cancer, Guijon is also recognized as a skilled educator and mentor to medical students.

His dedication to patient care has also led Guijon to work in remote areas such as Canada’s north and Latin and South America, bringing his knowledge to physicians and communities who otherwise would not have access to it.

Guijon has received the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Award of Merit and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Award for services rendered to the Canadian people.

Egil Grislis, religion

A scholar of international reputation, Grislis has dedicated his career to the pursuit of teaching and research excellence in the area of religious studies. Over his 31 years as a professor in the department of religion, Grislis has authored six scholarly books, numerous papers and book chapters and has advised dozens of graduate students.

He has regularly taught as a visiting professor at the University of Riga, Latvia, and was made a Fellow of Early Modern Studies by the Sixteenth Century Conference in 1998. He is a Martin Luther scholar with an international reputation whose studies of the work of Richard Hooker continue to make original contributions to sixteenth century research.

Gaddehosur N. Ramu, sociology

A dedicated scholar, educator and university administrator, Ramu is recognized for his significant contributions to the study of Canadian Sociology.

Since joining the department of sociology, Ramu has played an instrumental role in Canadian sociology through his leadership in the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association and the Western Association of Sociology and Anthropology.

Specializing in the sociology of marriage and the family and the sociology of development, Ramu has dedicated himself to mentoring countless graduate students.

He was recognized with the distinguished service award from the Canadian Sociology Association in 2006.

Alexander Segall, sociology

Segall has devoted his academic career to the interdisciplinary study of the social aspects of health and illness. As a result of Segall’s commitment to sociology, the University of Manitoba is home to one of the most comprehensive health sociology programs in the country.

For the past decade, Segall has been the principal investigator for the Wellness Institute Services Evaluation Research Program. He has also held appointments in a number of faculties and departments including the department of community health sciences, the Faculty of Medicine and the Centre on Aging.

Segall’s research has been recognized at the national level with a National Health Research Scholar Award from Health Canada.

Barry Trute, social work

A dedicated social work scholar, mentor and teacher, Trute has made significant contributions to children and families in need.

He is the founding director of the Child and Family Services Research Group in the Faculty of Social Work, and his family-centred research has been recognized around the world. He has served as professor and Fisher Chair in Family Research in the School of Social Work at McGill University, visiting professor of social work at Wilfred Laurier University, Canterbury Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and ARC professor of family centred care at the University of Calgary.

He was also the co-founder and senior editor of the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health and co-chair of the National Board of Social Work Accreditation.

Charlie H. Thomsen, landscape architecture

Thomsen is credited with developing the successful environmental design program in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba.

During his tenure at the University of Manitoba, Thomsen has held the position of head of the department of landscape architecture and associate dean/co-ordinator of the environmental design program.

He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and Canadian Society of Landscape Architects President’s Award in 2001, and an Award of Recognition from the government of the Northwest Territories.

His International Peace Garden master plan was chosen as one of the most significant works in Canada in a juried competition. He has acted as president of the Manitoba Association of Landscape Architects and is a founding board member of the Friends of Assiniboine Park Conservatory.