Fall 2020 Convocation

On behalf of the entire MSVU community, congratulations to our graduating class of Fall 2020!

Senate List (to be posted)

Important Notice:

As was communicated in the spring, we had hoped to hold in-person Convocation ceremonies this fall, where both our spring and fall graduates would have the opportunity to cross the Convocation stage. The health and safety of our campus visitors and campus community is our highest priority, and it is crucial that we do our part to minimize the risks related to COVID-19. Due to the pandemic and the potential for a second wave, Fall Convocation will shift to a virtual ceremony.

A virtual ceremony, which will celebrate both spring and fall graduates, will be held on Sunday, November 1 at 3 p.m. (AT).

We know that many Fall 2020 Grads would like to have photos taken of themselves holding their parchment and wearing a gown and academic hood. We’re excited to provide an opportunity for you to book a 10-minute appointment on either Friday, October 16 or Saturday, October 17 in the Seton Academic Centre Lobby, where you’ll pick up your parchment, and gown and academic hood if you wish.  Please check your MSVU email for the link to book your appointment. We are able to do this before the official Virtual Convocation Ceremony on November 1, as credentials for our Fall Grads will be conferred by the Senate Executive on October 1.

Please note that you will need to complete a form and provide a credit card number in order to borrow a gown and hood, and they must be returned to the Seton Academic Centre Lobby on Friday, October 22 between 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., unless you choose to take a quick photo in a gown and hood during your appointment.

Those who are unable to attend a scheduled appointment will have their parchments mailed to their home address after October 18.

Step 1: SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO GRADUATE

If you are planning to graduate in Fall 2020, you must submit your Application to Graduate form along with your graduation fee to let us know that you want to graduate! Once the form has been completed, you will receive an email confirming that the Application has been successfully received.  If you do not receive an email confirmation, please contact the Registrar’s Office immediately.

Note: When logging in, please enter your username not your MSVU email address.

Deadline to submit: August 31, 2020 (application now closed)

Please note:  The Spring 2021 online Application to Graduate will be available in early November 2020.

Step 2: PAYMENT OF APPLICATION TO GRADUATE FEE

Once you have completed the Application to Graduate form, the $65.00 graduation fee will automatically be added to your student account with Financial Services. You will need to make arrangements to pay this fee as soon as possible.

You can pay your Application to Graduate fee online

Watch via live stream

Live stream

Our Convocation ceremonies are available via live stream on the Mount’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. If you miss the live stream, please note that a recording of the Convocation ceremonies will be available for viewing on the University’s YouTube channel.

Watch on the Mount’s YouTube channel »

Watch on the Mount’s Facebook page »

If you would like to view a recording of the ceremonies and YouTube isn’t an option, a recording can be made available to you at a later date by contacting ct DMZ@msvu.ca

Schedule of events

Schedule to be posted

Ceremonies by Program

Ceremonies to be posted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where will the Convocation Ceremony take place? What time do I have to arrive?

Convocation will be held in the Seton Academic Centre Auditorium, followed by a reception in the Margaret Norrie McCain Centre Atrium. Graduates must report to the 4th Floor Seton 45 minutes before the ceremony for gowning and final instructions about crossing the auditorium stage and receiving parchments.

What will I wear in the Convocation ceremony?
It is mandatory to have a gown and hood to participate in the Convocation ceremony. You will be responsible for the gown and hood until it is returned. Professional attire underneath the academic gowns is suggested. Purses, backpacks and other items will not be permitted for carrying by graduates during the Convocation ceremony. A room will be arranged where students can leave their personal belongings during Convocation. However, the University cannot assume responsibility for lost or stolen property; students are therefore strongly advised to have a friend or relative look after their belongings during Convocation.

Where can I pick up my guest invitations, and gown and hood?
Convocation attire and invitations can be picked up in Seton 505/6. Dates and times to be determined. Graduands who are picking up attire on Convocation day are encouraged to pick up their hood and gown prior to 45 minutes before the convocation ceremony as they are expected in full lineup at that time on 4th floor Seton Academic Centre. Please note, attire should be returned to Seton 505/6 immediately following your ceremony.

I have submitted my Notice of Attendance form, and have secured a number of invitations, but I have additional guests who would like to attend. What should I do?
Invitation envelopes will contain the initial amount of tickets as requested, and students are able to receive additional tickets in the gown room during attire pickup.

Where can I and my guests park on campus?
Guests should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony if they wish to park on campus. Campus Security will be on duty to direct traffic to the nearest parking area. Accessible parking will be available in front of the Seton Academic Centre.

How can I arrange to have my parchment framed?
Earning your degree, diploma or certificate was hard work. Now it’s time to showcase your achievement. Proudly display your parchment by having it professionally framed and highlighted with the Mount logo. All frames are high quality, Canadian-made with acid-free mats. Ordering your frame is easy! Visit the on-line store at ua.msvu.ca For more information, contact the Alumnae Engagement Office at 902.457.6470. You can choose to have your frame mailed directly (parchment will be mailed by the Registrar’s Office after Convocation) or have it ready for pick-up (with parchment) immediately after convocation, near the Margaret Norrie McCain Centre Atrium. View Available Frames »

Will there be flowers available to purchase on-site?

Flower arrangements are available to purchase in two locations:

  • Seton Academic Centre Lobby – before your Convocation ceremony begins
  • McCain Centre (Fountain Atrium) during the Post-Graduation Reception – immediately following your Convocation ceremony.

Both single flowers and small bouquets will be available for purchase by cash only.

Can I bring my children?
Children are welcome to attend Convocation ceremonies, however they are required to have their own seats and will therefore need a guest invitation to enter the auditorium. Please note that a parent, guardian or adult must accompany all children.

I have a guest who requires special assistance. Can they attend?
Guests requiring assistance are welcome to attend; the University is accessible. Please notify the University if one of your guests requires special assistance so that appropriate arrangements can be made. We are not able to provide wheelchairs or attendants, but can offer special seating, if required. If a guest requiring special assistance brings their own attendant, the attendant will require an invitation. If you indicated on your Notice of Attendance form that one of your guests requires special seating arrangements, a small orange card will be stapled to your guests’ invitation directing them to the Auditorium C (5th Floor) where Convocation ushers will direct them to special reserved seating.

Can photographs and/or video be taken during Convocation?
Family and friends are welcome to take photographs during the ceremony, but care should be taken not to obstruct the view of those seated. Tripods and lights will not be permitted in the auditorium during the Convocation ceremony. Only the official University photographer will be permitted on the platform during the ceremony. The Auditorium will remain open after the ceremony for additional photos.Please Note: The official University photographer does take photos of all podium speakers and award-winners. Individual photos of graduands crossing the stage are not part of the University photographer’s shot list, so please encourage your guests to bring a camera if you wish to ensure this moment is captured.

2020 Fall Honorary Degree Recipients

Anne Innis DaggAnne Innis Dagg, CM, BA (Hons), MA, PhD, Hon DSc, is a pioneering zoologist, groundbreaking biologist, animal rights activist, and feminist who has received worldwide recognition for her work on giraffes. In 1956, she became the first person to study giraffe behaviour in the wild. She is the author of over 60 scientific papers and 23 books including The Giraffe: Its Biology, Behaviour and Ecology (1976) along with fellow zoologist Bristol Foster. She faced many challenges in her career – most notably because she was a woman who was prevented from becoming a tenured professor at the three universities she taught at near her home in Waterloo. This resulted in her disappearance from the giraffe world. Three decades later, an invitation to a giraffe conference in Phoenix, Arizona, and a documentary about her life, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, brought her story to light again.

The recent Order of Canada recipient has dedicated her efforts to establishing The Anne Innis Dagg Foundation with a mission to draw attention to the challenges wild giraffes are facing in Africa and the importance of conservation.

Dr. Dagg holds a BA (Honours) in Biology and MA in Genetics, both from the University of Toronto, a PhD in Animal Behaviour from the University of Waterloo, and Honorary Doctorates in Science from both the University of Waterloo and University of Toronto.

Anna Maria TremontiAnna Maria Tremonti, BA (Hons), Hon LLD, is a long-time journalist who has travelled Canada and the world in pursuit of stories that both enlighten and disturb. She has worked in radio and television for decades, mostly with the CBC.

She began her career at CKEC radio in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, and spent three years in private radio in the Maritimes and Ottawa before joining CBC as host of its morning show in Fredericton. Her path through the CBC included local reporting jobs in Edmonton and then to the Parliament Hill bureau in Ottawa, taking on the environment and defence beats, as well as covering the politics of the day. From Ottawa, she became a foreign correspondent, travelling the world from bureaus in Berlin, London, Jerusalem and Washington. During that time, she covered the end of the Soviet Union, the changes in Eastern European countries after the fall of the iron curtain, the wars in the former Yugoslav republics, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the final two years of the Clinton administration. Anna Maria returned to Canada to pursue investigative reporting as a host of the fifth estate but within two years, shifted back to radio to be part of the team that created The Current, CBC Radio 1’s flagship current affairs program.

The Current team brought hard-edged interviews, long form interviews, documentaries, extensive road trips – from across Canada, including Northern Canada, to Afghanistan, Jerusalem, Argentina and across the US – and inclusive public forums to the airwaves, changing the expectation of what radio was capable of in morning programming, and winning numerous domestic and international awards for its host and producers in the process.

After 17 years as host of The Current, Anna Maria chose to leave her permanent job at the CBC to explore audio storytelling through podcasting. The CBC podcast More went to the top of the Apple charts when it was released. She is now working on a second, serialized storyline for podcast.

Anna Maria was born in Windsor, Ontario. She has an Honours BA in Communication Studies from the University of Windsor, and honorary doctorates from the universities of Windsor, Carleton, York and Royal Roads. Beyond her work she is a voracious reader, a theatre and cinema buff, a dedicated cook, a passable skier, a rusty scuba diver, and a traveller. Her driver’s licence still includes a designation for motorcycles, but she says she’s done with that. Anna Maria lives in Toronto with her partner, John Filion.

Lynn JonesLynn Jones, BA, Hon D Hum, is an educator, community historian, civil and human rights activist, labour leader, and a truly inspiring speaker. Lynn has served her community and the nation in multiple ways over the course of a long and distinguished career. She was the first African Canadian to join the executive ranks of the Canadian Labour Congress and to be elected General Vice-President. She was also an official international observer of the first democratic elections held in South Africa which saw the election of Nelson Mandela as the country’s first Black President.

Lynn is a native of Truro, Nova Scotia, and one of 10 children born into an Indigenous African Nova Scotian family of community leaders. She has been a life-long civil and human rights activist. Her protest has always focused on all aspects of social, political and economic inclusion with special attention in areas of anti-racism, feminism, class, ability, poverty and the environment. Her social justice priorities are presently focused on the obtaining of Reparations for Afrikan People and highlighting the crimes against humanity perpetrated during and following the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. As well, she continues to highlight the archival Lynn Jones African Canadian and Diaspora Heritage Collection housed at Saint Mary’s University and containing more than 10,000 articles and artefacts of Black and Indigenous life locally, nationally and internationally, collected by Lynn over 50 years and donated for public access.

Lynn believes that “by putting aside our individual agendas and working for the good of all, we can solve all problems.” She is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Acadia University. And while retired from the federal public service, she remains active in her community.

Convocation Awards

Faculty Awards

Award for Research Excellence

This award is presented to recognize a faculty member’s contribution to the research community and to the research climate at Mount Saint Vincent University.

Student Awards

Senate Awards of Distinction – Undergraduate & Graduate

Pewter awards are presented by the Senate to recognize students who graduate “with distinction and with highest aggregate” in their diploma or bachelor program. These awards are presented at both the May and October ceremonies.

President’s Prizes

Special awards donated by the University President are given to members of the May and October graduating classes whose energy, generosity and commitment have enriched the University during their time as students, and who show promise that their commitment will continue as alumnae.

Kappa Gamma Pi

Kappa Gamma Pi is the National Catholic College Graduate Honor Society. Membership, is based on scholarship, leadership and service. Members are selected not only for recognition of past accomplishments, but also in anticipation of future service.

Governor-General’s Medal – Undergraduate

Donated by the Governor-General of Canada this medal is given once per year at the undergraduate level for the highest aggregate in the final three years (15 units) of a degree program

Governor-General’s Medal – Graduate

Donated by the Governor-General of Canada this medal is given once per year at the graduate level to the top graduating master’s student. Presented annually at the spring convocation. Students graduating the previous fall are equally eligible with spring graduands for this award.

Valedictorian Prizes

This prize is given to graduates who have made significant contributions to extracurricular activities at the Mount and/or community at large, as well as maintained a minimum grade point average of 2.7 in the most recent five units of coursework.

Still have questions? Contact us!

I have a question that’s not answered above. What should I do?
If you require information outside of what is provided above before being posted to the website, please contact convocation@msvu.ca or contact the appropriate person as listed below.