Loyalist College will celebrate student success at its 2011 Convocation ceremonies on Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 10. The College is pleased to announce four distinguished guest speakers for the ceremonies: Mandy Bonisteel, Loyalist graduate and Premier’s Award winner; Charles Benson, Loyalist graduate and recipient of the Loyalist College Alumni Distinction Award; Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians; and, Bob McDonald, Canadian Author and Science Journalist.
On Thursday, June 9, at 10:00 a.m. graduates of the School of Architecture and Building Sciences, the School of Skills Training, and the School of Health Sciences, will hear from Premier’s Award 2010 winner Mandy Bonisteel. Ms. Bonisteel has worked as an advocate, activist, consultant and therapist in the anti-violence movement for over 20 years with a primary focus on adult survivors of child sexual abuse. She has worked with both survivors and perpetrators of violence and has created numerous anti-violence training programs for police, child welfare, and various community groups. She has also been involved with a variety of international projects in Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Mexico, India and Samoa.
Ms. Bonisteel graduated in 1978 from Loyalist College as a Registered Nurse. She is the Coordinator/Professor in the Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate Program at George Brown College; Director of Program Development at Respect-At-Work, a training initiative of the London Centre for Research in Violence Against Women; and a part-time Registered Nurse at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto on the Psychiatric Emergency Intervention Team.
On Thursday, June 9 at 2:30 p.m., Centre for Justice Studies and School of Business and Management Studies graduates will hear an address by Loyalist College Alumnus Charles Benson. In 1967, Mr. Benson was registered as Student #001 at Loyalist and after graduating from the Business Administration program he joined the College as a staff assistant. He worked in a number of roles at Loyalist, including Registrar and College Bursar. Charles continued his studies on a part-time basis and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University. Charles’ extensive community involvement includes serving as a member of the Official Board at his church and as a member of the Board for the Belleville Volunteer Centre. A founding member of Belleville Community Policing, he chaired the organization for five terms, and has been an active member of the Board of Directors for Quinte Destinations for Youth and for the First Adventure Child Development Centre. As part of his work with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs (IOOF), he has coordinated the local program for the International United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth for the past ten years. In 2001, he was appointed to the International Board of Directors for the program and was installed as IOOF Grand Master for Ontario in May 2008.
In 2002, he was the recipient of the Loyalist College Alumni Distinction Award for contributions to the College and community. In December 2007, he received the Dr. Harold Williamson Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Attendees of the ceremonies in recognition of the graduates of the School of Biosciences and the School of Human Studies which is taking place at 10 a.m. Friday, June 10, will hear an address by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson and founding member of the Council of Canadians.
Ms. Barlow was a leader in the women’s rights movement in Canada and in 1975 she co-founded a consultancy group that worked at every level of government to promote equality for women. In 1980, she became the Director of Equal Opportunity for the City of Ottawa and in 1983 became the Senior Advisor on Women’s Issues to then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. An acknowledged leader in the international water justice movement, Ms. Barlow founded the Blue Planet Project, a Council of Canadians project that works to stop the commodification of the world’s fresh water resources. A founding member of Friends of the Right to Water, she currently chairs the Board of Food and Water Watch, the foremost U.S. organization fighting for the right to water.
Maude Barlow was one of the “1000 Women for Peace” nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. In the same year, she received the prestigious Lannon Cultural Freedom Fellowship as well as the Right Livelihood Award. Ms. Barlow is a best-selling author, co-author, and frequent contributor to journals, textbooks and magazines.
At the afternoon ceremony on June 10, Canadian Author and Science Journalist Bob McDonald will address graduates of the School of Media Studies and Continuing Education graduates. The National Science Commentator for CBC Television has been communicating science internationally through television, radio, print and live presentations for more than 30 years. Mr. McDonald is the host of CBC Radio’s award-winning program, Quirks and Quarks; a regular reporter for CBC Television’s The National, as well as a Gemini-winning host and writer for the children’s series Head’s Up.
As a print journalist, Mr. McDonald has authored three science books and contributed to numerous science textbooks, newspapers and magazines. Beyond his work in media, he sits on several boards and is Chairman of Geospace, an exciting new environmental centre and planetarium for the Toronto Waterfront.
Mr. McDonald has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of science in Canada as the recipient of the Michael Smith Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; the Sir Sandford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute, and the McNeil Medal from The Royal Society of Canada. He was also the recipient of a 2008 Gemini Award for Best Host in a Pre-School, Children’s or Youth Program or Series.
Media Contact: Edina Cappuccitti, College Advancement & External Relations, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2392; ecappuccitti@loyalistc.on.ca