The University of Northern British Columbia will celebrate more than just its 20th convocation this year. On May 31, UNBC will also celebrate passing the 10,000 all-time graduates mark. This number includes nearly 3,000 Bachelor of Science degrees, 2,000 Bachelor of Arts degrees, and represents the education of almost 1,000 nurses in Northern BC. After this convocation, 10,363 students will have achieved at least one certificate, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and/or PhD from UNBC.

Media Download: Graduates from UNBC's College of Science and Management 2012 celebrate at UNBC's Prince George campus and help make up the University's more than 10,000 all-time grads.

“It’s exciting to celebrate all of our 10,000-plus graduates as we look forward to our 25^th anniversary in 2015,” says UNBC President and Vice Chancellor George Iwama. “Looking at the list of our graduates, we see the future of our communities: the engineers, scientists, teachers, health care workers, entrepreneurs, administrators, parents and leaders who will help sustain northern communities and improve the world. On behalf of all of us at UNBC, I salute the class of 2013.”

According to a recent study, UNBC—with less than 2% of the university students in BC—now annually produces more graduates for the North than all other BC universities combined. Aside from the 433 students who have received certificates and diplomas from UNBC, the University’s 10,000+ graduates are comprised of the following accreditations (some graduates have more than one accreditation, so the number of total all-time grads is less than the total number of degrees/certificates bestowed):

Schedule of Events

Click here to view the full schedule of convocation events.

May 30 – Prince George – Bentley Centre at UNBC – 6:00pm

The UNBC Alumni Awards Reception is “Celebrating 10,000 Strong!” This reception recognizes the Class of 2013 and the alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their alma mater, their professions, and their community. Tickets are $10 and are available by calling 250-960-5873 or emailing alumni@unbc.ca.

May 31 – Prince George – Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre – 9:30am (CASHS) 2:30pm (CSAM)

Two ceremonies will be held on UNBC’s Prince George campus. The morning event (starting with student registration at 7:30am followed by the ceremony at 9:30am) will be for the graduates from the College of Arts, Social and Health Sciences (CASHS) while the afternoon ceremony (beginning at 2:30pm) will be for the graduates from the College of Science and Management (CSAM).

Both ceremonies will be in the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre. Honorary degrees will be presented to Lieutenant-General, the Honourable Romeo Dallaire (afternoon) and Distinguished Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith (morning). Information about the honorary degree recipients was provided in a previous media release. A CASHS group photo will be taken on the steps in UNBC’s agora courtyard at 11:45am. The CSAM group photo will be held at the same location at 1:15pm. There will be a barbeque lunch for all grads and their guests from 11:00am to 2:00pm in the courtyard with live music and entertainment.

Click to watch UNBC’s Convocation 2013 live online on May 31.

June 3 – Terrace - R.E.M. Lee Theatre – 2pm

Fifty-one students will graduate in Terrace this year, UNBC’s second-largest graduation ever in the region. Graduates include eight students with their Master of Education degrees, 15 Bachelor of Education degrees, six Bachelor of Social Work degrees, one Master of Arts degree, and a cohort of 21 Bachelor of Science-Nursing degrees.

June 4 - Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a - Ts’oohl Ts’ap Hall in Gitwinksihlkw - 1pm

This year, Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a (WWN) will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with special guest speaker David Suzuki and his wife, Tara. There are 6 students graduating with Certificates in Nisga’a Studies, General First Nations Studies, and First Nations Language-Nisga’a, as well as three students obtaining Bachelor of Arts degrees.

June 6 – Quesnel - North Cariboo Community Campus - 2pm

Twenty-eight students will graduate at UNBC’s Quesnel campus this year. They will include one Master of Science, one Master of Social Work, one Bachelor of Arts degree, and five Bachelor of Social Work degrees. The convocation will also include a cohort of 20 Bachelor of Science-Nursing degree recipients.

June 7 – Fort St. John - Quality Inn Northern Grand, Grand Ballroom 1 & 2 – 7pm

Seven students will graduate from UNBC’s Fort St. John campus this year, all with Bachelor of Social Work degrees.

Media Download: UNBC graduate Cherisse Seaton (PhD Psychology 2013) of Prince George, one of four students to receive doctorates from UNBC this year, will receive the Class of 2013's Governor General's Gold Medal for Academic Achievement.  In 2008, she received the most valuable scholarship ever awarded to a UNBC student at that time.

Additional Convocation Highlights:

• The Governor General’s gold medal for academic achievement will be presented to Cherisse Seaton of Prince George, who will receive her PhD in Psychology, and is one of four students to receive doctorates from UNBC this year. The silver medal will go to Colin Castley of Prince George, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. These medals are annually presented to the students who earned the top grades among all students graduating with master/doctoral degrees (gold), and bachelor’s degrees (silver).
• There will be a separate valedictorian for each ceremony, providing remarks on behalf of the graduating class. Susan Luong from Prince Rupert (BSc Honours Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), will address CSAM undergraduates. Sarah Tod of Prince George (BHSc Biomedical Studies), will address the CASHS Undergrad. Brenda Koller, MA English, of Prince George will address CASHS graduate students.
• Several University Achievement Awards will be handed out to faculty during convocation. Michael Gillingham, Jianbing Li, and Linda O’Neill will receive awards for Professional Practice, Mentorship, or Stewardship. Annie Booth, Henry Harder, Chris Johnson, and Andrew Kitchenham, will receive awards for service to the community and their professions.  John Sherry, Tracy Summerville, Andrea Gorrell, Sean Maurice, and Hiroe Wood will receive student-nominated awards for exceptional teaching. Alex Aravind, Chris Johnson, Matias Margulis, and Hugues Massicotte will receive awards for exceptional research and scholarship.