2010 graduate class is largest ever
Convocation ceremonies also produce first Engineering class, first Ph.D
6/29/10
Graduating students walk to the UBC Okanagan courtyard June 11. Photo by Aidan Whiteley
On Friday, June 11, UBCO graduated its largest class ever, an unprecedented 940 students, in a four-part convocation ceremony. The event also marked the university’s first Engineering class and the first Ph.D. recipient to cross the stage.
“When I started here there was just Arts and Science, and now there are five or six new buildings, more faculty, more graduate students," said Patrick Shipman, who now holds a doctorate in chemistry. "When I started, I was the only Ph.D. student and now there are two more I know of in chemistry, and I’m sure there’s more in other departments.”
“It’s a big deal,” says Marvin Krank, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies. “He’s a remarkable fellow; he’s done a lot of work. Nine publications.”
In order to accommodate the increased number of students and faculties, the UBCO convocation swelled to four individual ceremonies, up from last year’s two. Associate Vice President of Students Ian Cull sees this as a welcome change. “The nice thing about the four convocation ceremonies is each group of students is smaller," he said. "It’s a much more intimate event [and] it goes much quicker for family and for students.”
Cull expressed that dividing up the ceremony based on program makes the experience more personal for the graduates. “The people who are in the room are the people that were in your class, and I think for students that’s really important.”
By next year there may be as many as two days of ceremonies, according to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Doug Owram. “We’re a long way from the 24 [ceremonies] Vancouver has, but we’re heading that way.” The first of Friday’s four ceremonies was the 8:30 convocation of the Sciences and Engineering students.
This year’s class of Engineers was the first produced by UBCO. The program, launched in the fall of 2006, just received accreditation from the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. "The timing is perfect,” Owram explains. “You have to run them for 4 years first. So we ran it for 4 years, got the accreditation - it’s perfect.”
According to Shipman, there has been a shift towards research at UBC O. “It’s much more research-based than when I first got here," Shipman told The Phoenix. Shipman will continue his studies with a post-doctorate at the University of Western Ontario.
Krank believed that a shift towards research was a good thing. “I think people are now seeing that the growth in grad studies is something that will make us unique and enhance the research enterprise of the university,” he says. “It builds the undergrad experience because these are the people who are around in the labs, they’re the T.A.s, they’re the people who’ve worked with the faculty in instruction in integrating research and learning.”
“The graduate program keeps getting bigger so you’ll see more Master’s and Ph.D. students each year,” Doug Owram explains. “If you look at the classes that came in the last 4 years, each one has gotten bigger.”
However, President Steven Toope sees UBCO’s growth beginning to slow once the current construction projects are completed. “I think at this point it’s evolution, not dramatic changes, because all of the buildings are going to be coming up. I hope we’ll be able to make an announcement on new athletics facilities soon, and it’ll be that kind of thing.” With many of UBCO’s 2010 objectives already accomplished, Toope sees the focus shifting to solidifying UBCO’s role and what the school provides. “At this point I think what we’re really trying to do is make sure that this is the best possible experience for students.”
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