Douglas R. Stollery Convocation Address June 15, 2016 Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Convocation address Your Honour, Lieutenant Governor Mitchell, Chancellor Young, President and Vice-Chancellor Turpin, Board Chair Phair, Elder Buffalo, graduates and distinguished guests: It is a great honour to serve as Chancellor of the University of Alberta and to have the opportunity to address you this afternoon. To Ms. Carolyn Campbell, Dr. Kristopher Wells and Justice Sheila Greckol, thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your friendship. And thank you for encouraging me to embark on this journey and for your support each step along the way. To the University, and particularly to the Senate of this great institution, thank you for placing your trust in me. With the help of my husband, Scott Graham, I pledge to do my utmost to advance and support the interests of the University and the communities that it serves. In undertaking this role, I am following in the footsteps of some of the leading citizens of our province, including our outgoing Chancellor, Ralph Young, who has served this institution with distinction. Ralph s accomplishments as Chancellor are too numerous to recite, but I would like to make special mention of his work relating to student mental health. Under his leadership, the Senate of our University has undertaken an initiative to raise awareness of this very important issue and has established an endowment fund to support the mental health and wellness of our many diverse students. Page 1
To our graduates, congratulations on achieving this important milestone. I know how hard you have worked to reach this day the countless books and articles you have read, the countless classes you have attended, the countless essays and examinations you have written. I know as well of the sacrifices you have made, the costs you have incurred, the sleep you have foregone, and the stress you have experienced. But I am also sure that along the way you have enjoyed the excitement of discovery and of learning, you have shared the benefit of your knowledge and opinions with your classmates and professors, and you have made friendships that will last you a lifetime. And today, we are here to recognize your many achievements. To the parents, grandparents, spouses, partners, children and friends of our graduates, congratulations and thank you. It is through your support, your encouragement, and your own sacrifices that those you love are here today being recognized as graduates of the University of Alberta. If I may, I would like to offer some personal reflections on why a university education is so important to our shared future as a society. Forty years ago almost to this day, I had the great privilege of crossing this floor to receive my law degree from the University of Alberta. The education I received provided me with the knowledge and skills to launch my career as a lawyer which has been remarkably rewarding and for which I am eternally grateful. The practice of law was different then. Forty years ago, there were no desk-top computers or lap-tops or ipads. There was no voice-mail. Written communications arrived once daily in the form of letters. Research was undertaken in libraries, with actual books. There was no Wikipedia, no You Tube, no Facebook. Twitter was a noise made by birds. And the law was very different then. As just one example, at that time, we had no Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Unlike today, the validity of a law was not viewed through the lens of how it corresponded with our fundamental values like equality, freedom of expression, religion and association. Page 2
Of course, change has not been limited to the law. Every element of study, every element of human endeavour, every aspect of our society has been subject to monumental changes over the past 40 years. The pace of change continues to increase rapidly. And you, our most recent graduates, will play an important role in leading that change. Those of you in Modern Languages and Cultural Studies and in Music will help to shape our future culture. Those of you in Philosophy, Political Science and Criminology will help to shape our core values and protect and strengthen democracy and the rule of law. Those of you in Psychology and Sociology will help our citizens to cope and indeed to thrive in our complex society. Those of you in Women s and Gender Studies and in Native Studies will help to build a society where all citizens share equality of opportunity, where truth is known and reconciliation is achieved. And those of you in Communications and Technology will be at the forefront of innovation, helping to ensure that we all better understand each other. It is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to predict the future. But one thing we can be sure of over the course of your life, things will change in ways that we cannot now imagine. Careers we know today will disappear. Careers beyond our current comprehension will take their place. For many of you, today s dreams will become the future s reality. The true value of your education at the University of Alberta has been to prepare you to embrace this change. It has taught you how to learn. It has prepared you for a commitment to continuous learning that is essential to thrive through the process of change. The fact that you are here today is a testament to your hard work, your dedication and your intellect, all of which are critical to your ongoing success in this world of transformation. Page 3
I hope your education at the University of Alberta has helped you to develop your own set of core values. It is those values that help to guide us through the process of change and the unknowable future. They are the lighthouse in the fog, the compass in the forest. They keep us focused on what is most important. For we do not measure progress in our society solely through growth in Canada s Gross Domestic Product. Fundamentally, we measure progress by how we treat those in our society who are most vulnerable. And we do not measure the worth of individuals through their wealth or their celebrity, but rather through their compassion for our fellow citizens. It is that element of compassion that is the foundation of our civilization. It is our humanity. We have witnessed the compassion of people in Alberta and across Canada over recent months as we have welcomed refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries. And we have witnessed that compassion in recent weeks as Canadians have rallied together to support the people of Fort McMurray, including here on our very own campus. With your degrees in hand, you can make a positive difference in our world. I am confident you will make a positive difference in our world. You will do so through the relationships you will make, the beauty you will create, the books you will write, the students you will teach, the technologies you will develop, the structures you will build, and the organizations you will lead. You will do so through the families you will raise, the parents you will care for, and the friends you will support through their times of crisis. And you will do so through your acts of kindness to people you may not even know, through your volunteer service and your charitable donations. Most importantly, you will do so through your compassion. In closing, if I may offer one piece of final advice Throughout your lives, make time for others. Ultimately, it is the most rewarding thing you can do. As Ghandi said: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Page 4
The vision of the University of Alberta is to be one of the world s great universities for the public good. The work of our alumni and the compassion of our alumni is critical to achieving that vision. By way of example, consider the contributions that our installation presenters all U of A alumni have made to our community. Justice Sheila Greckol has been a leader in the advancement of human rights in Alberta, across Canada, and throughout the world. Ms. Carolyn Campbell, as well as being an accomplished artist, has led this University to the forefront of continuing adult education. And Dr. Kristopher Wells has been a champion for the rights of LGBTQ youth, including his support for the development of Camp fyrefly, NoHomophobes.com, and PrideTape, along with his remarkable partners and colleagues. And with today s Convocation, the baton is passed to you, to build on the work of these leaders and to help build a more just and compassionate society. Henry David Thoreau once said: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Let me add to Thoreau s invitation, Serve your communities to the best of your ability. Make your own dreams, and those of others, come true. Congratulations to each and every one of you! Page 5