14 ceremonies over five days: uOttawa spring convocation returns in person

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, convocation ceremonies at the University of Ottawa are being held in-person.

Students, family, and faculty are celebrating at 14 ceremonies taking place June 6 to June 10 at the Shaw Centre.

“Exciting, we work so hard for this,” graduate Christa Mugisha told CTV News at the first of the 14 ceremonies Monday morning. “We’re finally here, so this is a big day for us.”

According to the university, three cohorts of 9,635 students will gather over five days to celebrate their graduations, along with 1,170 joining online from around the world.

“These students have been in front of their computers for two years, and full-time,” said University of Ottawa president and vice-chancellor Jacques Frémont, “and still, they managed to get through it. It’s a nod to their resilience, really, and for us to see them, to feel the emotion, is the greatest day.”

Brittany Wong, another graduate, says, “It’s nice to know that with the pandemic and everything, we got through it. It’s really exciting.”

HONORARY DOCTORATES

The university will also be awarding honorary doctorates to nine recipients for their “substantial contributions to their profession, to science and/or to society at large.”

They include:

• Dr. Vera Etches
• Edith Cloutier
• The Honourable Michèle Audette
• Dr. Jerome Bickenbach
• The Honourable A. Anne McLellan
• Dr. Molly Shoichet
• Mamokgethi Phakeng
• Julia Elvidge
• Paul C. Genest