Fleming College

City of Kawartha Lakes ON – (May 30, 2017) – Fleming College will host its 50^th annual convocation ceremony for graduates of the Frost Campus on Friday, June 2 at 2 p.m.

Close to 1,100 students are eligible to receive certificates and diplomas at this year’s convocation. The ceremony, which will celebrate the college’s special milestone, will take place at the Lindsay Recreation Complex. Students will graduate from more than 30 programs within the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences.

At convocation, President Tony Tilly will present the Governor General’s Award to Zachary Steele. Mr. Steele, who had a near perfect grade point average, is graduating from the Fish and Wildlife Technician program. He has also been selected as the valedictorian.

As well, President Tilly will present the Charles E. Pascal Award for Excellence in Teaching to faculty member Katrina Van Osch-Saxon. Ms. Van Osch-Saxon teaches within the forestry cluster of programs and has been described as inspirational and a role model for her students. She is the founder and driving force behind the Women in Trees Conference and Awareness Day, held annually at Frost Campus. The event encourages young women to consider a career in the forestry/arboriculture industry and provides networking and mentorship opportunities.

For those that can’t attend, the college will present a live stream of the ceremony. It will be available here: www.flemingcollege.ca/convocation/live-stream.

Honorary Diploma Fleming College’s Board of Governors will also present a special honorary diploma at an awards ceremony at the campus earlier in the day.

John Macfie will be honoured for a lifetime dedicated to recording, teaching and writing about forestry and logging history in Ontario. His connection to Fleming College and its graduates began with Mr. Macfie’s work with the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, now known as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

He has spent countless hours interviewing individuals, collecting photographs, artifacts and recording historical events. He has authored several books and articles on forestry and logging history. He has also contributed a great wealth of material and information to Parry Sound District Museum (Tower Hill Museum), as well as articles and photos to the Fleming College 402 Museum, including a record-setting Black Ash specimen confirmed to be over 340-years of age. He has assisted Fleming College staff in collecting tree research data and material.

The awards ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. in room 250, the Glenn Crombie Theatre.

Ontario Colleges at 50: The Start of Something Amazing
Fleming College is celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2017. The theme for this year-long commemoration is The Start of Something Amazing, which signifies a new beginning – after 50 years of continued success in post-secondary education, Fleming looks forward to another 50 years of innovation in the college sector. As part of this, Fleming is proud to celebrate the many accomplishments of its graduates at convocation – one of the most important events in the College year.

About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Sciences, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has more than 5,900 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and 71,000 alumni.

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Media, for more information please contact:
Laura Copeland
Communications Officer
laura.copeland@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1370