U of S convocation includes installation of chancellor and performance by renowned Canadian soprano

The University of Saskatchewan invites media to fall convocation where about 1,070 students will receive degrees, diplomas and certificates. The morning ceremony will feature the installation of Blaine Favel as the university's 14th chancellor, and at the afternoon ceremony, Canadian soprano Edith Wiens will perform after receiving her honourary Doctor of Letters.

Saturday, October 26
9 am - morning ceremony
2 pm - afternoon ceremony
TCU Place
35 - 22 Street East
Saskatoon
All ceremonies will be streamed live on usask.ca
Convocation story ideas
• Blaine Favel, currently the CEO of One Earth Oil and Gas, is an influential Plains Cree leader who has made significant contributions to scholarship, education and the public good. He received a Bachelor of Education (ITEP Program) from the University of Saskatchewan, a law degree from Queen's University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has served as Chief of the Poundmaker Cree Nation, grand chief of the Federation of Indian Nations and also helped establish the First Nations Bank of Canada and the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, both first of their kinds in Canada.
• At the ceremony the Treaty No. 6 flag will be on display, an honour song will be performed by the drum group Wild Horse near the beginning of each ceremony and a smudging ceremony and Cree blessing will be performed prior to chancellor Favel's installation.
To media who plan to attend convocation
• Photographers may take photos from anywhere—except on the stage once the ceremonies begin
• Reserved space for media is located on the second floor to the left of the stage (all other seats are reserved for the graduating students and their guests)
• The route graduates use as they proceed to the stage must be kept clear
Detailed convocation schedule
For morning ceremonies, the academic procession begins at 8:45 am, speeches at 9 am and graduates start walking across the stage at 10 am. For afternoon ceremonies, the academic procession begins at 1:45 pm, speeches at 2 pm and graduates start walking across the stage at 3 pm.
October 26 - 9 am ceremony
Graduating: Centre for Continuing and Distance Education, Arts and Science, Edwards School of Business, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and School of Environment and Sustainability.

Installation of the Chancellor: Blaine Christopher Favel
New Research Award: Erika Dyck
Dr. Erika Dyck is recognized by national and international colleagues as an expert in the history of psychiatry and mental health. She joined the U of S in 2008 as Canada Research Chair in the History of Health and Medicine and is contributing critical knowledge to the evolution of mental health care in Canada.
J.W. George Ivany Internationalization Award: John Geisy
John P. Giesy is one of the world's premier environmental toxicologists. He has devoted his life to identifying some of the most dangerous pollutants in the environment and working with governments and industry to set environmental policy and change industrial practices based on sound scientific evidence. He is currently professor and Canada Research Chair at the U of S on the faculties of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Zoology at MSU.
Distinguished Graduate Supervisor Award: Bill Waiser
A specialist in western and northern Canadian history, Bill Waiser is professor of History and A.S. Morton Research Chair. He has been awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, named a distinguished university professor, and granted a Doctors of Letter. One of the things he values most about his thirty-year career at the U of S is the opportunity to work with young scholars and share the excitement that comes with their research discoveries.
October 26 - 2 pm ceremony
Graduating: Agriculture and Bioresources, Education, Engineering, Kinesiology, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Nutrition, Physical Therapy, Public Health and Veterinary Medicine.

Honorary Doctor of Letters: Edith Wiens
Canadian soprano Edith Wiens, a native of Saskatoon, has collaborated with the world's most foremost conductors and orchestras, including the New York, Berlin, London, Munich and Israel Philharmonic Orchestras; Boston, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and San Francisco Symphonies, the London Philharmonia among others. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and holds several honorary degrees.
Honorary Doctor of Laws: Anne Doig
Anne Doig is a clinical associate professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the U of S. She is on the Board of Directors of STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) and the Advisory Board of MEND SK, a program dedicated to preventing childhood obesity. Nationally she has served as president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), where she played a vital role in launching the association's vision of transforming the Canadian health-care system. In 2010, the Women's Executive Network recognized Doig as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
Master Teacher Award: Debbie Pushor
Transformative, positive, compassionate and energetic are a few of the word students and colleagues use to describe Debbie Pushor, an associate professor in Curriculum Studies at the U of S. She has a deep understanding of the field of education and passes that knowledge and passion to her students and the 29 graduate students that she supervise.

Award for Distinction in Community-Engaged Teaching and Scholarship: Lalita Bharadwaj

Dr. Lalita Bharadwaj is committed to finding solutions and understanding issues associated with inequitable access, supply and provision of safe sustainable drinking water supplies for First Nations, rural and remote Saskatchewan communities. Bharadwaj is a toxicologist in the School of Public Health.
President's Service Award: Lennard Fox
Lennard Fox, a clerical services employee in Student Accounts and Treasury, has spent more than 15 years providing customer service to U of S students who have questions about their accounts or want to pay their tuition. Fox's willingness to go to extraordinary lengths for students, especially those whose circumstances jeopardize their success at the university, has made him the face of the university for First Nations and international students.
Award for Distinction in Outreach and Public Service: Glen Hauser
For seven years Glen Hauser volunteered his time as faculty advisor for Huskie Motorsports, the college's student-led Formula SAE race team that designs, builds and races a racecar. Glen's expertise in information technology helped the team work with computer modelling in the design and engineering of the car. Under his leadership, the squad grew from a small group of engineers struggling to keep the team going, to a thriving cross-disciplinary team that uses the knowledge and experience of students across campus.
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For more information, please contact:

Meghan Sired, Communications Co-ordinator
Student and Enrolment Services Division
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-6068
meghan.sired@usask.ca
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