SFU Convocation June 2024 - Ceremony D (Closed Captioned)

friends I am honored to present members of the six-time world champion Simon Fraser University pipe band [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] for for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I for e e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] those not in seed please proceed to the exit at the back and head east to the balcony for standing and the auditorium for a live stream viewing [Music] friends we have reached fire code capacity and convocation Mall those not in seats please proceed to the exits at the back and head east to the balcony for standing and the auditorium for a live stream viewing for for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] e [Music] [Music] for e [Music] [Music] [Music] e you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] see [Music] [Music] e e e [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] e e for e for e e friends convocation June 2024 will begin shortly we have a full house today I invite you to look to your left and look to your right if there's an empty seat beside you please move down to fill the Gap to make room for guests who do not currently have a seat for your enjoyment and safety during the ceremony please listen to a few important announcements as a courtesy to all our graduates and guests please remain seated and keep the aisleways clear for the duration of the ceremony this is required by fire regulation in the case of an emergency evacuation follow the directions of event Personnel to the assembly point which is located down the stairs behind you on the track and field please proceed slowly and carefully those with accessibility needs should proceed to Halper center located Northeast of convocation Mall today's ceremony schedule and program book can be found online please use your smartphone and scan the QR code with your camera app to view the information there's a water station near the fountain just outside of convocation mall at the back reusable water bottles SFU blankets and other gifts and moment are available for purchase at the Spirit Shop in the diamond family Auditorium which is on your right with today's cooler weather we invite those who are particularly cold to move to student Central located in the Magie Benson Center to watch the live stream of the ceremony in consideration of other guests we ask that you refrain from conversation during the ceremony and please put your cell phone on silent and for those near and afar we encourage you to share your photos and messages on social media using #y SFU grad friends the ceremony is about to begin please turn your attention to the screens [Music] [Music] now I'm pleased to announce the graduating class of June 2024 for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] than that's e [Music] that's [Music] for for [Music] [Music] all for [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] for [Music] e [Music] for [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] friends if you're able please rise for the platform party Hu [Music] oh [Music] spe for Fore [Music] h [Music] you [Music] h we [Music] [Music] I [Music] he emote chup everyone have a seat for last one standing has to buy me coffee Chancellor president BD School of businessin first of all offering our gratitude to our Chancellor and our president thanking each and every one of you students of BD School of Business thanking our elders our matriarchs our Chiefs and copies that are in the room we are grateful for honoring the slth kopish musim quum kai and gantlin families we are honored to see each and every one of you that song we shared with you comes from our Squamish ocean canoe family called Hil Manu Hil Manu is a the wife of the canoe we call cold they are husband and wife that song was choreographed in 200 five and we are honored to share that song with you and for the students of Bey School of Business I'm going to offer you a prayer oh chasm kaham asking our creator of all great things to give us the strength become our guid our guidance guide us through our life in to protect us from from this day and days coming and your one heart sat up on is Chichi excellent work and all the best in your future endeavors behalf of the Squamish ocean canoe family we are grateful for allowing us in your ceremony today chin welcome everyone good afternoon I'd like to start by thanking our cultural representatives from the Squamish ocean canoe family for getting us started in such a good way please join me in thanking them once again for their welcome and of course no convocation or celebration would be complete at Simon Fraser University without the music of the world famous SFU pipe Band Please join me in thanking them for piping Us in this [Applause] afternoon I'd now like to invite Olympia tomasa who is a fourthe student from The Faculty of communication art and Technology to lead us in the singing of O Canada for those of you in convocation mall and online please join us and stand if you able for the singing of our national anthem our home and native land and true patri love in all of us command with glowing Hearts we see the rise the true north strong and free from far and wide Canada we stand on God for thee God keep our land glorious and free Oh Canada we stand on God for thee oh we stand on for [Applause] the please be seated and now I declare June convocation assembled for the Gathering of degrees today's program book which includes the ceremony schedule and a listing of graduates can be found online please use the QR code and follow along as you wish Madame President members of the Board of Governors and Senate faculty honored guests gradu friends and family my name is tamarra ruman and I am the chancellor of of Simon Fraser University we're delighted and honored to have you join us for this fantastic 20124 convocation ceremony in attendance today are a number of distinguished guests in the audience and on the platform including members of Senate vice presidents Deans and faculty I'd like to acknowledge do Jerry Sinclair who will be conferred an honorary doctorate of science this afternoon Dr Sinclair [Applause] also Emanuel adaba a member of sfu's Board of Governors is joining us on the platform Emanuel welcome Elder Marie Hooper from the quiam first nation and a member of the SFU Elders program Elder [Applause] Marie and of course course our SFU alumni Legacy parents and families thank you for joining us today in celebration on the traditional unseated and continuously occupied territory of the Squamish slth musim and quiam peoples I give that land acknowledgement to recognize the rights that indigenous peoples have to the lands that we're currently on and to recognize the obligations I have and that the university has as a visitor on these lands every convocation ceremony at Simon Fraser University starts with singing drumming and a traditional welcome like we heard this afternoon the traditional songs you heard today are used to establish and signify the start of something important the start of ceremony so in the ways of our first Nations hosts the welcome acknowledgements and song solidify today's event as important ceremony thank you to the Squamish ocean canoe family and to each host nation for allowing us to conduct this ceremony and for welcoming us to your shared territories today on the shared territory on which this campus sits there are two indigenous languages traditionally spoken haminim and squish we are privileged to gather here on what is known today in English as Burnaby Mountain but which was first known ason by the Squamish people which means where the Arbutus spark gets peeled in the spring anal Toth is a slay place name for bernabe mountain for many years indigenous languages were outlawed by the government as part of an effort to assimilate indigenous peoples in Canada I speak these languages today in public and at ceremonies like this to contribute to their revitalization and to enhance our collective learning I also want to acknowledge that we gather today at a difficult time in the world we have all been anxiously watching world events and the news that follows we know that students at the SFU uh in the SFU community care deeply about our world world and we have different perspectives on global issues we expect to see some expressions of those perspectives during today's ceremony and in fact this expression is often a part of our convocation this is what makes a healthy university community the ability to hold different perspectives but yet still come together in recognition support and celebration of one another today is such a special day for each of our graduates and for all of the friends and families who have gathered here in celebration and support if you wish to express your views during these ceremonies I ask that you do so with them in mind well let me be the first to officially welcome you to the 2024 convocation Ceremonies for the BD School of Business welcome everyone being Chancellor of Simon Fraser University I have to say is a wonderful honor and I have the privilege of representing our University and community and abroad but for all of that by far my favorite part of of being Chancellor is to preside over convocation it's hard not to feel the energy and hope even in challenging times for the future when I look out at all the faces of all of the graduat that we have assembled here at SFU and I must say even way at the back I think I can see way to the back you look absolutely fabulous from up here as we move through the ceremony today I want you to remember that everything here everything around you the Caps the gowns the decorations the seats the people assembled here the words that are spoken this is all in ceremony and recognition for you what you have achieved to get to this point the values the learnings that have grown as your education has progressed as we invite you to embark on the next phase of your life and your career I recall a time when I graduated with my first degree I won't force you to guess how many years ago it's a while ago uh when I graduated even though I pursued business with a degree in history and one of the most important things I learned about history is that history is created human history is created created by people that may seem like an obvious statement of course human history is created by people but I think it's sometimes that we forget now history can be created by an individual that makes a significant decision that changes the Arc of things that are dire for the better but frankly that's rare most often all across the world in different cultures we see that it takes groups of dedicated people working together over time to create and affect the positive change they want to see this is an uncertain time in the world as we've said we're facing Global challenges that can seem insurmountable but I want to remind you today as you celebrate and you embark on the next phase of your life in the future that nothing is inevitable the future doesn't just something that passively happens to us we create it by our actions and we particularly create it by our actions together history shows us this after this convocation ceremonies there will be more than 200,000 SFU alumni out in the world that's an inspiring number more than than enough I think to affect positive change so please enjoy today's convocation ceremony whether it's your first or your second or third be truly present as a gift to yourself and your fellow graduat stay engaged pay attention dare I say stay to the end soak it all in and then as you leave this place I encourage you to think about the inclusive and sustainable future you want to create and how you can do that with the support of those around you it won't be easy but the good news is many of the things that got you to this place this afternoon discipline commitment courage those are the ingredients of your future success I promise you that you're part of the SFU Community now and forever so as you go forward I would encourage you to think about what you've learned here today and think about how we are better together we're so very proud uh to have been part of your lives for your time of study at SFU and we can't wait to see what you do next so on behalf half myself as Chancellor people behind me on the platform the entire university community let me be the first to offer you my heartiest congratulations congratulations graduating class of [Applause] 2022 I now call upon the president of our University Dr Joy Johnson to give her address Dr Johnson thank you madam Chancellor honored guests gradu it is a privilege uh to stand before you here today on the traditional territories of our host Nations and I want to say welcome I want to say welcome to all the parents the spouses the aunts the uncles the friends the loved ones who are here celebrating with us today and of course our biggest welcome our biggest welcome is to our graduat whether you're joining us via live stream or here in convocation Mall you are incredible I know that many of you uh that are graduating with your undergraduate degree uh experienced your high school graduation online or not at all and many of you started your University Journey at a time when classes were fully remote and I have to say it is so so very good to look out at all of you today and recognize the work that you've done you did it and it's fantastic to be celebrating together I have to say no matter how many convocations uh uh ceremonies I attend and the chancellor told me today it's been 77 uh this never gets old it's just a fantastic experience and that's because convocation represents something more than just getting a piece of paper and crossing the stage although that's important to it represents years of hard work late nights hours spent studying or procrastinating or both it represents the relationships that you've built really important relationships with faculty and with staff and with each other these are friendships that can last you a lifetime and it also represents a commitment that I hope we have all instilled uh in each of you during your time here and that is to build a more inclusive and sustainable future together one of our core priorities at Simon Fraser University is to engage in global challenges and when I think about this priority I think about how SFU brings people together from diverse countries and backgrounds with a multitude of lived experiences to learn from and to work with each other I think about the incredible work our researchers are doing to fight climate change and indeed today the time higher education named Simon Fraser University number one in Canada and number three in the world for our impact on the CL on climate change it's an incredible achievement our researchers are also addressing Global challenges by strengthening our democracies and improving Health outcomes and so very much more and of course our students are also learning to address and have addressed Global challenges in the work that you've done last year I was lucky enough to travel to visit our partners the aaon university and thanks to our partnership with Aku SFU students are participating in field schools at the Arusha climate Environmental Research Center located on nearly 4,000 Acres of ecologically important land in Tanzania and during that trip I met students who are immersed in New Perspectives on sustainability learning from the indigenous experiences of the Messi um and also partnering with researchers at Aku and into the community and they're doing this work to advance Environmental Research it inspired me so much to see our SFU students making an impact in such a tangible way and of course you don't have to go all the way to Tanzania to see this happening as of you students are leaning into Global challenges across every faculty and discipline and today we are celebrating students who've completed programs at the BD School of Business during your degree you learned how business can be used to address Global challenges through courses on ethics critical thinking and the intersection between business and sustainability I want to especially recognize those of you who contributed to your communities as members of the enactus SFU using the skills you learned in the class to combat food waste build community Through knitting sessions for local elderly and unhoused people and encouraging sustainability in the candle industry and so very much more you inspire me you truly do and very soon each of you is going to be officially admitted to your degrees you will cross the stage and move on to another chapter of your life and as you do I want to remind you that you have the skills that you need you have a community of alumni faculty and staff to support you from where I'm standing I feel hopeful about the future because of you no matter where you go from here please know that everyone on this stage every single person in the audience every faculty staff member who helped you along the way is so proud of you and always will be and so from the bottom of my heart on behalf of everyone here at Simon Fraser University I want to say thank you and congratulations [Applause] Madame Chancellor speaking of outstanding students who inspire me it is now my honor to invite Amanda kala who is graduating today with the Executive MBA uh in indigenous business leadership for her graduate address Amanda of the Squamish and mixed Europe is of Squamish and mixed European ancestry and is an experienced indigenous professional in the investment in the insurance sector she's recognized her inclusive approach transformative leadership and dedication to academic Excellence as a mother of two she embodies resilience and determination in balancing her commitments to community professional development and family responsibilities she plans to pursue further education and finance and Indigenous Investment Management it's really an honor to have Amanda addressing the congregate convocation today please join me in a in welcoming [Applause] Amanda well thank you president for that uh very kind introduction hotal CI CM C Amanda me good afternoon everyone uh respected and honored guests elders and relatives my name is Amanda kala I come from the Squamish nation and mixed European ancestry my heart is so pleased to be with you you here today what an honor and a privilege it is to share a few words with you and be recognized ized as a student at the BD School of Business grad as a and as a graduate at the B School of Business sharing space amongst The Talented dedicated Scholars that you have all come to celebrate on this special day welcome to coish territory I would like to acknowledge as well that we are gaed this afternoon on the unseated traditional territory of the musim Squamish and touth Nations and quum First Nation this is a place that I was born raised and gratefully still call home as coish people this is and always will be our home we are in relationship with this territory and we have very intentionally cared for these lands and Waters as they have cared for us since time and Memorial I would like to extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the faculty and staff of Simon Fraser University and the Bey School of Business alumni and contributors for breathing life into the indigenous business and Leadership Executive MBA program by recognizing the intrinsic and nent potential in indigenous Business Leaders and Scholars SFU has responded to the calling in preparing graduates to stand with pride and confidence in our traditional ways of knowing being and doing while representing our communities and taking up that space so that together we can all Embrace what is to come from that unknown place we call the future as a mature student and working professional my MBA has been a life-changing journey of transformation and it has been just as much about unlearning as it has been learning my experience has challenged me and those around me in almost every imaginable way and it has brought me much closer to my culture my identity my purpose and my values I am proud that through this experience I have deepened relationships developed new connections and created the space I needed as a leader to make room for what is to come in my life I've also learned that sometimes when there is nothing else you will still need to have trust in the process we are living in a time where Society often accepts the status quo can be resistant to change reinforces inequality by displacing power and normalizes the the lack of balance that exists all around us if I can offer any advice to the scholars who sit before me I encourage you to approach life and your career with curiosity and humility give yourself permission to not have the answers reach deeply within to push path past those self-imposed limitations and celebrate the unique gifts that make you who you are do not fear change and do not be afraid of changing in to be a leader in business today it's not just about occupying positions of power it's about creating space to share power this is especially true in indigenous communities where Collective wisdom stories and experiences are valued the teachings and resilience of Elders knowledge Keepers and CM free life into our communities and help us strive for that balance in everything we do from my own experience if you ask an elder a question and they answer you with the beginnings of a story you have been presented with an opportunity hearing an Elder's story is a time to stop and recognize that there is ancestral wi wisdom to this approach the story will be steeped in lessons teachings and plenty of nuance but it will be up to you to determine how closely you are listening and if you are doing so with a good heart open mind and willing Spirit if you listen carefully your decisions will be informed you will find the strength that you need to take the necessary steps forward in your own Journey according to Mentor esteemed leader and hereditary chief chapela matam chief lean Joe of the Squamish Nation absolutely everything we do requires intention our intentions must be rooted in purpose and when we speak of business Chief Leann's teachings are more than relevant and as we move forward our purpose must be generative and inclusive we must understand where we have come from and have a plan for where we want to go and we must carefully consider how we bring everyone along leaving no one behind I was once told by a wise Elder that what Ma matters much less is what you do while what matters so much more is why you do it it and how it will be of benefit to others and so it is with great intention humility and a desire to share the lessons that I have learned that I speak these words today from my heart we are not Spectators of life we are active participants your presence here today Bears witness to what Excellence success resilience and knowledge can become when intentions become practice and practices become purpose we are in un precedented times and still today we can gather and stand together with purpose at the Confluence of business culture Innovation and self-determination I'm inspired by what I see today haam [Applause] thank you thank you Amanda for those wise words and the words of your elders sure our graduates will carry them forward for many many years to come as part of convocation in addition to conferring degrees on our graduates the university also confers honorary degrees degrees are awarded to distinguished individuals in recognition of their scholarly scientific or artistic achievement or in recognition of exceptional contribution to the public good through professional or philanthropic activity their achievements celebrate our University's values and serve as an inspiration for all of us Simon Fraser University's honorary degree is the highest award bestowed by our University to present the honorary degree candidate Dr Jerry O'Neal no that's not it let me try again that was a blend of two people uh to present the honorary degree such a solemn occasion I feel I need to start again uh to present the honorary degree candidate Dr Jerry Sinclair I'm pleased to welcome Dr Dugan O'Neal Dugan is the vice president research and Innovation and a professor in the department of physics in the faculty of science Dugan [Applause] welcome Madam Chancellor I'm delighted to present J Dr Jerry Sinclair a Visionary leader whose can do entrepreneurial spirit has transformed BC's Innovation landscape and inspired generations of students at SFU and around the world earlier this spring after four years as BC's Innovation commissioner Jerry joined Vancouver International Airport YVR as interim CIO and Executive Vice President another bold move in her Dynamic cross-disciplinary career she began her journey rather unconventionally with a PhD in Renaissance drama from the University of British Columbia and it while and it was while teaching Shakespeare at SFU that she first found herself being drawn into the world of technology and so with a bold s side step to sfu's faculty of Education she went on to launch excite media lab the first New Media technology R&D lab in the country and its spin-off Encompass later acquired by Microsoft for the next 35 years Jerry would Embrace education and and Innovation as a way to improve the social and economic Outlook of communities and her contributions to academic research government policy and business education have been profound she was the founding director of the center for digital media at the Great Northern way campus and its world-class masters of digital media program as well as the first president of the BC Premier Technology Council and chair of Canada's national Telecom policy panel she served as a visiting research scientist both at ibbm research in New York and telica research in Barcelona she has also served on many corporate boards including Ballard power TMX group YVR Telus and the Canadian pension investment board and most recently she worked as a venture capitalist at Kensington Capital managing the $100 million BC technology fund investing in BC startups Madame Chancellor Jerry is a much laed business leader who has earned not one but two lifetime achievement awards over her remarkable career I ask that you now confer upon Dr Jerry Sinclair the additional honor of the degree of doctor of science honorous Kaza [Applause] Jerry Sinclair by virtue of the authority vested in me and in the Senate of this University I hereby enthusiastically admit you to the degree of doctor of science honorous Kaza congratulations Dr Sinclair will be hooded by Dr Peter Hall Vice Provost and Associate vice president academic and Tom KN University registar and executive director student enrollment [Applause] a these are notes [Laughter] picture it is now um an absolute pleasure that I call upon Dr Jerry Clair to deliver the convocation address Dr Sinclair wow this is a lot more complicated than I thought Madam Chancellor Madame President members of the Board of Governors faculty staff students distinguished guests proud parents friends and family and most importantly you the very talented accomplished and enthusiastic 2024 BD graduates of Simon Fraser University give yourselves a round of applause when talking about my long and varied career I often refer to it as my checkered past but the young hip people I am fort to work with tell me that the word checkered makes me sound old-fashioned and very uncool so I consulted my current favorite AI large language model and it told me that the term is generally used to describe someone who has a mixed or inconsistent background a history of dodgy or questionable activities a past full of up ups and downs often engaging in Risky behaviors well engaging in Risky Behavior may be somewhat accurate in my case having ventured into more than a few dicey situations during the course of my career as I jumped back and forth on the checkerboard of life from academic research and teaching to entrepreneurship business government Finance Management Consulting and venture capital and in some cases landing on the same square more than once recently I ended my third stint in government serving as the BC Innovation commissioner and here I am today at age 77 years old finding myself in a very unexpected new position acting as the VP of innovation and CIO of Vancouver airport holy smokes as my dad used to say how on Earth did that happen well perhaps the answer can be found in my favorite video game of all time Frogger which which I think provides a meaningful metaphor for my career to play Frogger you guide a cute little frog across a treacherous River by jumping from one passing log to another avoiding pitfalls while progressing to the next level the idea is to navigate your frog successfully to the bank on the other side of the river by avoiding falling off or colliding with anything thereby dying a terrible death and having to start all over again if you like you your frog could stay on the side of the river or it can ride on any one log for as long as it chooses but without leaping onto a passing log the player ultimately runs out of time and expires so I guess it might be okay to say that after a long career perfecting the skills of log leaping I am still very much in the game and to mix metaphors shamelessly I am also half straddling another log off the side of my desk as I attempt to write my Memoirs I'm calling the book lady Frogger of course and it is a rib tickling and spine tingling account of the adventure of an Intrepid not so young woman Mah at the dawn of the internet many of the stories in my Memoir are hilarious some of them are a bit spicy and some stretch the bounds of credulity like the time I penetrated an underground gang of teenage hackers who in exchange for me correcting their English assignments taught me to code and machine language in order to remove the copy protection from games was like Castle Frankenstein or Street Fighter or when while teaching computers and education here at SFU I took a colleague's very heavy portable computer to the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War to link kids in Moscow with kids in Vancouver in my spectacularly naive but Valiant efforts to bring about world peace upon my arrival I was detained for more than 5 hours at airport Port security and my computer was ultimately confiscated by Soviet officials and while I was there the kpg pointedly tossed my hotel room and emptied my suitcase on the floor and tore the film out of my camera and to make sure I really knew I was not welcome they continued to harass me by calling the phone in my room every 15 minutes throughout every single night and then when I got home our own Canadian Security ageny cus reciprocated by post clean cut men in unmarked dark cars outside our house for several months tapping our phone line and tailing me around home true another section of my Memoirs deals with my adventures with the high priest of LSD I told you a little bit spicy um the high PR priest of LSD Timothy liry who remembers him maybe two or three people I hope well out of the blue called me on the phone one day inviting me to LA to work with him on an interactive Adventure game for high school students based on his life where the player gets to choose whether or when to turn on tune in or drop out at one point during my visit we ended up at a private party in the Santa Monica Hills when we arrived at the registration desk on the heavily guarded perimeter of the property Timothy quickly grabbed his own name badge as well as one that bore the name of his wife Barbara lery and slapped it on my chest when I protested that I had never met Barbara nor knew anything about her he just whispered in my ear don't worry all you have to do is immediately start drinking and continue drinking until it's time to take off your clothes and dance nude on the table well I have at least another 20 Adventures that I want to share in this book not only because they're interesting and entertaining but because they also shine a light an important period in history and are also told uniquely from a woman's perspective but even more importantly embedded in these stories are a set of important learnings that may be valuable to young people who are starting out along their career paths as well as to parents of young children who are keenly interested in exploring the world and so to you dear graduating students with a special nod to my wonderful two sons both of whom I'm blessed to have here with me today and both of whom are truly inspirational dads I offer up the three most important lessons of my log rangling career I'm quite emotional about this this is quite a wonderful occasion anyhow lesson one embrace the leap constantly challenge yourself to try new things and explore new Realms don't be overly cautious or hang back at the side of the road waiting for the right opportunity to present itself don't be afraid to jump outside your comfort zone and if you already or eventually have kids don't overprotect them or fence them in with a tightly controlled schedule of play dates lessons and sports encourage yourself and your loved ones to Traverse Rivers explore Open Spaces test boundaries take chances and dance on the edge lesson two it's all about the journey you should not think of your career as a One-Stop destination with a fixed point of arrival but a series of stops or leaps along the course of an Ever evolving Adventure after studying Renaissance drama I taught Shakespeare for several years here at Simon Simon Fraser then transitioned to freelance journalism and research while raising my children my growing interest in technology led me back to to SFU first to take and then to teach Computing courses over 30 years ago right here across the quad I established excite the exemplary Center of interactive Technologies and education which was this country's first digital media research and development lab and in 1994 we created right here the very first website in Canada this adventure led me to spin out technology developed at the lab and to become the CEO of an early internet startup five years later I sold the company to Microsoft and I have continued to jump from one opportunity to the next as the endless stream of potential Adventures have flown past and finally lesson three learn AI I want to close by urging each of you to undertake a task vital to your future get comfortable working with AI for the past year I've been actively riding the wave of generative artificial intelligence struggling to keep my balance as I Teeter precariously between feelings of sheer Terror and intense exhilaration I'm exhilarated by the immense potential AI holds the power to create and innovate and to solve potentially the most complex problems facing us today my Terror stems from daunting questions about privacy job displacement increasing polarization hatred and social in equality and particularly the profound ethical questions and existential threats that AI poses well there is no question that we're standing on the brink of an era where machine intelligence will reshape every facet of Our Lives I am convinced that if you do not develop the skills to work along alongside intelligent machines you risk being replaced not by the machines themselves but by the person sitting beside you who has mastered AI I am deeply troubled by the fact that those who can effectively use AI will leave those who have not developed these skills increasingly marginalized and struggling to keep Pace but even more importantly all of you here today need to learn AI because the world desperately needs your young brilliant and fresh Minds to redirect the course of this planet towards a sustainable and Equitable future it's especially crucial that you the Business Leaders of Tomorrow work together to ensure AI Technologies are used ethically transparently and inclusively preventing misuse and ensuring their benefits are shared broadly you have the power to counteract the serious existential risk posed by the unfettered development of new technologies and make sure that progress is in the service of a world that benefits everyone not just a select few so with that off my chest let me offer my heartfelt congratulations to you the 2024 graduates of Bey of the Bey school at Simon Fraser University I invite you to embrace the adventures ahead head and leap boldly from one opportunity to the next your journey will be filled with challenges and triumphs and the occasional plun plunge into icy cold Waters but I advise you to make the most of every leap and above all enjoy the ride well thank you very much Dr Sinclair for sharing your checkered past um thank you also for um giving us a lesson in in Leap Frog or in leap Frogger in Frogger thank you very much and I want to say to all of you you'll be um welcome back for the book launch um of Dr Sinclair's book I think we're all anxiously awaiting it so um thank you ever so much and it's great to have you as part of our alumni here at SFU Dr Sinclair our alumni are incredibly important to us and we take immense Pride um in welcoming um all of our Alum to this Vibrant Community and I'm delighted to invite Simon mock uh who received a master's degree in Computing science in 1987 to formally welcome the graduat Simon Madame CH Madame President Dr Sinclair I'm afraid that I won't be able to share at my Checker pass with you Governors faculties and honorable guests and more important than you good afternoon to sfu's newest Alum line congratulations on your success today you officially joined a fantastic Community we are thrilled to have you just like this great institution that you graduate from SFU Alum line are making amazing impact locally and BC nationally and internationally our community as Madame President mentioned has over 200,000 Alum lines and you know what the amazing thing is we lived in over50 countries all of us we bring passion creativity and hard work to what we do we are committed to making a difference to building a more inclusive sustainable future for us to see and the generations to come we your parents your friends are here to support you as you embark on the next stage of your journey and we are excited to see what you will accomplish now you might say Okay accomplishment I bet you the the most foremost question on your mind right now is how do I land my next job now may I propose to you networking is incredible and may I also submit to you let the SFU Alum line Network be your enabler not only to find your next job and also it will give you the most amazing experience at the most unexpected time and places I can attest to this after 30 some moreat years of my own graduation I have the great privilege today to share in your celebration and also to witness our son Zach walking across the the stage to receive his degree and Zach I saw you so sit up straight please and and my poy Dr Sinclair I'm still trying to control my my Trill so dreams do come true and may you also have the Good Fortune one day be here to share your words and witness your future generations of their accomplishment as you walk across the stage today be proud of what you have accomplished stay connected to take advantage of the opportunity that s of you can offer and the service locally nationally and internationally as an Alum line you now are an ambassador of SFU in your community may you be the inspiration to current students and future students to strive for their Excellency to reach for their dreams and to fulfill their purpose in this world following the ceremony we invite you to stop at the alumni tent in the AQ Garden to pick up your SFU pin let the pin be the symbol of your incredible achievement and the connection to SFU once again congratulations welcome to this outstanding community and as Madam past president and Madam Chan said go forth create your future do what you love keep learning through your ups and downs be kind to yourself and to others opportunity and reward will find you thank you do and Mer thank you very much Simon so now the members of the graduating class will be presented to the chancellor um uh to be to be admitted on mass to their degrees so here's the question graduates are you [Applause] ready no they're not ready try one more time are you ready much much much better so will the graduants all please rise if you are able Madame Chancellor I present sent to you those Scholars who have fulfilled the statutory requirements laid down by the Senate of this University and request that you confer upon them the degrees for which they are now recommended thank you Madame President this is the formal part of the celebration the point at which you actually uh graduat and on behalf of the University I confer uh your degrees I'm often asked though if at this point of Celebration we can do like we do in the movies and take off our hats and throw them in the air in in celebration and and done but this of course as you know is not the movies and they would end up on someone else's head and somewhere else and so instead of doing that uh we'd like to in uh invite you to the time honored tradition of one I have uh conferred your degrees which I'll do in a moment that you move your the tassels on your caps from the right where they are when you're just a mere student and a graduate before you graduate to the left uh where mine is to signify graduation it's also one last little exam to see if you know the difference between right and left you ready by virtue of the authority vested in me and in the Senate of this University I hereby admit you class of 2024 to your various and several degrees congratulations [Applause] you may be seated so now the members of the graduating class here in convocation Mall will now be presented individually to the chancellor I just want to say when we designed this University we did not design a big enough convocation mall and um with apologies to those of you at the back um we recognize that this is the biggest graduating class that we have ever graduated and I think we're close to 650 so it's going to take us a while so settle in I have a few requests for those of you um here today so family and friends we welcome you to applaud to cheer and share the joy that you have for your graduate as they cross the stage but as a courtesy to others please remain seated and I know it's going to be a while but but please remain seated until the conclusion of the ceremony today is a day for celebration so graduates after you have crossed the stage I invite the doctoral graduates to join us on the platform here and to all other honored graduates and this is very important out of respect for your peers please return and remain in your seat until the end of the ceremony I want all of us to think about the people whose last name begin with Y or Zed I want us to show as much enthusiasm and respect for those people as we do for these people today and so I would definitely encourage you to return to your seats and so now the moment that we've all been waiting for the degrees in the faculty of Arts no the the degrees in the faculty of Bey School of Business that's a typo here in the Bey School of Business will now be presented Ed Madame Chancellor The Graduate of the degree of doctor of philosophy in the BD School of Business will now be presented Dr Joey lamb supervised by Dr leand pit Dr Joey lamb is a recipient of the dean of Graduate Studies convocation medal for academic Excellence Joey is passionate about teaching students to be ethic ethical marketers and researchers her dissertation has been published in leading journals and she has won numerous Awards including sfu's 2023 TD Trust distinguished teaching award she is currently an assistant professor of business at Trinity Western University and would like to thank the Bey family for their generous support [Applause] Madame Chancellor the graduates of master's degrees in the BD School of Business will now be presented Sago Marin amadi tipa Ahuja [Applause] slaya samak arore Marin ashtown melica Baba hosi Martina Bachman [Applause] Huber Andrea Bic Ghana Deborah Baker ramakrishnan banan [Applause] rupin batty Kendra bartu Nicole Diane bird Jason Bowman Sarah Biza loot Brink Emily Chang Katrina chapla Hannah Chri Amrit Chohan Douglas Chung Carol Chong chiu Chong Adrien Conway Courtney [Music] Cook Marcy [Applause] Seer shantanu Das Shrea dupta Noom Davidson Joe daa Jennifer Lise deiser kir daral s doia estar AG cherylyn Erikson morteza f f Tammen FZ f t Anna feri Taylor Fox Natalia gagos Olas Patricia [Music] George hamadan gumberry Cheryl Gilbert Ferguson Jahan Gil Janessa krippin Gladstone Maria Christina Gonzalez Michelle [Music] Graham Nathan [Music] gram Fatima gamani Brett hagger Angela Hamilton Marne Hamp Daryl [Music] harsh Jolene Hawkins Gary here mark Hilder Henry Hobbs Jen hang jacine ignatiev nid and Jared iron night [Music] traveler guav Kumar [Applause] Jan ravender cor Jer Shiloh Joe sh Riley [Music] Johnson Andrew shinuk K Sumit kapor Zara Kawa Saif Khan hiia carb Wy Kim dinder [Music] Kolar shriti kurup D lamb Nicole lamb Claudia pakka Lao Diana Rosa Lee ju Kellen Lee Libby Leo Ashley loen Marine Sophie lugie [Applause] Alita mver Owen Mackey Matthew McLoud Tracy [Music] McCrae mes Mahesh magdum Justin malalis [Applause] Stefania minusa Kina Marin Lindsay Martin Gregory Mason Lauren mathany Deepa Matthew Katrina April [Music] McDonald Grant Meek Andrea mza Tyler [Music] [Applause] Mitchell Tahira muhamed Zacharias [Music] mock Jenifer [Music] money dpy murara Taylor nen jiake chamar pis Dennis nen t hongen n jovar Singh ner [Music] Matthew Noti Paul olak Nang on Benjamin Orel Oriel James [Music] [Applause] ulet Joy pen Cheyenne parvas parvasi Hara fani shavia Mani paila Marana [Music] Pierce meabf poak [Music] Cornelius punon Angela [Music] Pressel tandi [Music] perch Niha Ry Tang Ella [Music] ryal Athena Dandan Ren hariman riar Kristen [Music] Rashard Avery Rowan [Music] Jr Aubrey Robertson Isaiah Robinson [Music] Janie row Kina [Music] Ryan Nicole Ryan Shelly Sage [Music] [Applause] Ricky Angie saltman Philipa [Music] [Applause] Anderson Uma SI Raman gotami milen shil Yuni sh Shas SHO [Applause] Stephanie shelman Maria Chantel Ladon skyers Tara Smith Natalia soloshenko hi young son Wells Jing Jing [Music] song Marta spir Marie H [Music] seal Denise [Applause] strini Yuko suda Sayed Amir tavakoli Lani Christine Todd Miller host Tovar Paula [Music] [Applause] [Music] Ward Amanda kala Samuel Wilson Steven woo Hansel [Music] woo J song D elenu RI Yang n Yip Lisa Young Sherwood y Abdul zah Chans hjo s Benjamin aink adola Haria bat Joshua Trisha Diaz Fabian Fernandez chanl Guan kanaka Gupta katos Gupta H [Music] HHO one [Music] HHO Ru Jacob Shrea [Applause] janua Sara [Music] kapor Sava hosani Mohit Kumar Shang [Music] Le Abdul musk M vant Patel Jang Chan Tren bavia Siti haret shti Akash Singh vishaka sing har Sun nazia tabasum bres vade Lilia vaj winner Waka Lynn we Tong ya ining [Applause] Madame Chancellor the students who have completed the requirements for graduate diplomas in the BD School of Business will now be presented s [Music] Amiri Naomi Anderson Neil buer Elaine buerano Richard Chung Cole Ellis shafik anayat Don fiser Robert Gil g Jing Indra Gil johal Kean kman Amy Mayo [Music] Molina Christina [Music] [Music] Mona Selena per per Mohamad [Music] Betty riddle Michael cinec shantana Thompson Alexia vidich Madame Chancellor the student who has completed the requirements for a graduate certificate in the BD School of Business will now be presented mancom Ryan Wong [Music] [Applause] Madame Chancellor the graduates of bachelor's degrees in the BD School of Business will now be presented Anisha Anisha pahura Anisha is the recipient of the dean convocation medal for academic Excellence at SFU Anisha won several awards for her contributions to the BD community and academic Excellence as a teaching assistant and BD writing Mentor she provided invaluable support to students she is currently pursuing her CPA designation as well as Graduate Studies and accounting with the goal of one-day teaching at a postsecondary [Applause] institution amran abdiraman Jason Abram ABD Salam aim K Aral zarif Ahmed Ibrahim alhak an Nichol almazora Jeffrey aam Michael anania Charlotte Anan Arwin Aurora Deepak Aurora doy Aurora Donovan Areno [Music] Ramy Arad manit Atwal Mera bakis Julia bake Navin Baines sjal Bali Lorenzo bardy Andy barrero Antonio barel barel Heron brayen bassi Dan basran Connor bin Katie Bender ragav Bala Kum bandal Keegan Blakeley McKenzie Bland Daniela bordon Stephanie bordin Young avatal bov Reed boo Ginder bra harit bra savjet BR Sebastian Brinkman Emma Brownell Sarah Buckingham Mila Bur Lorenzo capelletti Julia cavassini Jin Sito yubin gersan chahal Jamila chalala Andrea Chan Karen Chan Matthew Chan Scott Chan Stephanie Chan chick Kai Aaron Chang Javin [Music] Chang Jeffrey Chang W Jang Derek Chow Vanessa Chow kashish Chava Alex Chen kuang ly Chun Ron Forest Chen lilan [Applause] Chen Ming Chun pin chun chun Sophia Chen U CH Mark Chang Haley chairpack Daniel chur churazov Owen chuk Britney Chong Douglas Chung Jonah Chong Jordan Chang Cameron chin Joe chin Daniel Joan chy Nicholas Chong Alicia Chow Calvin Chow Evan Chow Luke Chow wask Sadam chadri Heidi Christie Nathaniel Christopher edin chovi Noah calling Christian kutti Emma kakis Kelly daoy Jordan dalstrom Priyanka Das Nicole David Rachel Davis EA deu Lorenzo debay Natalie K de Jesus Harve Dada Marcus diall Megan diall akum deep dami Maya Dari Shannon dingra Nishant Mahir Dua a DNA Emily Dickens H Ling D oh sorry VI Victor jini hin Ling Don song manav doat trani Colin du Gabrielle Marie Dort AJ Dule Ashley Dyer Adrien daa Amy edgman Muhammad yaser agaman Ethan deun de Yun Celia fan monish farani Timothy fat Hussein faaz Karen fun Maya Fernandez Sophia Fernandez Malcolm Fisk Calvin Fong Justine fr frelan Franklin kin Chong Fong himansu Gandhi Davis G GA [Music] jawe Cyrus Gaper Faria Galen Alexis Jano [Music] Nicholas georgopulos sarin gasin harlene Gan Hara gwani girkin wall Gil Harnet Gil jvid Gil Eileen gizm gizm it Nikolai gupit Cole Gorst Kelly gozali Mario Jr Greco Carter Andre Walter grer Danish greywall carer greywall miek grey [Music] Grover sayam Gupta Franchesco guzo ashleen Hans Mayer Hara Nathan Harbert Matthew Harris Tanya Hashem Mii Hashimoto Chang Kyle he Raheem hiri Lily ho mean an hang Pierce Holland David Michael horak Ling hang Vincent Hong Samy Hong Marshall Hudson [Applause] Z Hong Winnie Hong n h Michela yakon arib ikbal [Applause] Benjamin Ito Dominic jauchi Isa Jan Rahul Jan tanvi sanj Jan Shireen jumar say Jung Colby Jang Eric johal Madison Johnson Reed Johnson Sabine yala Nicholas Jung simit cair Michelle Kang EO [Music] kabid Carson [Applause] Keller hafton Kelly Kristen Kelly Sarah Kenny gvir rashit Kaa zanb KH aim car kangura musabi Ki Sayad Hower Rohan Kos kosla T C dwan Kim Emily Kim jimy Kim Matthew [Music] Kim ran Kim nitan CLA suena Ki gerver kuner Sierra kosai Puja Krishna Diana kulikova pavani Kut nikesh Kumar CH Lavina quar Russell [Applause] qua Mina labani [Music] Kiren [Music] lamb Fiona yangi Lao win Key Vicky Lao Christopher Lazaro H Trent Le Allison Lee carinda Lee Derek Lee Jackson Lee Jong Juan Lee Peggy Lee Samuel Lee Wilson Leong Sydney levington kza Lee Thomas Lee Sean Lena Lee singan Lee e Lee Ean Lee J Lee K kth hang Linn sorry Keith Lynn Anderson Leo Steven low Jordan lock Johnson Lou Rodrigo Lopez Amber Lot Isabelle Louie Nathan gason low Frederick Louie Ben lum Jane luong Priscilla louu Brandon Lee Joe wean Lee Muhammad tamore Ali madne Victor ma manri Mahal tajinder Mahal pavit mahil Evan Mack sh motra deep dendra Mali dinderman Jasmine manocha Michael Marcel Garrick Mard marder Nisha Maui Devon mea Alex manawi Robinson Messa Emily Mesmer bremond Meer teaming meow ra mawi Samantha Mikel Sandro mtic Travis millitzer Brian mil Brian miria Annabella montagano Dennis morose Rachel Morris Taran Middleton Amanda namash gurbaj nanar harit narang Jackie Annie yanis n [Music] da Duke dang nin Henry NN Christina n Nick Leong Nadin n Julie n Trang n vet an Nan Sky no Lorraine noira Hara nurad rahimi hoen Justin on Christine Joy ulio nazat Yasmin orpa uran pra oo navu P Kevin panar Michaela yongmin Park Nicholas Yun Park shantanu p John Peter Jessica fam n Knack n v Anam Tron f T Elizabeth fan Chan fam karanir plaha Mato Pato Stephanie punon Sarah Pope anit Kumar [Applause] Poley bonit bonit bonit Muhammad kasim eang Ting relle Tren ryel Fay radok Jay Ry Ria rajeshkumar Joshua Matthew rala J radan radawa arjent sing rangi azil rasani sagur raal J Paul Raa Christopher Albert raldo Regal Sarah Reynolds zavier robish show Basha s Karin sagu sneil Saha tanier Sandu Alexa Santiago Jason santosa Hamza sakib Sonam cor Saran Assad satarov Daniel shindel Laura Slater critic Sagal [Music] omit Sara Arlan sentil cantan Angus Sur fontain n Shah zaran J Shan Aaron Sharma Lauren Shaw Zoe shei Alexandra shagai Cerwin sh Luke Shen Leo sing Shen mamin sh zo MIM Sim Alexander Silva Julian Simon anhad Singh AIT Singh gor [Music] Singh sahib jit Singh Alex single Arash saness ARA Sarah small Daphne chuk Uso Georgie stanev Tate Stanley Grady staner de [Music] Steiner Callie Shirley m sing Su China Amber Sun Daniel Sun Kyle Sun Jeffrey Sunshine Daniel spakowski Fatima [Music] tasim Tana tahat Brianna tan adamu Tanaka T Hamza Twi Jasline Tiara Paul Thomas DH Chandra Tota Thompson Tien Scott Ming Tien Wilson tanoto fto Anthony Tomasetti Kendra toresen May anron nanha TR T Quin CH TR Viet Hong TR Vincent trun lyi Trin my Trin T chin ch [Music] mean [Music] trar sing mot Apple V van Sonia vasen Erica Bernice veloso Yuri venko Deanna volin Barrett Wagner arnor wallia B Wang W CH W ran Wang SRI Wang Ena elong [Music] Wang Yong W Celia one Michael wajay Jeffrey Wilson Brandon Wong Claudia Wong Laura Wong [Music] Andrea Adrien woo Marcus woo Vicky wo be Mary Seer Vivian Ean sh Wayne yanm Marcus Yan Juni Yang eing Yang Jing Yen y Eric E Brandon Yik Kimberly Yik Justin Yip Keith y lbna Jam Eunice Jamie U ming m leanen chi yun sha Yun charity [Applause] yua ashref zaker James B pronunciate sorry ch Joe and Jacob zebert [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yeah we are not yet finished our ceremony I'm going to ask the graduates out there yeah you're still here I'm like that thank you graduates please rise if you are able yeah now I'm going to ask the graduates who are still in convocation mall to come to the front so I can see you come on come to the front you are in the front I know but you know the ones in the back you can come to the [Music] front come to the front listen I want to say you have stain power thank you very very much and I am so honored that you're here today and I want to congratulate each and every one of you okay that's a front that's a front yeah you know the completion of a degree is an impressive achievement and I really I want to encourage your family and your friends to communicate their hearty congratulations and for those of you online in the mall and on the platform please join me in applauding the June 2024 graduates [Applause] okay and listen now you family and friends um are also here cheering you on so I would invite the graduating class to reciprocate by applauding your family friends faculty and staff and all those who have helped you reach this goal [Applause] okay I'm not going to ask you to be seated but just hang in there for a few minutes I want to Echo the president's thanks uh sincerely for those of you who remained in convocation mall and so enthusiastically cheered on your colleagues who happened to have the alphabet Lottery that ended in y or Zed it makes all the difference to have your support when they cross the stage so my sincerest thank you for [Applause] staying this completes the formal awarding of degrees some graduat recommended by senate for degrees today are unable to be present here in convocation mall and therefore their names have not been read out I now admit them to the appropriate degrees as shown in the program please join me in congratulating them in absentia before we depart I have several thank yous to make as you know an event like this doesn't just happen all of the organizing the food the chairs the decorations the process the screens are all all uh done by volunteers volunteer students volunteer staff and volunteer faculty please join me in thanking the many many volunteers who put countless hours into making this a special ceremony for each and every one of you today please join me in thanking [Applause] them graduates family and friends you're now inviting to attend the faculty celebrations that have already started I think behind me uh and so you will be able to find the location of those in your programs we really encourage you to stay and continue the celebration we're so honored to be able to share this special day with you and now uh this does bring to a close the formal part of this afternoon's convocation please rise if you are able and remain standing in your places while the platform party recesses thank you again for attending congratulations to all of the graduates of 2024 in the BD School of Business enjoy the afternoon good day for [Music] the

Channel: Simon Fraser University

Views: 1,784

Keywords: SFU, Simon Fraser University, Canada, BC, university

Id: Ae2-kpV2qeM

Length: 176min 20sec (10580 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 13 2024