Planning for great grads
Convocation ceremonies mark the culmination of years of hard work by the graduates who are honoured on that big day. But they also mark the culmination of months of hard work by the many committee-members who have a hand in organizing the celebrations. This labour was the focus of the annual conference held February 23 to 25 by the North American Association of Commencement Officers (NAACO).
Under the theme Crossing Borders to Exchange Traditions, the conference drew more than 230 participants to Montreal this year. Delegates represented more than 100 colleges and universities across Canada and the United States.
They came to the Hilton Bonaventure from 35 states and eight provinces for two days of presentations and discussions on topics ranging from the use of social networking tools and being creative in a tough economy to planning celebrations in the wake of tragedies on campus.
Pina Greco, from Enrolment and Student Services and Susan Durkee from the Office of the Registrar were co-organizers of the conference, hosted by Concordia.
Durkee was delighted to be able to host colleagues from across the U.S. and Canada, saying, “It gave us the opportunity to show off both Concordia and Montreal as this is only the second time in the 11-year history of the organization that the annual NAACO conference has been held in Canada.”
Concordia’s President Fred Lowy welcomed a group of delegates as they visited the downtown Sir George Williams campus on the second day of the conference. Media Relations Advisor Fiona Downey was invited to give a presentation about how to attract media attention and its benefits for the institution, the graduates and other stakeholders.
Darren Dumoulin, Senior Advisor, Emergency Management, in Concordia’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety, spoke about emergency preparedness.
Related Links
• North American Association of Commencement Officers (NAACO)