The celebration of Kenneth McRoberts 15 years as Principal of Glendon took place in a very cheerful atmosphere with a crowd of over 220 people who came to recognize his outstanding contributions. (The live link to the celebration of the Principal Kenneth McRoberts will be available on Glendon’s website after July 21, 2014.)
Professor Andrew Clifford, incoming Chair of the Faculty Council, introduced the guests and those who made a speech in honor of Prinicpal McRoberts. The speakers, in order, were: York University President and Vice Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, who gave the opening remarks, followed by a message from the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, which was read by Professor Andrew Clifford. The speeches continued with Ms. Janine Griffore, Assistant Deputy Minister French-Language, Aboriginal Learning & Research Division at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Each of the following presenters could only reiterate the importance of the work done by the Principal over the past 15 years. They all applauded the fact that Glendon is now on a roll to success and to a bright future thanks to the new programs and the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for French-language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.
The following guests also spoke: Ms. Rhonda Lenton, Ph. D., York University Vice-President, Academic & Provost, the Honourable Paul Rouleau, Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal & Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, Ms. Julie Lutete, Vice-President of the Assembly of the Ontario Francophonie, Professor Alain Baudot, Professor Emeritus of humanities at Glendon and Founding Director of GREF who gave a pre-recorded speech as he was abroad.
Other speakers included Mr. Kevin Ladouceur, first year Master’s student at the Glendon’s School of Public and International Affairs and President of the Public and International Affairs Student Association, Mr. Jean-Louis Roy, President of Partenariat International on Foreign Relations and Montreal member of the Advisory Committee of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs, Ms. Betty Gormley, Executive Director at Canadian Parents for French, and Professor Albert Tucker, former principal of Glendon College. The speeches ended with the Honourable Gregory Sorbara, Chancellor of York University and alumnus of Glendon College (BA’78, LLB’81, LLD’13).
All the speeches recognized and emphasized the immense success of Kenneth McRoberts from the renewal of Glendon in its early days and early development, to its spectacular rise of the prominent place it has provided to bilingual professors. Everyone celebrated his efforts for the Francophonie and for the Francophile Franco-Ontarian; the new opportunities obtained to ensure the construction of the Centre of Excellence and the growth of French programs which will be developed in 2014 and 2015. Mr. Albert Tucker, former Principal of Glendon said that if Escott Reid was the founder of Glendon in 1966, Kenneth McRoberts is the second founder who secured the future of Glendon.
The Principal spoke afterwards and thanked all those who attended and those who have helped him realize the significant growth potential of Glendon. He also thanked all those who helped him in his journey as Principal of Glendon and he concluded by wishing that although Glendon is small, it is necessary for those who pave its destiny, to see and aim big.
It is with a standing ovation that Principal McRoberts was once again thanked for his many years of hard work which produced the Glendon that we know today.
The ceremony was honored by the presence of the following dignitaries: Mr. Jean-François Casabonne Masonnave, Consul General of France in Toronto, Ms. Jocelyne Chaput, Senior Vice President and Investment Advisor, Private Banking Dundee Goodman and member of the Advisory Committee Glendon, the Honourable David Collenette, Distinguished Fellow, Glendon College, Ms. Marie-Lison Fougère, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and Programs Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the Honourable John Godfrey, Headmaster, Toronto French School, Dr. Donald Ipperciel, Vice-Dean of Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta and the new Principal of Glendon College, Mr. Claude Lamoureux, member of the Glendon Advisory Committee, Mr. Guy Matte, Executive Director, The Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue and member of the Glendon Advisory Committee, Mr. Jacques Naud, Vice-President, Sales and Distribution, Knowledge First Financial and member of the Glendon Advisory Committee and Mr. Francisco Pascual de Parte, Consul General of Spain in Toronto.
We invite you to listen to the speeches as soon as they are posted on the Glendon website.
To view pictures of the event, please CLICK HERE.
By Marie-Thérèse Chaput
