The University of Windsor will confer degrees on nearly 3,200 graduating students during eight sessions of the University’s 105th Convocation ceremonies June 14 through 17.

• On Tuesday, June 14, at 10 a.m., graduands of the Faculty of Education (BEd, Technical Studies Diploma, MEd and PhD) and the Faculty of Human Kinetics (BHK, MHK) will receive degrees. At 3 p.m., graduands of Inter-Faculty Programs (BA-Forensics and Crim, BArSc, BES, BFS) and the Faculty of Science (BA in Economics, BA in Mathematics, BMath, BOR, BSc, BCS, certificates, MSc, DCC, PhD) will receive degrees.
• On Wednesday, June 15, at 10 a.m., graduands of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (BA Honours, BA, BSW, MA, MSW, PhD or certificates in these programs: Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Psychology; Philosophy; Social Work; Second-Language Education) will receive degrees. At 3 p.m., graduands of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (BFA, BMA, BMT, BMus, BPA, BSW, BA Honours, BA, MA, MFA, MSW, PhD or certificates, in all programs not listed above) will receive degrees.
• On Thursday, June 16, at 10 a.m., graduands of the Faculty of Engineering (BASc, MASc, MEng, PhD) will receive degrees. At 3 p.m., graduands of the Odette School of Business, (BComm, BBS, business certificates, MBA, MM) will receive degrees.
• On Friday, June 17, at 10 a.m., graduands of the Faculty of Nursing (BScN, certificates, MN, MSN) will receive degrees. At 3 p.m., graduands of the Faculty of Law (JD, dual JD, JD/MSW) will receive degrees.

The Convocation ceremonies will be streamed live over the internet at: http://www.uwindsor.ca/graduation-convocation/.

Online ordering of presentation flowers is a new feature of this session’s Convocation ceremonies and is available at: www.ConvocationFlowers.ca/index.php/windsor.

The University’s sponsorship of a concert featuring singer-songwriter David Ford with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra heralds a closer relationship between the orchestra and the School of Creative Arts, says president Alan Wildeman.

“We have a long-standing collaboration with the WSO and continue to look for ways to develop the relationship to the benefit of the Windsor-Essex community,” Dr. Wildeman says. “We are excited to have David Ford returning to Windsor, and to help us showcase the additional opportunities for partnership as we prepare for the opening of the downtown campus of our School of Creative Arts, just around the corner from the symphony’s home in the Capitol Theatre.”

Ford will be accompanied by WSO strings for the concert on Saturday, June 11. Profits from the event will go to the WSO.

"David is an inspired musical artist, twice being recognized in the UK with Album of the Year by the Sunday Times,” says Wildeman. “He is a great song-writer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer, and I know he is thrilled to be playing with players from the WSO.”

Ford says the program will feature a selection of songs from his previous recordings that will be re-shaped by the collaboration.

“For me it’s an opportunity to present old songs in new ways, to bring out different elements hiding in the music,” says Ford. “The sound of string instruments playing together is just a unique kind of beauty that can turn a good show into something kind of magical.”

The Capitol Theatre is located at 121 University Avenue West. Find more information about the concert, including ticket details, on the orchestra’s website.

A reception June 10 will offer the public a chance to meet contributors to Locale, an exhibition of hundreds of imaginative works by Windsor-Essex students in grades 9 to 12.

Hosted by the School of Creative Arts, the annual secondary student exhibition boasts entries in a variety of media: paintings and prints, photography and video, machined metal, papier-mâché and more. It is on view daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the SoVA Projects Gallery, LeBel Building.

Friday’s closing reception runs 6 to 8 p.m.

After gaining 30 pounds and having no energy, Giovanna Abraham, administrative assistant to the executive director of Facility Services, knew she had to make a change.

“I began lifting weights in March 2015 and I fell in love with it,” she says. “I quickly discovered how lifting weights and cardio gives me a ton of energy and releases endorphins, which makes me feel really amazing.”

As exercise became her hobby, she found herself competing in a fitness show—placing first in her category in September.

“I didn’t really know what to expect as I had never been exposed to a bodybuilding show, but by the morning after the competition, I knew I had to do it again,” Abraham says. Her next competition is a provincial tournament in London in August.

She is now passing on the knowledge she has gained by leading a “Booty Blast” class for UWindsor employees through Campus Recreation.

“When I first went to the gym, I felt a bit awkward and frumpy and had some people come up to me to correct my form, which was great,” she says. “Being new to the machines, it was important for me to learn proper form to prevent injury.”

She says that getting on track with health and fitness is a process.

“Overnight transformation is not the norm. You must have patience with yourself because it is a lifetime journey,” says Abraham. “You just need to be consistent and pick yourself right up if you ever fall. True achievement are those feelings of strength, energy, wellness and confidence that you gain.”

Her class runs noon each Wednesday in the Education Gym. She recommends it to fellow staff members.

“We’re really lifting and toning the lower body as well as upper body,” she says. “It is a great class to get your booty sculpted in time for the summer.”

Find more information and register online through Campus Recreation.

The UWindsor Welcome Week committee invites individuals and organizations to submit proposals for events for the annual fall orientation week, which this year will run September 4 to 10.

The committee is also accepting event proposals for any events to be held in September that are appropriate for promotion as UWindsor Welcome Month.

All events must be inclusive and accessible for all, and must contribute toward at least three of the desired outcomes:

• Orienting students to campus;
• Building a sense of community;
• Fostering school pride, civility and tradition;
• Promoting wellness and inclusiveness; and
• Enhancing a sense of fun and excitement.

Faculty members organizing Academic Program Orientations for departments are asked to complete a separate event notification form.

Event proposals are due June 30 and the Academic Program Event Notification is due July 17 for inclusion in promotional materials that will be distributed in August and September.

All forms, planning guidelines and details are accessible on the UWindsor Welcome Week website. For further information, contact Amber Norman at anorman@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000, ext. 3462.

Two UWindsor drama alumni will present a duo of solo performances this week during the London Fringe Festival.

Billy Chandler and David Hudyma, both of whom completed their degrees this spring, have reworked material from a fourth-year character study assignment into “Out of Our Hands,” a duo of one-man shows.

Chandler says both men find life is sometimes a one-sided conversation or a moment of silence.

“David’s character is living with epilepsy, and at a turning point where he must decide whether or not to get a life-changing surgery,” says Chandler. “My character is a poet whose partner has lost his hearing, so his art has to adapt to the limitations thereof. He works towards creating poetry with and through sign language to share his performance with his partner.”

The show opened on the weekend and will enjoy four more performances: June 7, 9, 10 and 11, at the Arts Project in downtown London. Find details and ticket information on the London Fringe website.

The Organization of Part-time University Students (OPUS) invites new part-time undergraduates to an open house that will provide information on the programs and benefits it offers members.

Attendees will have the opportunity to speak to representatives of the admissions and registrar’s offices, and to hear from a panel of those with experience taking courses on a part-time basis—both current students and graduates.

The event will run 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 6 p.m. on June 21 and 23 in the Ambassador Auditorium, CAW Student Centre.

Organizers ask that those intending to participate RSVP by Friday, June 17, by phoning 519-971-3603 or e-mailing opus@uwindsor.ca.

Lot W, located between the Medical Education and Odette buildings, will close as of noon Friday, June 10, for the construction of the David A. Wilson Campus Commons.

The new commons area will feature a basketball court, performance stage, meeting and gathering spots.

The majority of the parking lot will remain closed permanently, says John Regier, manager of environmental services. Learn more about the closure on the Facility Services website.