Canadian Senator Gwen Boniface headlines Georgian’s Celebration of Excellence May 3
May 4, 2018
Georgian celebrated excellence, teaching and the end of a great semester on May 3 at the Barrie Campus.
The tone was set by an exquisite keynote presentation by Canadian Senator Gwen Boniface.
Senator Boniface has had a career of firsts. She was the first female Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and the first female President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. During her time with the OPP, she completed her bachelor’s degree, a law degree and was called to the Bar in Ontario. Her work also took her to Ireland and then the United Nations and Washington, DC. She was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2016.
Following Senator Boniface’s inspiring talk, the Georgian Board of Governors Awards of Distinction ceremony commenced. The awards celebrate Georgian employees, graduates and community partners who have made an outstanding contribution to the college and who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence.
The board recognized two local Barrie entrepreneurs, Chris Adams and Peter Moore, each with a Community Partner Award.
Adams, a serial entrepreneur, has given to the college in many ways. For example, with the help of his campaign co-chair Jessica Larche, he developed the Fund50 Campaign that attracts 50 donors to contribute $50 over 50 months. Proceeds support Georgian’s Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre.
Moore, decided several years ago to generously donate $250,000 to establish the Peter B. Moore Changemaker Space at the Barrie Campus. The space is a beehive of 
activity and students from across Georgian use it to collaborate on changemaking projects and startup initiatives. He also serves as a judge during the Georgian Den competition.
Distinguished Alumni Awards were presented to two graduates who have made a significant contribution in their field while serving as a college ambassador.
The first recipient, Carol Anne McLay, graduated from Georgian’s Medical Secretarial program in 1968 – the first class to graduate from the college. The second recipient, Mike Maurice, is a graduate of Georgian’s Environmental Technology program and a 2015 Premier’s Award nominee.
The morning wrapped up with a special presentation by the Coordinating Committee of Vice Presidents Students. Jason Hunter, its Chair, presented retired Georgian Vice President Catherine Drea with the Art King Award for her outstanding contributions to the Ontario college system and efforts to champion students and student services.
The celebrations continued well into the afternoon with Georgian’s annual Focus on Teaching Conference, Teaching Excellence Awards and a keynote by James L. Lang, a Professor of English and the Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College in Worcester, MA.