This Year's Yukon College graduation is a hot ticket

Whitehorse – Staff at Yukon College work hard each year to encourage more graduates and their families to attend the graduation ceremony. This year they unexpectedly hit the jackpot, with tickets selling out two weeks in advance.

“There has been an unprecedented level of interest from grads in attending the ceremony,” says director, Student Services, Colleen Wirth. “This has taken us by surprise. Last year we could not fill the Yukon Arts Centre and this year we have people calling, wanting to know how they can get in.”

Wirth says the graduation committee has to work with a lot of unknowns. “Confirmation of successful course completion by our students has only just happened. During the planning we do not know exactly how many graduates we will have and even now we do not know exactly how many graduates will actually attend the ceremony.”

Wirth thinks this jump in interest comes from moving the ceremony up three weeks from early June to May. “Our hope was to enable more grads to attend before summer jobs, vacations and other commitments took hold of their lives.”

“Usually we average 30-40 per cent of graduates attending with guests. This year it has jumped to 66 per cent turn-out, with 143 of 218 grads indicating they will attend.”

The higher interest may also be due to this year’s main speaker. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo will deliver the commencement speech to graduates at the ceremony.

“Chief Atleo is a thoughtful and dynamic speaker. He is passionate about education and understands the challenges and opportunities present in the North for our graduates. We are excited to have him deliver the commencement speech this year,” says Wirth.

The graduation ceremony will be held at Yukon Arts Centre on Saturday May 12 beginning at 2 p.m. with grads and dignitaries being led from the College to the Arts Centre by a piper.

Every 2012 graduate who wishes to attend the ceremony will have a seat on stage; however space is limited for family and friends hoping to attend. The Yukon Arts Centre seats 418 people. On April 4, the graduation committee sent each potential grad a letter with details on ceremony preparation and how to obtain tickets. Between April 10 and April 27 every grad could pick up three tickets for their friends and family. On Monday April 30, 100 remaining tickets were placed on sale at the College Bookstore at five dollars each, with a cap of five tickets per person. These sold out in four hours.

Given the high demand, Wirth is asking anyone who has tickets, and knows they will not actually be attending, to contact the College. “Every year people end up not making it to the ceremony, so we may have seats available but will not know until just before 2 p.m. on May 12.”

The College is working with the Arts Centre to provide a live feed to a second room where people may watch the ceremony on a large screen. The ceremony will also be recorded and clips will be posted later on the College’s facebook page.

Any available seats in the theatre or second room will not be distributed in advance but at the door on a first come, first served, basis.

Contact:
Michael Vernon
Communications Coordinator
College Relations
Yukon College
867 668 8786
867 332 7353
mvernon@yukoncollege.yk.ca

Jacqueline Bedard
Director, College Relations and Int’l
Yukon College
867 456 8619
jbedard@yukoncollege.yk.ca

Shawn Atleo
Shawn Atleo is National Chief to the Assembly of First Nations. In 2008, Atleo’s commitment to education was recognized in his appointment as Chancellor of Vancouver Island University, becoming BC’s first indigenous Chancellor.

Atleo graduated in 2003 with a Masters of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia (in partnership with University of British Columbia, University of the Western Cape South Africa, and University of Linkoping Sweden).

Traditional teachings have guided Atleo to serve First Nations as a leader, facilitator, mediator, planner and teacher.