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Category: 20th Anniversary MBA (FS)

Celebrating Milestones: The 20th Anniversary of the MBA(FS) Class of 1999

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Class of 1999 MBA(FS)
Graduations signify passages and transitions, of moving forward and of accepting new ventures and challenges.

Today, the Class of 2019 will walk across the stage to accept their degrees, marking the culmination of a rigorous academic journey.

“On behalf of the University Senate, we hereby attest that Dalhousie University has awarded the degree of…”

The emotions of gratitude and anticipation mingle together as graduates join the ranks of a vibrant alumni community. Even so, there is a wistful look back over the miles travelled since the arrival of the first textbooks.

Twenty years ago, on the eve of a new millennium, the Class of 1999 was the first to achieve the degree, MBA (Financial Services).

Over the summer months, I reached out to those who witnessed the graduation ceremonies under the banner of the Office of External Graduate Program.  The inaugural convocation of the MBA(FS) was a profound and moving experience for the students, but also for those who were applauding from the sidelines.

Class of 1999 MBA(FS)

Joseph A. Macdonald

Convocation 1999 remains top-of-mind to this day. I recall the following observations made that eventful evening. I have never been one to attend my own graduations. For me, the educational process had always been about getting the information and the designation and moving on to the next stage of life.  However, my commitment to attending the MBA (FS) graduations was 100%.

Since the 1996 beginnings, our administration team had shared our students’ journeys professionally and personally. We spent time reassuring them, tutoring them, listening to their challenges and even providing a shoulder when times were especially tough.

As I stood on the corner of the graduation stage and watched each of these dedicated individuals shake the Chancellor’s hand and receive their parchment from the Registrar, I was touched, to my core, with a sense of pride that comes from watching a sibling, a close friend or one’s own child graduate.  This was a far stronger and deeper feeling than anything that I had experienced following my personal achievements.

It was obvious that this group of individuals would go on to achieve much. And they have.

Michelle Hunter

Great reflection piece, Joseph.  While I was fairly new to the MBA FS program team, I felt a real connection right away with the class of 1999.  To this day, I beam with pride and get goose bumps as I watch graduates walk across the stage to receive their degree.

Morven Fitzgerald

I agree with Joseph and Michelle. I feel like my children are graduating. Every convocation leaves me with a warm fuzzy (and sad as they say goodbye) feeling.

 

Dalhousie University

CEGE Connection would like to recognize the contribution of the MBA(FS)Class of 1999 as they commemorate their twentieth-year anniversary. All our best goes out to these graduates on this very special milestone year. Thank you for your commitment to excellence, life-long learning and the communities in which you live and work.

To the graduating Class of 2019 – congratulations  We are proud of your success and wish for you the very best in your future endeavours.

Dr. Joyline Makani: Graduation 1931

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Dal200a

This year, the Class of 2018 will walk across the stage to receive their diplomas and step onto the world’s stage.   Graduations mark the ending of a demanding academic journey and signal the beginning of an adventure that awaits.  It is a time of celebration and anticipation, of farewells and of new plans.

The Class of 2018 has the profound honour of being the class that welcomes Dalhousie University’s third century.

In January 2018, I received an e-mail from Joyline Makani who shared a video that featured  the graduating class of 1931.

Dianne Landry, one of the Archives staff, discovered a 16mm film of the 1931 Convocation while doing some shifting of the collection.  We took the original film and sent it to our film preservation service provider, Media Preserve to transfer the film to digital. The digital files just came back from Media Preserve and Creighton Barrett, the Archives’ Digital Archivist has put the file up on our Youtube channel.  This 16 mm film was shot by R. Gordon Harris, the “Life Secretary” of the Class of 1931.

1931 marked the opening of the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and the year that the Statute of Westminster went into effect, giving Canada full independence in national and international affairs.  Those born in 1931 included Mordecai Richler, author, screenwriter and essayist, William Shatner of Star Trek fame and Alice Munro, writer and marvelous storyteller.

This archival treasure captures all the festivity and excitement of the Class of 1931. There is an eagerness to take on new challenges, a willingness to embrace life with exuberance and a hint of audacity.  This was the generation that would experience the economics of the 1930’s, WWII, and the massive technological advances that sent us into space.  Their voices may no longer be with us, but their hopes and efforts are embedded in the fabric of our nation, and in the spirit of a new generation ready to make their voices heard.

From all of us at CEGE Connection, congratulations to the Class of 2018.  We know that whatever you do, you will be remarkable.

 

Reflections on the Class of 1999 Convocation

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Class of 1999 MBA(FS)

Fall convocation is only a few days away, with the ceremonies scheduled for October 2nd and 3rd.  The Class of 2017 will walk across the stage to accept their degrees, marking the culmination of a rigorous academic journey.

Graduations signify passages and transitions, of moving forward and of accepting new ventures and challenges.

“On behalf of the University Senate, we hereby attest that Dalhousie University has awarded the degree of…”

The emotions of gratitude and anticipation mingle together as graduates join the ranks of a vibrant alumni community. Even so, there is a wistful look back over the miles travelled since the arrival of the first textbooks.

On the eve of a new millennium, the Class of 1999 was the first to achieve the degree, MBA (Financial Services).

Over the summer months, I reached out to those who witnessed the graduation ceremonies under the banner of the Office of External Graduate Program.  The inaugural convocation of the MBA(FS) was a profound and moving experience for the students, but also for those who were applauding from the sidelines.

Class of 1999 MBA(FS)

Joseph A. Macdonald

Convocation 1999 remains top-of-mind to this day. I recall the following observations made that eventful evening. I have never been one to attend my own graduations. For me, the educational process had always been about getting the information and the designation and moving on to the next stage of life.  However, my commitment to attending the MBA (FS) graduations was 100%.

Since the 1996 beginnings, our administration team had shared our students’ journeys professionally and personally. We spent time reassuring them, tutoring them, listening to their challenges and even providing a shoulder when times were especially tough.

As I stood on the corner of the graduation stage and watched each of these dedicated individuals shake the Chancellor’s hand and receive their parchment from the Registrar, I was touched, to my core, with a sense of pride that comes from watching a sibling, a close friend or one’s own child graduate.  This was a far stronger and deeper feeling than anything that I had experienced following my personal achievements.

It was obvious that this group of individuals would go on to achieve much. And they have.

Michelle Hunter

Great reflection piece, Joseph.  While I was fairly new to the MBA FS program team, I felt a real connection right away with the class of 1999.  To this day, I beam with pride and get goose bumps as I watch graduates walk across the stage to receive their degree.

Morven Fitzgerald

I agree with Joseph and Michelle. I feel like my children are graduating. Every convocation leaves me with a warm fuzzy (and sad as they say goodbye) feeling.

Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2017. We are proud of your success and wish for you the very best in your future endeavours.

 

Michael Archibald: Celebrating Milestones

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“I have never regretted that decision and the hard work that I had to put in to graduate.  I am convinced it was one of the best career decisions I made and that the methodology and structure was instrumental in broadening the scope of my knowledge and ability. It was fundamental in contributing to whatever success I have obtained in my life.” Michael Archibald on choosing the MBA(FS)

Michael Archibald

Michael Archibald

New Year’s Eve 2016 was a milestone for Michael Archibald MBA(FS) 2009. On December 31, 2016, he was awarded the insignia of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to banking in Grenada as chief operations officer of Fast Cash. For Michael, this was an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration.  It was also a time to reflect on the road travelled, to honour and remember the culmination of his efforts to give back to Granada.

CFAME Connection reached Michael at his office in Granada to ask for this thoughts on how the MBA(FS) added perspective to his work in the financial services industry.

 

Michael Archibald:

I chose the MBA(FS)for a number of things including the natural result of the progression of my career in banking and my own desire to reach as far up the ladder as I could. I was not what one would call a “star” pupil. In my teenage years, I was more interested in representing my school and my Island, Grenada, in sports like basketball, soccer and cricket. I got into banking largely by accident when I was hired as a Teller at the St. George’s Grenada Branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; a large Canadian international bank with branches around the Caribbean.

As I moved quickly up through the various jobs and levels at the branch, I became more interested in banking and my sporting interests as a player fell by the wayside. I was chosen as someone with “promise”, and transferred to Canada for a while as part of the International Audit Team visiting all their International offices in the Caribbean, New York and London as an Audit Officer. This is the time that I knew I was hooked.

I soon came to realize that I needed to further my education in the field, to improve my qualifications and my understanding of banking, business and related fields, if I was to realize my potential and grasp the opportunities that were becoming apparent to me. My circumstances would not allow me to resign and enter University full time so I enrolled with the Institute of Canadian Bankers and worked my way to becoming an Associate of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. I returned to the Caribbean at the level of Branch Management in both Grenada and St. Vincent and I knew that being an Associate of the Institute of Canadian Bankers was not enough.

In March 1979, there was a revolution in Grenada, the first and still the only one in the English-speaking Caribbean, resulting in the overthrow of the Government. The new Government asked for the help of young individuals in banking to form a new local bank with the idea of establishing an institution that recognized and understood our economy, our culture and our needs, better than international banks. I was selected to lead the team that formed the new bank; our results were extraordinary.  The bank experienced a radical transformation from the newest and smallest bank on the island to becoming the largest.

Being a small branch manager of one of the international banks does not really prepare you properly for the challenges of establishing and managing a complete stand-alone entity. I knew I had to further my education and understand the financial world better. I enrolled in and attained my Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and succeeded in the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in the United States.  But I knew I needed more as the bank grew to become the largest bank on the island and a pillar of our economy.  That led me to Dalhousie University in Canada and the MBA (FS) program. I have never regretted that decision and the hard work that I had to put in to graduate.  I am convinced it was one of the best career decisions I made and that the methodology and structure was instrumental in broadening the scope of my knowledge and ability. It was fundamental in contributing to whatever success I have obtained in my life.

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