Media Release - For Immediate Release
October 3 2010
Convocation: A Time for Students and Parents
Dr. Robert P. Kelly, Saint Mary's new Chancellor, presided over Fall Convocation on October 3 at the World Trade and Convention Centre. 
Saint Mary's newest Honorary degree holders: Jeff and Debra Moore, pioneers of the co-operative movement, and Jim Bennet, broadcater and author. 
Nicole Matthews of Westphal offers the Valedictorian address during Fall Convocation Oct. 3. |
They clapped. They cheered. They whooped for joy.
More than 200 Saint Mary's students and their parents weren't shy about showing their delight as graduates crossed a stage at the World trade and Convention Centre Sunday afternoon to receive long-sought degrees.
Parents and relatives from more than a dozen different countries were on hand to see their sons or daughters complete their time at the University and then afterward thank faculty members for helping guide their children toward the next chapter in their lives.
Jim Bennet, a composer of some the East Coast’s best-loved humorous songs, and one of three individuals presented an Honorary degree at the ceremony, offered up a humourous retrospective on how society has changed over the past 40 years. He made the point, however, that whether you are using ink wells, or a computer keyboard, respect for language was of key importance. (His speech)
Prior to that address, President J. Colin Dodds and outgoing Chancellor David Sobey assisted in the induction of Dr. Robert P. Kelly, CEO of BNY Mellon, as the new Chancellor for the University. He replaced Dr. Sobey who has served with distinction in the role for the past three years.
Dr. Kelly reminded the group that the ceremony was as important to parents as it was to the graduates. Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Governor General for St. Kitts, was one of those parents. He attended Convocation to watch his son, Cuthbert Sebastian Jr., graduate.
The Valedictorian address was given by Commerce student Nicole Matthews of Westphal. The Hooding Candidate was Veron Lake of St. Kitts, in the Caribbean. Lake received a special round of applause as it was noted he was heading off to further his learning at the London School of Economics.
Debra and Jeff Moore, co-founders of Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-operative and pioneers in the co-operative movement were also presented honorary degrees.
Our Honorary Degree Recipients and the New Chancellor
Debra and Jeff Moore
While the couple has travelled extensively listening to stories of injustice from people living in some of the most forgotten paces on the planet, their social development activities started close to home in 1981 with the founding of L'Arche Homefires, a community for the intellectually challenged in Wolfville. The couple developed the program from a concept into a vibrant, not-for-profit organization encompassing four residential homes as well as a day program and workshop with a retail outlet.
Together, and apart, they have sat on numerous regional development committees, served as trustees on church boards, and offered their advice on projects ranging from the development of a cinema co-op, to the creation of services for individuals with special needs.
In 1996 they collaborated with friends and founded Just Us! Coffee Roasters, a worker owned co-operative, with friends, creating Canada’s first certified Fair Trade roasted coffee business, and setting the wheels in motion for international trade system that establishes relationships with growers in marginalized regions and ensures they receive fair and equitable prices for their products.
Named as the 2007 Distinguished Co-operator of the Year in Nova Scotia, Jeff has continued to travel internationally and serves as an active ambassador for the co-op movement, developing relationships with the local co-operatives, and creating markets in Canada for their products.
As Financial and HR Manager, Debra has remained focused on day-to-day operations, developing good jobs for people in the Annapolis Valley and Halifax. Just Us! deals in fair trade organic coffee, tea, chocolate and sugar sold through retail stores, e-commerce and cafes. It is recognized as one of the fastest growing in the province.
They also founded Just Us! Development and Education Society (JUDES), an educational foundation created to educate Nova Scotians about the benefits of Fair Trade for local people and the social, environmental, and economic issues related to the community and international development.
The secret of the couple’s successes are documented in the book How to Grow a Business: Lessons from Nova Scotia, published by the Saint Mary’s University Business Development Centre.
Jeff completed his Masters of Social Work from Carleton University in1977, and was also awarded an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University in 1981. Debra received a Human Services Diploma from Algonquin College in1976 and completed the Management Development for Women Program, a joint initiative between Saint Mary's University and Mount Saint Vincent University in 2003.
They have received honorary degrees from Nova Scotia Agricultural College, and were presented with the Acadia University President‘s Entrepreneurship Award in 2005.
Jim Bennet
Jim is a talented performer and the composer of some the East Coast’s best-loved humorous songs, such as Black Rum and Blueberry Pie. His whimsical verses also document important facts of the social anthropology of the regions.
Born in Halifax, he began work with the CBC in 1954 after a brief flirtation with higher education at Dalhousie University and three terms at the Maritime Conservatory of Music studying voice.
He loved the hard work and people he crossed paths with at the CBC as he put together dozens of documentaries and radio plays. He admired the talent and professionalism of fellow musicians. His own creative role models were W. S. Gilbert, Robert Service and Rudyard Kipling. He found their alliteration, rhythmic metre and elegant rhymes irresistible.
Since retiring from the CBC in 1986, and the family firm, Bennet Communications in 1998, he has run two production companies, written two books and written or produced corporate videos for some of the province’s top companies. He has close to 90 songs registered with the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada.
In 2004 the Chester Playhouse mounted Back to Back Bennet: The Songs and Rhymes of Jim Bennet. Written by himself, his wife Laura, and colleague Nancy Marshall, he said the show featured 30 of his songs “and a lot of bad jokes.”
He recently completed the words and music for a brand new stage musical Out of Lunenburg which is scheduled for production in 2011.
Bennet has also worked extensively on fundraisers for organizations such as the Arthritis Society of Nova Scotia and Cancer Society. He has been a volunteer writer for Pier 21 since 1995.
His professional awards are numerous and include ACTRA nominations, IABC Gold Quill Awards and a 1994 NAAN Gold Award for a proposal by Halifax to host the Commonwealth Games.
Dr. Robert P. Kelly
Dr. Robert P. Kelly is one of North America’s leading financiers.
Born in Nova Scotia, he graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, following in the footsteps of his father who was a member of the Class of 1939.
After graduation he spent 19 years with the TD Bank, rising to the position of Vice Chairman. In 2002, he moved to Wachovia Corporation where he served as CFO. He then went on to serve as Chairman, President and CEO of Mellon Financial from February 2006 until its July 2007 merger with The Bank of New York. He now serves as Chairman and CEO of BNY Mellon.
BNY Mellon has 49,000 employees and is a worldwide leader in asset management and securities servicing. It has $22.4 trillion in assets under custody and administration, $1.1 trillion in assets under management, services, $11.8 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.5 trillion per day.
Institutional Investor magazine named Dr. Kelly as one of America’s best CFOs in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and one of America's Best CEO's in 2009. He was also listed as a top 10 financial CEO by U.S. Banker Magazine in 2006 and 2007. He is Chairman of the Financial Services Forum; President of the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board; a member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Roundtable and the Institute of International Finance (IIF) as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
In 1997 he received Honorary doctorates from Saint Mary’s and Cass Business School, City University, London. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia. Earlier this year he was named the 2010 recipient of the Gold Medal from the American Irish Historical Society. The prize recognizes his role in establishing his company’s community partnership program, an initiative that has raised more than US$26 million and has seen BNY Mellon volunteers log more than 45,000 hours helping 3,000 non-profit organizations.
He is married and has two children.
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For More Information:
Steve Proctor
External Affairs
Saint Mary's University
(902) 420.5513
E-mail: steve.proctor@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
This page last modified Tuesday, 11-Jan-2011 11:52:02 AST