On October 20th, Mary Anne Chambers, Chancellor of the University of Guelph, spoke to our club about her role at the university. She discussed how she had attended 21 convocations this year in Guelph, Guelph Humber, and how she was the first Chancellor to attend a Ridgetown campus convocation ceremony. 

 

Dr. Chambers discussed how her main priorities were to make students feel like they belong, encourage students to help each other, and to speak from a parent's perspective. She explained how she sees her role not as an official spokesperson but as an ambassador for the university. She concluded her talk with a discussion on the importance of equity and inclusion and how she sees the university and Rotary as kindred spirits: both are firmly committed to the community of Guelph and to initiatives like indiginization and declonization. 

 

Dr. Chambers' talk was followed by a lively Q&A. 

 

Notes taken by, Marva Bailey-Wisdom.