#TrinityBacktoSchool: Welcoming Our New Students to the College

Posted: September 07, 2017

Students signing the register at Matriculation Convocation
To view photos from Matriculation Convocation & Orientation Week, visit Trinity’s Facebook page!

 

The Hon. William C. Graham Chancellor of Trinity College and Provost Mayo Moran welcomed students and honoured guests to Matriculation Convocation 2017 on September 6. University of Toronto Chancellor and Trinity alum The Hon. Michael Wilson also joined the ceremony and brought greetings from the university.

At the Matriculation Convocation, Trinity formally admitted our new Arts & Science and Divinity students to the College. The students acknowledged and declared this statement as the newest members of the College:

I acknowledge that by registering at Trinity College in the University of Toronto, I am joining a community that stands for academic and personal excellence, community involvement, respect for others, and stewardship of property. I do hereby promise that I will, as a member of this College, faithfully obey the Statutes and Rules thereof, and diligently attend to the students required of me.

The incoming students then signed the College Register (a Trinity tradition since 1852), assisted by the College’s Student Heads for 2017-2018: Victoria Lin, Bardia Monavari, Julianne de Gara, Lukas Weese, Katrina Li, Mitch Nader and Adam Brown.

Trinity College also conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Sacred Letters, honoris causa, upon Trinity alumna The Rev. Dr. Carol Finlay. The Rev. Finlay was recognized for her exceptional dedication and service as the founder of Book Clubs for Inmates, and her compassionate and inspired leadership in the area of education in Canadian penitentiaries. Her presenter will be Eric Friesen and her hooders will be Molly and Charles Finlay. The Rev. Finlay also delivered an thoughtful address to students, encouraging them to think about what really matters – making a positive difference in the world.

Following the formal ceremony, the community gathered in Strachan Hall for a wonderful reception to celebrate with the incoming class.

 


The Rev. Dr. Carol H. Finlay

Carol FinlayThe Rev. Dr. Carol Finlay received her BA from Trinity College in 1965 (class of ’66); her MDiv in 1990 from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto; and was ordained for The Anglican Church of Canada in 1992.

She served in parish ministry for seven years before receiving her Doctorate in Ministry (Colgate-Rochester Divinity College, 2003) and taught at the Faculty of Divinity, Trinity College in Toronto for five years.

During summers on Amherst Island near Kingston, Ontario, she felt a calling to work in one of the many penitentiaries in the area. She started the first book club for inmates in Collins Bay Institution in 2008. As of 2017, Book Clubs for Inmates (BCFI), a registered charity, runs 29 book clubs in federal institutions across Canada with more than 80 volunteers.

BCFI also funds university studies for academically able book club members, and offers “circles of support” to help recently paroled prisoners deal with the many challenges of life upon release.

In 2016, The Rev. Finlay was appointed to the Order of Ontario.