By Josh Hughes
On September 16 at 8 a.m., Western held its annual Opening Convocation, hosted by President Sabah Randhawa. Each year, faculty and staff convene for a complimentary breakfast and a ceremony in which Western’s president presents awards to exceptional members of the campus community and speaks on the upcoming school year.
Team Recognition, Outstanding Faculty Leadership, Diversity Achievement and the Professional Staff Award For Excellence are among some of the awards the president gives out at Convocation every year.
However, the ceremony is about more than just recognizing achievements of the faculty and staff; it also serves as a kickoff for the academic school year. The president always gives opening remarks in the Performing Arts Center once breakfast ends.
At previous convocations, former president Bruce Shepard addressed various topics such as diversity and inclusion in his speeches, getting the audience excited about the promises and potential in the upcoming school year. As one of the few events throughout the year during which most of the campus staff and faculty get together, it functions as an excellent platform for the president to talk about how he intends to make the school an even better community in the upcoming months.
Since becoming Western’s 14th president on August 1, 2016, this marked Randhawa’s first opening convocation for the school, and one of his first opportunities to speak to the community as a whole.
