By the time the last selfie is taken in front of the balloon-wielding James McGill statue, more than 5,000 graduating students will have accepted their degrees during this year’s Spring Convocation ceremonies from May 28 to June 2.
In addition to the conferring of degrees to students and awards to some of the University’s exceptional faculty and researchers, McGill bestowed honorary degrees upon 14 remarkable individuals, including an ethnographer, a jurist, an architect, scientists and business innovators and leaders.
Finally, these ceremonies will mark the last for H. Arnold Steinberg as Chancellor of the University, who will step down on June 30.
The following is a selection of pictures from Spring Convocation 2014. This post will be updated every day to include pictures from each subsequent ceremony. Click on each thumbnail to see a larger version of the picture.
- The procession for the Continuing Studies ceremony leaves Redpath Hall, marking the beginning of Spring 2014 Convocation. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Chancellor H. Arnold Steinberg enjoys a quiet moment. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Graduating students make their way from Redpath Hall to the Convocation tent as part of the Continuing Studies ceremony. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Jason Alexander Hockman, with two records produced while he was studying at McGill for his PhD in music technology. / Photo: Owen Egan
- L to R: Sami Semmar, Siyu Wang, Ayane Youssouf Omar and Xumeng Zhang in the Continuing Studies procession. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Newly minted Law grads (l to r) Abby Shepard, Michael Ionescu, Lil Kraus and Karine Eigenmann. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Winston Purdy marks the beginning of each ceremony by singing the University song, Hail, Alma Mater. / Photo: Owen Egan
- The Convocation tent. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Law grad Nicole Duong and Tariq Parchment with their daughter Elsa Parchment. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Piper Jeff McCarthy leads the platform party to the Convocation tent. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Stuart H. “Kip” Cobbett, Chair of McGill’s Board of Governors, left, and Chancellor H. Arnold Steinberg share a laugh on stage. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Law valedictorian Michèle Lamarre-Leroux addresses the crowd. / Photo: Lysanne Larose
- BOG member, Gerald Butts hoods Honorary Doctorate recipient, Wade Davis. / Photo: Owen Egan
- The excitement of the day is lost on Malakai Elder-Fernades who is dozing in the arms of newly graduated mom, Emily Elder. Law Dean, Daniel Jutras presides over the scene. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Redpath Hall makes a stirring backdrop for graduating students. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Lawrence David, BCL/LLB’14 / Photo: Lysanne Larose
- The colour of each hood signifies a different faculty. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- A familiar scene at Convocation. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Marie-Eve Couture Menard and Amar Khoday get ready to accept their Doctor of Civil Law / / Photo: Owen Egan
- Graduating students peer from Redpath Hall while another scrambles up the stairs to get ready. / Photo: Owen Egan
- David Harpp, University Marshall, checks the procession route. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Melissa Austen (left) Miatta Gorvie prior to the Faculty of Law ceremony. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Graduating students make their way to the Continuing Studies ceremony. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Stephen De Four-Wyre, BCL/LLB’14, is all smiles. / Photo: Lysanne Larose
- Piper Jeff McCarthy has been leading the platform party since 2002. / Photo: Owen Egan
- The platform party makes its way past the flowering University crest. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Stephen Strople, McGill’s Secretary-General in profile. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Ryan Davis (B. Music, viola performance) taking photo with Sean Feguson, Dean of the Schulich School of Music. / Photo: Owen Egan
- The Arts Building looms in the background of all Convocation ceremonies. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Graduating Science students begin their procession.
- Mary Ellen Turpin-Lafond recives her Honorary Doctor of Laws. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Convocating members of the Faculty of Law. / Photo: Owen Egan
- A happy day all around. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Carle Jane Evans and her family are all smiles after the Law ceremony. / Photo: Owen Egan
- An interesting perspective of the platform party. / Photo: Lysanne Larose
- Soon they will be crossing the stage to accept their respective degrees. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Choral conductor Wayne Riddell upon receiving his Honorary Doctor of Music. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Graduating Mac students make their way up the staircase to the Centennial Centre auditorium. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Law grad Jordan Altman shares the happy moment with Adélaïde Andriot. / Photo: Owen Egan
- A moment of reflection at Macdonald Campus for one grad. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Graduating Arts students make their way past the Redpath Museum. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- A solemn piper leads Mac students to their Convocation ceremony. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Arts procession. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Proud Mac grad. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Graduating Engineering students proceed to the Convocation tent under a piper’s watchful gaze. / Photo: Owen Egan
- A torrential downpour disrupted the Arts ceremony on Tuesday afternoon. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Dean of Students, André Costopoulos, gauges the weather on Tuesday. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Danielle Ami Belanger and her classmates during the Education Convocation ceremony. / Photo: Owen Egan
- John McCall MacBain addresses the audience after receiving his Honorary Doctor of Laws. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Grey skies for the morning Arts ceremony. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Denise Chong addresses graduating Arts students after receiving her Honorary Doctorate of Letters / Photo: Owen Egan
- Their was no shortage of recording devices at the Mac ceremonies. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Art students about to graduate. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Mac grads make their way to the auditorium. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Sir Timothy O’Shea (left), Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, presents Chancellor H. Arnold Steinberg with McGill’s new ceremonial mace. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Heading to the tent. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Arts valedictorian Rebecca Freya Pearl takes a selfie with classmates in Leacock 132. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Graduating Arts students look for friends and family in the crowd. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Arts grads make their way to the tent. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Smiles all around. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Exiting Redpath Hall. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Arts students on their way to the Convocation tent. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Heading to the ceremony at Mac. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Science grads on parade. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- A violent storm dampens proceedings on Tuesday afternoon. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Getting organized before a Mac ceremony. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Madonna Achkar, M.Sc. Human Nutrition, gets tapped by Chacellor H. Arnold Steinberg during a ceremony at Mac. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Happy paparazzi at Mac. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Mac’s bucolic setting makes for great photos. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Happy Law grad William Martin, / Photo: Owen Egan
- From l to r: Gurdev Singh Kush, honorary doctorate; Chandra Madramootoo, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; and Philanthropist Lorne Trottier at the afternoon ceremony at Mac. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Nothing can hold back this graduating Arts student. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Graduating students at Mac make prepare to cross the stage. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Maria Orjuela-Laverde (right) newly minted PhD in Eductaion, with husband Carlos Gomez and their son, Emilio Gomez wearing his homemade graduation regalia. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Principal Suzanne Fortier congratulates the Class of 2014 at Macdonald Campus convocation ceremonies in 2014
- And so begins the afternoon ceremony at Mac. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Principal Suzanne Fortier congratulates a graduating Arts student. / Photo: Owen Egan
- A full house at Mac’s Centennial Centre. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Secretary-General Stephen Strople admires McGill’s new ceremonial mace. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Precious diplomas were kept dry during Tuesday’s violent thunder storm. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Mac procession. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- All systems go at Mac. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Graduating Science students leave Redpath Hall. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Colourful graduation regalia. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- A sea of Mac mortarboards. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- A perfect day for the Science ceremonies. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- Luke Paul van Tol is capped during the Engineering ceremony. / Photo: Owen Egan
- Honorary Doctorate Fabiola Gianotti addresses graduating Science students. / Photo: Owen Egan
- A special day for students and their friends and family. / Photo: Neale McDevitt
- A just-graduated student jumps for joy at Mac. / Photo: Owen Egan