May 30, 2019 —The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) congratulates Laurentian University’s inaugural Master of Architecture graduates and applauds the school in achieving a positive impact on the participation of Indigenous people in architecture in Canada.
Next week, 29 students from the McEwen School of Architecture, three of them Indigenous, will be recognized at convocation and receive the first degrees of Master of Architecture ever conferred by Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON.
“This is a special moment,” said RAIC President Michael Cox, FRAIC. “I am delighted to welcome the graduating class into the profession and the RAIC. It’s a pleasure to congratulate Dr. David Fortin, the first indigenous architect to become director of a Canadian school of architecture, and his colleagues on reaching this happy milestone.”
In a media release, Laurentian University noted: “These students will not only be realizing their dream but the dream of many community members who helped make the McEwen School of Architecture a reality. For the community members, this represents another significant milestone in the story of the school. For the students, their six-year journey culminates with this degree.”
“Seeing our first group of master’s students cross the stage will be a proud moment for our students, their families, and our faculty members,” said Dr. Fortin, MRAIC.
When I think about this group of trailblazers, the first of many to follow, they’re an impressive group of resilient leaders,” he said. “They’ve persevered through, and learned from, the multiple construction projects within the school. They’ve been the first to complete the many community projects and build partnerships. They’ve done all of this without a blueprint to follow.”
Dr. Terrance Galvin, the school’s founding director, noted that from the beginning, thefaculty wanted to have an impact on Canada’s Indigenous architecture landscape.
“When we first started this program, there were 13 registered Indigenous architects across Canada. Now, we have three Indigenous architectural graduates (to add to the 18 registered Indigenous architects in Canada) and have many more enrolled. We’ve been able to bring together traditional teachings, the needs of our communities, and modern architectural practices to deliver a program that is truly unique.”
The McEwen School of Architecture’s graduation ceremony will take place on June 6, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. at Laurentian University’s Fraser Auditorium. The ceremony is a private event with seating reserved for students and guests; however, it can be viewed live online by visiting: laurentian.ca/convocation.