Western's convocation ceremonies are moving downtown to Canada Life Place for the next five years, starting in June 2025.
The temporary venue shift comes as the university addresses mounting challenges identified with Alumni Hall, the site of convocation ceremonies since 1967. These issues include accessibility and the capacity to accommodate the growing number of graduates.
To help Western explore how to best address these challenges, Western provost and vice-president (academic) Florentine Strzelczyk struck a convocation task force in March 2023.
"Convocation is an important milestone for our students, their loved ones and the broader university community," Strzelczyk said. "By creating a task force of dedicated community members, we can better plan for the future and ensure we continue providing an exceptional convocation experience."
The task force, led by university secretary Amy Bryson, identified four overarching challenges with Alumni Hall:
Accessibility: The building has only one elevator and graduates with mobility challenges cannot join their peers in lining up or as they enter and exit the stage. Washroom facilities are also not fully accessible.
Space constraints: Due to limited space, a maximum of 450 graduates can be lined up to prepare for the procession into the hall. There is also no room to distribute gowns and hoods, which graduates must instead pick up and drop off at the Mustang Lounge in the University Community Centre.
Parking: Parking lots on campus cannot accommodate all graduates and guests when morning attendees do not leave before afternoon attendees arrive or when other large-scale events (such as track and field events at Western Alumni Stadium) happen simultaneously. Campus construction projects also impact available parking.
Timing and resource investment to support ceremonies: Spring convocation requires more than 500 staff and faculty volunteers. Each ceremony needs two hours of preparation, making a third daily ceremony nearly impossible. Expanding convocation over more days or weeks to accommodate the increased number of graduates would place further - and unrealistic - demands on volunteers, staff and faculty.
Community consultation
The task force consulted with members of the Western community, including current students, faculty, alumni and staff, to explore solutions for these challenges.
It received more than 400 responses, which shared a predominant message.
"While feedback indicated a strong preference for convocation to remain on campus to preserve the traditions and culture embodied in the Western academic journey, responses also acknowledged the current challenges with Alumni Hall, with accessibility indicated as a priority," Bryson said.
Members of the task force also gathered information on how other U15 institutions manage convocation, with findings showing diverse approaches and no clear theme.
Convocation task force recommendations
The convocation task force presented its findings at the Sept. 13 Senate meeting, proposing a two-pronged approach.
Short-term: Relocate convocation to Canada Life Place for next five years
Beginning in June 2025, the task force recommended graduation ceremonies move to Canada Life Place on Dundas Street in downtown London, Ont. for a period of at least five years. This will allow Western to optimize the number of ceremonies, dates and available resources during convocation while addressing accessibility requirements.
The venue offers accessible seating and washrooms, with public elevator access to all levels. The floor can seat 850 graduates, with seating for guests in the lower (2,900) and upper (2,100) bowls.
There are 12 accessible parking spaces near the building and 18 paid lots located nearby. The task force recommended providing shuttles to transport graduates, their families and faculty members, staff and volunteers between campus and downtown.
Long-term: Return convocation to campus through capital planning process
To reflect the feedback of the vast majority of participants in the consultation process, the task force recommended convocation ultimately return to campus. It acknowledged the need to start a capital planning process to explore options to build or retrofit a multi-purpose facility on campus for future convocation ceremonies.
Increase ceremony size, reduce number of ceremonies
Alumni Hall can hold a maximum of 450 graduates, with up to four guests per graduate.
Moving the ceremonies to Canada Life Place will allow Western to increase each ceremony to 850 graduates, with at least four guests per graduate, and will provide enough space to distribute regalia, diplomas and efficiently line up students and the academic procession. It is expected the future on-campus venue would provide similar capacity.
By accommodating more graduates per ceremony, the number of ceremonies can be reduced, while keeping each one under two and a half hours. The task force recommended no more than two ceremonies per day, recognizing the demands on staff, faculty and volunteers during convocation.
The accepted recommendations were presented to Senate, with Strzelczyk thanking the task force for their contributions on behalf of Western.
