Dear members of the McMaster community,
Listening to our honorary degree recipients during Convocation — most who had graduated from McMaster themselves — reminded me of what makes this university special.
They spoke to the Class of 2026 about the values they learned here and the personal and academic support that helped launch and sustain their impressive careers. They shared lessons they have learned since. They reminded graduands of the responsibility that comes with education.
Fintech investment entrepreneur Adam Felesky, a 1999 McMaster graduate who received his honorary doctorate at a DeGroote School of Business Convocation ceremony, explained how the values of successful companies are not simply words on paper, but the foundation for every decision a company makes.
Ultimately, he said, values determine the success or failure of a company, just as one’s personal values determine the success of one’s career.
“The best firms are built on strong values,” he told graduands. “The best careers are built on personal ones. Know yours, find theirs, and go contribute to something that matters.”
Geologist Paul Hoffman, a 1964 graduate who went on to a long and highly successful career in teaching and research, spoke proudly of the quality of a McMaster education after receiving his honorary doctorate at one of our Science Convocation ceremonies.
“You will not regret having graduated from McMaster,” he told graduands. “McMaster is one of the most progressive and forward-looking universities on the continent. The undergraduate curriculum that I took here at McMaster was not outshone by that of any of the eight universities where I formally have taught classes — and that’s including Caltech and Harvard.”
Jean Augustine, who was Canada’s first Black female Member of Parliament and led the effort to create Black History Month, received her honorary doctorate at the Faculty of Humanities and Arts and Science Program Convocation ceremony. She reminded graduands of their duty to build a better world.
“We live in societies shaped not only by laws and institutions, but by people: people who choose whether to participate, whether to speak up, and whether to care about the well-being of others,” she said. “Democracy is not self-sustaining. Justice is not inevitable. Equity does not arrive on its own.”
The impact of these powerful messages grew stronger as we all listened to our students delivering their valedictory addresses and cheered for our faculty and student award winners.
The inspiring themes of Convocation echoed those I have heard throughout this past year as I connected with McMaster alumni and partners across Canada and around the world — from Vancouver and San Francisco to Singapore and Hong Kong and beyond.
There is something special here, and it is clearly enduring.
As I approach the end of my first year as President, I’m reflecting with deep gratitude on what has been an extraordinarily busy, energizing, and successful year for McMaster.
We have worked as a community to develop Bolder Together, the new strategic plan that will guide McMaster’s future. The plan is grounded in our values, strengths and ambitions and reflects more than 7,000 pieces of individual feedback.
Over the summer months, we will work to translate our strategy into tangible outcomes, and we look forward to a formal launch in the fall, complete with clear priorities and measurable goals to ensure maximum impact.
Once again in this academic year, our research community has continued to achieve excellence and international recognition, discovering new antibiotics, recovering DNA from the permafrost to reveal rich new insights into prehistoric life in the Yukon, using AI to help individuals improve their literacy and language proficiency, developing a promising therapy for brain cancer, unlocking the health effects of ultraprocessed foods, and much more.
Across the board, McMaster researchers are making a difference on the global stage. Our work is not only advancing knowledge but addressing some of the most urgent challenges of our time — and earning significant international attention in the process.
We have also made important strides in advancing the impact of innovation, including the launch of our roadmap for accelerating commercialization and entrepreneurship, which will speed the transformation of research findings into real-world outcomes. This work strengthens our role as a driver of economic and social progress, both locally and globally.
An important factor in advancing all our work at McMaster is the extraordinary generosity of our donors. We have experienced one of the most successful fundraising years in McMaster’s history, exceeding our targets and deepening relationships with key philanthropic partners.
In June, we have announced gifts of $50 million from Marcy and John McCall MacBain, with the McCall MacBain Foundation, to increase healthspan through teaching and research in kinesiology and medicine, and $20 million from former chancellor Suzanne Labarge, whose significant longtime support has enabled McMaster to become and remain a leader in aging research.
We are grateful for gifts at every level, which enable us to invest in students, research, infrastructure and community partnerships that will shape the future.
This past year has also been one of transition and renewal in leadership across the university, including welcoming Dr. Maureen MacDonald as Provost, Dr. Gianni Parise as Vice President Research, Stephen Elop as Chair of our Board of Governors and Nicholas Brathwaite as Chancellor.
As we look ahead, we are excited to welcome new leadership from Dr. Nancy Baxter as Vice-President and Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, building on a strong foundation from Dr. Paul O’Byrne and his predecessors, and opening new opportunities for growth and impact.
Above all, what stands out most to me after my first year as President is the strength of our people. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and partners have come together with remarkable dedication and shared purpose. In classrooms, labs, offices, clinics, facilities and on our grounds, you have made McMaster stronger.
As we move into the summer months, I hope everyone makes time to rest, recharge and enjoy time with family and friends. You have earned it. Thank you for everything you have contributed to a very successful year.
I hope you have a safe and happy summer. September will be here soon enough, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the year ahead.
Kind regards,
Susan Tighe
President and Vice-Chancellor