100,000 grads and growing

100,000 grad trivia quiz

The University of Calgary graduated its 100,000th alumnus at convocation ceremonies in June 2003. It's a proud milestone, particularly for a university that is one of the youngest in Canada.

Reaching the 100,000 alumni mark in just 37 years is a reflection of the extraordinary momentum and vitality that defines the U of C. It is also a reflection of the energy and growth that has put Calgary at the forefront of Canadian cities. A great university is vital to a great city, and a great city nurtures a great university.

This year marks the entry of over almost four decades of 100,000 well-educated citizens into the community, armed with knowledge, problem-solving skills and a life-long grounding in inquiry, ingenuity and curiosity. This critical mass of achievers, leaders and creators is helping to build our city, our nation and the world.

Extraordinary people make up this milestone. U of C graduates are the CEOs, the small business owners, the dancers and musicians, the healers, the computer innovators, the architects, the scientists, the parents and community leaders who make societies successful. Alumni are increasingly making a difference in the four areas of prominence and promise identified in the university's Academic Plan.

U of C grads, like Enmax CEO Bob Nicolay, BComm'80 are leading innovation in energy and the environment. So, too, are oil patch legends like Charlie Fischer, BSc'71, MBA'82, president and CEO of Nexen, and world-renowned scientists such as U of C's Viola Birss, BSc'72, who is leading research into alternative energy sources like fuel cells.

Alumni, such as Carol Gray, BN'75, executive director at the Peter Lougheed Centre, are advancing health and wellness. Cy Frank, MD'76, is considered Canada's top knee surgeon.

James Gosling, BSc'77, LLD'99, created the computer language JAVA for Sun Microsystems, where he is now a vice-president. Others working to create technologies and manage information for the knowledge society include Ted Hellard, BEd'80, whose Calgary Web site design company Critical Mass boasts international clients like Nike, Smirnoff and NASA.

U of C grads are also helping communities understand human behaviour, institutions and culture. Gordon Bullivant, BEd'71, MEd'72, is founder and executive director of the Foothills Academy Society, a centre for children with learning disabilities. Kerrie Moore, BSW'03, has reconnected with her own culture and now helps other aboriginal people heal themselves through their traditional beliefs and spirituality.

Some of our grads are making their mark quickly. Ben Perrin (left), BComm'01, who has just completed his first year of law school, has already founded The Future Group of twenty-somethings who tackle humanitarian crises in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. The Alumni Association has acknowledged Perrin's admirable and successful efforts with their inaugural Graduate Of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award.

Others are making their mark widely. Laura Lucier, BSc'99, is a real-time robotics mission planner for the Canadian Space Agency based at NASA. Zoran Kacic-Alesic, MSc'92, won an Oscar for his work on a 3D paint system used in the movie Jurassic Park. Swimmer Curtis Myden, BSc'99, is a three-time Olympian.

What these 100,000 have in common is that they got their start at the University of Calgary. And just as Calgary continues its dynamic growth, so, too, will the university, providing quality, stretching boundaries and reaching ever higher.

Join us in this celebration of what our students have accomplished and will continue to accomplish in the future.

If you, too, are a part of our 100,000 alumni family, keep in touch with U of C and with one another. Go to www.ucalgary.ca/alumni for ideas and ways to stay connected.