Hamilton,
07
December
2017
|
17:24 PM
America/New_York

Golden Grads

Summary

Mohawk honours first graduating class

Mohawk College honoured its first graduating class at a special luncheon and ceremony in December.

Sixteen of the 117 graduates from the Class of 1967 were on hand to celebrate the occasion. Mohawk's "Golden Grads" were first to receive a Mohawk diploma and the first college grads in all of Ontario. The province's other colleges did not graduate their first class of students until 1969. 

The Class of 1967 began their studies as Hamilton Institute of Technology (HIT) students in 1964. When the decision was made to replace HIT with Mohawk, the students voted to become Mohawk grads so as not to be associated with a school that no longer existed.

Mohawk grew quickly in the years that followed. By 1968 the college had grown to 1,900 full-time students and 2,000 continuing education students, supported by 150 faculty. The Fennell campus was opened a year later in 1969.

As part of the Golden Graduation festivities, the noted alumni were awarded new diplomas and presented with a special adcademic stole in honour of their unique status. The college will also be awarding a series of scholarships and bursaries in honour of the Golden Grads in 2018. The money for those awards was raised as part of the college's 50th Anniverary fundraising campaign called The Start of Something Amazing Campaign.