A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
As Laurier alumni, we know our alma mater is a place that inspires its students, graduates, faculty and staff to look beyond themselves.
Laurier strives to inspire everyone who is a part of the university community to lead a life of leadership and purpose. And, this fall, we saw a number of examples of members of the Laurier community who exemplify this mission.
For example, the university’s new President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy. MacLatchy brings to her role a decade of experience at Laurier and a true passion for our alma mater. She is a highly accomplished scientist and academic leader who has been a champion of Laurier’s values, vision and mission since she joined the university in 2007.
Laurier’s second female president and vice-chancellor (the first being Lorna Marsden, who served from 1992 to 1997), MacLatchy’s passion for Laurier and her deep understanding of the postsecondary environment in Ontario and Canada will provide our university with vision, exceptional leadership and valuable continuity.
Your alumni association looks forward to working with our new president as we strive to engage with and represent a community that supports and enriches alumni, students and the university as a whole.
Offering another unparalleled example of a life lived with leadership and purpose is the late Don Morgenson, whose legacy at Laurier was celebrated and commemorated during this year’s Homecoming on the Waterloo campus. Morgenson was a long-time, award-winning faculty member in Laurier’s Department of Psychology, known and loved by generations. During his distinguished career at Laurier, which spanned more than four decades, he was a constant source of inspiration to his students. In fact, Morgenson was the most memorable and enjoyable lecturer many students say they ever encountered. For many new professors, he offered the gold standard against which to evaluate their own teaching achievements.
Among Morgenson’s several awards, which included Laurier faculty awards, was the prestigious Canadian Professor of the Year in 1986 and an honorary degree from Laurier in 2006. It is estimated that Morgenson taught more than 40,000 students during his years at Laurier — about 40 per cent of our alumni population!
While the two individuals I’ve highlighted are exceptional, there are more than 100,000 Laurier alumni around the world doing their part to make change, give back, offer leadership and live their lives with purpose.
As the president of your alumni association, I am deeply proud of our exceptional community. I look forward to hearing more about the Golden Hawks out there who are making change, proving they are truly golden. Please share your story at laurieralumni.ca.
Marc Richardson ’94
President, WLUAA