On March 18 at a ceremony in Toronto, Niagara College President Sean Kennedy received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, joining a long-time NC instructor, NC’s President Emeritus, and a member of the College’s Board of Governors as recent recipients.
President Kennedy was awarded the prestigious honour in recognition of outstanding contributions to the college sector and workforce development in Canada.
The medal presentation to Kennedy follows a similar presentation to Bob Sagon-King, a pioneer in NC’s popular Motorcycle Training program. The medal recognizes his 40-year career training hundreds of riders with the defensive driving skills needed to hit the open road safely.
President Kennedy was installed as NC’s sixth president in January 2020 after serving as Senior Vice-President International, Vice-President of Student and External Relations, and interim Vice-President, Academic since 2006.
Prior to joining NC, Kennedy served in executive and leadership roles at Red Deer College in Alberta. Recognized as a leader in international education and student services in Canada, Kennedy is the Chair of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and has served on several international advisory committees. He has also served as chair of the Colleges Ontario Student Access and Success Coordinating Committee, and as co-moderator of the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities Summit on Mental Health and Addictions.
Active in the community, Kennedy has served on the boards of the Business Education Council of Niagara, Niagara Sport Commission, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Niagara.
“Receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal is certainly a personal honour,” said Kennedy, “but it also reflects a recognition of the transformational role of the college sector in our communities.”
Sagon-King, Coordinator of NC’s Motorcycle Training program, was recently surprised to receive a box containing the King Charles III Coronation Medal along with a letter explaining its significance, by mail at his home in Thorold.
“To have the Governor-General, the Canada Safety Council, the King, recognize what I have done – I'm honoured,” he said.
Sagon-King has been at the helm of the College’s Motorcycle Training program since 1983, where he is known for his unwavering commitment to fostering safe riding practices. While his role has become more supervisory in recent years, he still instructs at the more advanced exit level of training. In addition to his role at NC, he teaches motorcycle training at Georgian College and, previously, at several other locations over the years, including Humber College and the Rider Training Institute.
Sagon-King humbly credits the success of the program to his team, many of whom have been with the program since the late 1990s, helping the program flourish and reflecting NC’s standards for quality education.
Also receiving King Charles III Coronation Medals was NC President Emeritus, Dan Patterson, who led NC for 25 years, and former MP for Niagara Falls, Rob Nicholson, who serves on NC’s Board of Governors.
Patterson, the namesake of NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, remains a strong advocate for the important role post-secondary education plays in economic development, and a passionate supporter of NC through the Dan Patterson Legacy Fund.
Patterson has had a distinguished career, making significant contributions to Canada’s post-secondary system. During his tenure as President, Patterson oversaw a dramatic transformation and enrolment growth at NC, while also providing national leadership on the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Board of Directors since 2014, as well as on several committees focused on education, economic growth and innovation in and outside of the Niagara region.
Nicholson was appointed to Niagara College’s Board of Governors in 2022. A former MP for Niagara Falls, Nicholson served in many high-profile roles, including Minister of National Defense, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
Nicholson also operated his own law practice and served in municipal politics as an elected member of the Niagara Catholic School Board and then the Region of Niagara Council.
The Coronation Medal program was created to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to their communities. Awards are presented at ceremonies across the country by the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, and Territorial Commissioners.
The medal design represents a commitment to the values of duty and public service upheld by the Crown.
Niagara College has a full-time enrolment of more than 10,000 students from over 95 countries, who study in 130 diploma, certificate and bachelor degree programs at specialized campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Niagara College is also involved in educational projects and partnerships around the world and is consistently ranked among Canada’s top 10 colleges for research funding. Learn more at niagaracollege.ca.