Graduates must not be preoccupied with today while ignoring the consequences of inaction tomorrow, said Robert Janes, museums and important social institutions advocate.
Janes spoke to graduates from the Faculty of Social Science and the Faculty of Science at the Wednesday, June 12 afternoon session of Western’s 301st Convocation.
Western conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.), upon Janes in recognition of dedication to museums across Canada.
“My generation has used half of the planet’s non-renewable resources,” Janes said, calling it the most wasteful and, arguably, worst generation in history. He added graduates must not just live in the now, as his generation has, but think of the future in a sustainable and responsible way.
Each of you will have to figure out what it means to be human on Earth, he said, in a time when every living thing is declining and the rate at which it is declining is increasing.
“Put your education to use to find your own unique way. All of you, as highly educated citizens, have the opportunity and obligation to resist the status quo and question the way society is governed. Provide intellectual self-defense.”
Janes received his PhD in Archaeology from the University of Calgary, and maintains his ties to his alma mater, working as an adjunct professor. He has spent the last 35 years working as a director, consultant, author, editor, archaeologist, board member, teacher and volunteer for museums.
Janes showcases his dedication to museums in numerous endeavors – editor-in-chief of the Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship as well as chair of the Board of Directors of the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley. He served as president and CEO of the Glenbow Museum, Art Gallery, Library and Archives in Calgary from 1989-2000. He is the founding director of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (1976-86) and founding executive director of the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories (1986-89), both in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
In 1986, Janes was awarded an honorary life membership from the Canadian Museums Association. In 1992, the organization presented him with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Museum Management. Among his other awards and honours, he was elected a fellow of the Canadian Museums Association in 2002 and received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003 for significant contributions to the museum community in Canada.
In 2011, the Alberta Museums Association gave him the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for his contributions to the provincial, national and international museum communities.
To ensure the future is more responsible and sustainable, Janes told the graduates, they must provide timely and critical guidance to leaders in all sectors of society – they must speak up, email, Tweet and demonstrate.
“Do something,” he said. “We are sleepwalking into the future and each of you can – and must – change this. Please heighten your consciousness in whatever way you choose.”
In his citation, Archaeology professor and Lawson Chair of Canadian Archaeology Neil Ferris credited Janes for fundamentally changing the way the public thinks about museums.
“(His) impressive list of achievements, however, does not do full justice to the very important voice and inspiration that Robert Janes is in the world. His credentials could also include social visionary, iconoclast and activist. In his writing, he is the best hope for the future of museums AND harshest critic of status quo conventions. He is also a fierce critic of the legacies of late 20th century capitalism, corporate profit and consumption that he sees as increasingly threatening broader human and environmental values,” he said.
“That he does all this from an extremely accessible and thoughtful scholarship is as impressive as the fact that his work engages practitioners, students and publics around the world,” Ferris added.
Janes added graduates must be aware of presentism, making sure they are not preoccupied with what’s going on today while ignoring the consequence of inaction tomorrow.
“We live in the now and the priorities of the moment seem to be everything. Take your eye off the handheld device once in a while and consider the bigger picture. Don’t get distracted by money, houses and cars. They are overrated … and destructive. They don’t lead to happiness.”
Also during the ceremony, the Angela Armitt Award for Excellence in Teaching by Part-Time Faculty was awarded to Biology professor Jennifer Waugh.