Pair of Lifetime Achievement Awards to be presented at Convocation

Long-term service to Brandon University (BU) and the community will be celebrated with the presentation of two Lifetime Achievement Awards at this month’s Convocation.

Dr. Austin Gulliver and Michelle Magnusson will both be recipients of the awards, which are approved annually by the BU Senate. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes people who have made significant contributions in service and achievement, throughout their lives and to Brandon University. Dr. Gulliver will receive his award during the Thursday, May 29 morning ceremony. Magnusson will be recognized during the afternoon ceremony on Friday, May 30.

Dr. Gulliver retired from his position of Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy in 2024 after 39 years at BU. He served on multiple university-wide committees, chairing both the University Pension Trustees and the Scholarship Committee. He served as Dean of Science from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2016. Dr. Gulliver has been awarded six separate multi-year grants by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and his research career has included collaborations with multiple astronomers over a variety of countries, including Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Türkiye, Argentina and Sweden. He has published 64 refereed articles in top international journals, with many of these publications including contributions by BU students who began studies here before eventually obtaining their doctorates.

In addition to his work at BU, he has been a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club in Brandon, including serving on its executive, and he has been Secretary of the Canadian Astronomical Society.

One commenter noted in the nomination: “His love of science merged with his belief in the Faculty of Science, its students, its professors (and) its goals.”

Another added: “He was a standout in Brandon and would have been a star in Toronto, London, or New York! No matter what category you might choose, Dr. Austin Gulliver is first rate!”

Dr. Gulliver’s contributions have continued in his retirement. He remains active in research, and his family has made a generous $50,000 donation toward the replacement of the dome at BU’s observatory, which has now been named the Gulliver Astronomical Observatory.

Magnusson has been BU’s Accessibility Services Co-ordinator for 17 years. She has been a member of the BU Board of Governors and Senate, and has been a longtime member of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) Steering Committee. She has played in integral role in faculty and staff education, and her contributions are reflected in a number of university policies.

“Since day one, Michelle has worked tirelessly to support students, aways prioritizing accessibility and improvement,” said one BU student in a nomination letter. “Even when she was handling everything with a very small team, no student was left behind.”

Another student added: “She has introduced me to resources that I didn’t know existed prior to talking to her that have made it easier for me to complete homework and study for tests. … Without the help that I have received from Michelle at the Student Accessibility Centre, I wouldn’t have been able to thrive as much as I have at Brandon University.”

Magnusson is also an active community volunteer, making presentations to the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, chairing the host committee for the 2017 Special Olympics Manitoba Summer Games and serving several roles in the figure skating community, among many other accomplishments.

This year’s two-day Convocation will take place on Thursday, May 29 and Friday May 30, with ceremonies for graduates in Science and Music (Thursday, 10 a.m.), Education (Thursday, 2 p.m.), Health Studies (Friday, 10 a.m.) and Arts (Friday, 2 p.m.). All ceremonies will be live-streamed. See BrandonU.ca/Convocation for more.

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