'Slowest student in the world' finishes UBC degree 54 years after he first enrolled
CBC
It's not unusual for students to take some time off from their university studies to find themselves before finally graduating.
In the case of Arthur Ross, that time off lasted about five decades.
The 71-year-old is set to accept his bachelor of arts degree at a convocation ceremony at the University of British Columbia on Thursday, 54 years after he first enrolled.
"It makes me sound like the slowest student in the world and I guess that's what I am," Ross told CBC's On the Coast from a family property near Kamloops, B.C.
Ross arrived at UBC's Point Grey campus in 1969, having graduated from nearby Prince of Wales Secondary. It felt like a natural progression as he had family members who were UBC graduates.
He says he started a general arts program, but quickly developed an interest in theatre, taking part in productions at Frederic Wood Theatre.
He left his studies at UBC to attend the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. He learned that acting appealed to him; the life of an actor didn't.
He went on to study law in Toronto and spent 35 years as a litigator in B.C.
After retiring in 2016, Ross returned to the unfinished matter of his UBC degree.
"It was always one of those things, even as I was practising law, [I was] thinking someday I'll go back and finish that off," he said.
He returned to class in January 2017 with a focus on studying history and completing his final year of studies. He was determined to get his degree, but he was also determined not to rush it.
"The plan always was one course at a time," he said. "I wasn't going to sit down and take five courses all at once."
While UBC's Point Grey campus has changed dramatically over the decades, many of Ross's courses were taught in the Buchanan Building, which he first attended in 1969.
As the years progressed, Ross got to know his young classmates, and was impressed by those who kept going through the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Brampton lawyer allegedly connected to fugitive Ryan Wedding was granted bail Tuesday morning by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors recently passed a motion that has had them avoid drinking alcohol for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, with the goal of setting a positive example for the community.
Jason Jacques says he learned a lot about the importance of choosing his words carefully in his first few months as the interim parliamentary budget officer (PBO).
Durham police say a man is dead after suffering multiple stab wounds in Oshawa Tuesday morning.
An internal review of technical outages that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders this fall has exposed critical flaws with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT services.
Two people are in life-threatening condition after being pulled from a house fire in Scarborough Tuesday morning, according to Toronto Fire Services.
Whenever the door opens at the British Grenadier Bookshop, proprietor Steve Douglas doesn’t know who is going to walk through.
A northeastern Ontario potato farmer says he’s shipping more bags of potatoes to southern Ontario to make up for waning demand.
Halifax’s registry of rental properties is now available to the public online, showing what HRM staff believe are the “bulk” of rentals in the city.
A New Brunswick tenant says he’s being pushed out of his rented bungalow as retribution for complaining about his landlord, but his landlord says she’s the victim of an unfair tenancy tribunal ruling that is preventing her from using the unit to house family.
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.