49 years later, Ontario man graduates from the University of Guelph

A University of Guelph student has graduated, 49 years after he first enrolled. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte has his story.

An Ontario man has graduated from university 49 years after he first started.

Dave Burnett, 68, enrolled in the agriculture program at the University of Guelph (U of G) in 1976. The self-proclaimed farm boy was fresh out of high school and the university, as we know it now, was just 12 years old.

“It was the ‘70s, we were the generation of rebellion,” Burnett explained. “After about a year and a half, I dropped out.”

There were some significant twists and turns in his life, including a 20-year addiction to alcohol.

“I didn’t know what day of the week it was,” Burnett recalled.

Then there was addiction recovery, a focus on marriage and kids, a divorce and a new marriage.

Burnett was forced to find work as a miller and, for a stretch, he managed corporate farms.

“You’re left with student loans and a paycheck,” he said. “I opted for the paycheck with the understanding I would get back some time.”

Eventually he started his own accounting business, but he never gave up on his dream of finishing his degree.

Burnett popped in and out of campus when he could and accumulated some credits along the way.

“I would go to a 12-step [AA] meeting in the morning, come to classes, back again, and then studying at night,” he said.

During that time, he also dealt with serious health challenges – a bout with skin cancer, a stroke and then, two years ago, he was diagnosed with Parkison’s disease.

Completing his degree became a bucket list item for Burnett.

“There was no grand plan,” he said. “I just took it one course at a time, one assignment at a time.”

In the 1990s, he remembered sitting down in a biochemistry classroom, looking around and thinking: “My jeans are older than most of the people here.”

When Burnett turned 65, he learned he was eligible for a tuition waiver. So, he re-registered and began again with courses in applied animal science.

“It’s a great example of perseverance and grit and having the tenacity to chisel away at something, in this case, one course at a time,” said John Cranfield, dean at the Ontario Agricultural College.

Burnett also served as an inspiration to his fellow students.

“The whole class respected Dave,” said Joshua Nasielski, professor in the university’s Department of Plant Agriculture. “He always brought energy and humour to class and students often joked that he was the class clown. Dave was willing to share lessons from his years of real-world experience as a farm accountant with the class, which was a huge asset. He must be one of the only undergraduate students to deliver a guest lecture for a class that he was enrolled in.”

Burnett teared up as he prepared to walk across the stage to accept his Bachelor of Science degree with the Class of 2025.

“It is emotional. It’s the last couple of days that it sort of began to sink in,” he said, adding that hit him hard as he was putting on his graduation gown.

If he had more time on his hands Burnett would pursue a graduate degree.

“There’s not enough years in the timeline,” he said. “I’m still getting my head around the fact that I’m done.”