20 mai 2017 – Telegraph Journal

N.B.’s 4 largest universities hand out 15 honorary degrees

Mount Allison University awarded honorary degrees this week to national charity founder Michael Kirby, soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan and former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour. They’re pictured with Mount Allison president and vice-chancellor Robert Campbell, and chancellor Peter Mansbridge. PHOTO: SUBMITTED The secretary general of an international human rights organization, one of the world’s leading performers of contemporary classical music, and a former Supreme Court judge are among those being bestowed honorary degrees at spring convocations across . New Brunswick’s four largest universities are in the midst of handing out a total of 15 honorary degrees this graduation season. The degrees are typically awarded to those who are nationally or internationally recognized in their fields or have demonstrated service to the local universities or the community. Former Sergeant at Arms Kevin Vickers, Olympic 20 mai 2017 – Telegraph Journal medallist Clara Hughes, opera singer Measha Brueggergosman, and former prime minister Paul Martin have been bestowed the honour in the past. Here are this year’s recipients: University of New Brunswick Heidi Shyu Shyu earned a bachelor of science degree at UNB in 1976, immigrated from Taiwan to Japan, then to the United States when she was 11 years old. She later moved to , where her father was a history professor at UNB, and completed her final year of high school at Fredericton High School. Graduating from UNB with an honours science degree, Heidi Shyu was most recently the assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, the highest position in army acquisition. Pamela Palmater Palmater, a 1997 graduate of UNB Law, is a member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. She has been a practising lawyer for more than 18 years and is an associate professor and chair in indigenous governance at Ryerson University. She has been recognized for her social justice advocacy, and most recently for her work related to murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. William Jones An engineering graduate from UNB, Jones is president and owner of Maple Leaf Homes, a mini and modular home manufacturing company based in Fredericton. He is also the owner and operator of several woodlots in Kings County. Jones has also been a dedicated supporter of the Fredericton YMCA for more than 40 years, serving in senior roles on its board of directors, including president in 1979. Andrew Garrod For 16 years, Garrod taught at Saint John 20 mai 2017 – Telegraph Journal

High School, where he chaired the English department and won provincial and national awards for his Shakespearean student productions. To recognize his contributions, members of the school’s alumni established a scholarship in his name at UNB. With degrees from Oxford and Harvard, Garrod also taught at Dartmouth College for 25 years. St. Thomas University Alex Neve Neve is the secretary general of Amnesty International . He has participated in Amnesty missions to South Sudan, Côte d’Ivoïre, Tanzania, Ghana, Mexico, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Guinea, Honduras, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Guantánamo Bay and Grassy Narrows, Ont. The human rights activist and lawyer was previously awarded an honorary doctorate of Laws by the University of New Brunswick. Sandra Irving A member of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, Irving has served as a board member at the University of New Brunswick, the Saint John Regional Hospital Health Authority, and Theatre New Brunswick, among other positions. As chair of the President’s Advisory Council of the Royal Society of Canada, Irving encouraged greater recognition of Canadian professors and researchers, helped the society engage youth and First Nations, and helped foster connections between scholars and universities in Atlantic Canada. A cancer survivor, Irving is also dedicated to supporting the search for a cure, and is a strong supporter of the Canadian Cancer Society. Mount Allison University Michael Kirby Kirby is the founder of Partners for Mental Health, a national charity. He retired from the Senate in 2006 after 22 years representing Nova Scotia. While in the Senate, he chaired a committee that 20 mai 2017 – Telegraph Journal produced 11 healthcare reports, including the first-ever national report on mental health, mental illness and addiction. Barbara Hannigan Hannigan, from Waverley, N.S., is recognized as one of the world’s leading performers of contemporary classical music. She is a regular guest with the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and has performed on the stages of the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden, La Scala Milan and Paris Opera. She made her debut as conductor in 2011 at the Châtelet in Paris and is now recognized for shattering classical music’s “glass ceiling” in the field of orchestral conducting. Louise Arbour Arbour is a former Supreme Court of Canada judge, serving on the country’s highest court from 1999 to 2004. She held senior positions at the United Nations and was chief prosecutor for the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda. Arbour, originally from Montreal, is currently a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, the International Commission Against the Death Penalty, and the Advisory Board of The Coalition for the International Criminal Court. Vianne Timmons Timmons, a Mount Allison alumna, is the current president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina. She has also been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network for four years in a row. She founded the annual Inspiring Leadership Forum, an event that features discussions by outstanding women leaders from around the world, and is the past-president of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Université de Moncton Georges Arsenault A former professor of Acadian studies at the University of Prince 20 mai 2017 – Telegraph Journal

Edward Island, Arsenault is known for his work in promoting the island province’s Acadian culture and traditions. He has written more than 60 articles for Canadian history publications and magazines and has more than 30 books to his credit. Donald Bélanger A native of Edmundston, Bélanger received his applied computer science degree from the Université de Moncton. He worked for the City of Edmundston, including director of finance and general manager and played a leading role in Edmundston’s amalgamation process which resulted in the coming together of four municipalities. Bélanger also recently co-chaired the fundraising committee for a community amphitheatre. Charles Bourque Bourque was a professor in the chemistry and biochemistry department at l’Université Moncton for more than 25 years. He held the positions of dean of the faculty of science, director of the chemistry and biochemistry department, as well as director of the research laboratory on industry and the environment. He was also responsible for creating research chairs and establishing the master’s program in computer science and the doctoral program in life sciences, and was involved in the creation of a composting industry as a tool for solid waste management in Atlantic Canada. Gemma Gallant Gallant, a longtime nursing professor at Université de Moncton, was a driving force in the implementation of the master’s program in nursing science. She led major research projects in the area of telemedicine and undertook a project related to the prevention and screening of cervical cancer among aboriginal women. 20 mai 2017 – Telegraph Journal

Stanley Vollant Vollant, an Innu from Pessamit, a small community located on Quebec’s northern coast, was the first aboriginal surgeon in Quebec. He worked in Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, then Montfort Hospital in Ottawa. He was also an associate professor of surgery and director of the First Nations program at the University of Ottawa’s faculty of medicine. Today, he is a general surgeon at the Dolbeau- Mistassini Hospital.