Indigenous advocate Littlechild, opera star Archibald among Laurier honorary degree recipients at spring convocation

WATERLOO — Juno-winning opera star Jane Archibald (B.Mus. ’99) and Indigenous rights champion Wilton Littlechild are amongst 5 achieved Canadians to obtain honorary levels at Wilfrid Laurier’s Spring 2023 convocation ceremonies College. Brantford Campus Ceremonies will probably be held on the Sanderson Middle for the Performing Arts on June 6 and Waterloo campus ceremonies will probably be held at Lazarid Room from 12 to 16 June.

Recipients of the honorary diploma are:

  • Gary Lipinskyformer president of the Métis Nation of Ontario
  • Mandy Bujold11-time nationwide boxing champion and Olympian
  • Wilton Littlechildworld defender of indigenous rights
  • Jane Archibaldwell-known opera singer
  • Maggie MacDonnellWorld Educating Award Winner

Laurier may also current the Order of Wilfrid Laurier College to Kenneth Hewitt, Professor Emeritus of Geography and Environmental Research, on the inaugural Waterloo ceremony on June 12 at 1pm

GARY LIPINSKI, HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAW, JUNE 6, 10 AM, SANDERSON CENTER, BRANTFORD

As retired president of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), Lipinski made a transformative influence on Ontario-Métis relations by efficiently negotiating the MNO-Ontario Framework Settlement. In stark distinction to generations of presidency insurance policies which have denied the very existence of Ontario Métis, the settlement acknowledges the distinctive id, historical past, tradition and rights of Ontario Métis communities. The settlement led to related agreements with different authorities ministries, businesses and post-secondary establishments. Lipinski retired in 2016 after twenty years of service to the MNO, leaving a legacy of advocacy that has improved the standard of life for Métis folks.

A former instructor, Lipinski comes from Fort Frances, Ontario, from a protracted line of Métis industrial fishermen and conventional useful resource customers.

MANDY BUJOLD, HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAW, JUNE 13, 9:30 AM, LAZARIDIS HALL, WATERLOO

A adorned athlete, Bujold is an 11-time nationwide boxing champion from Kitchener, Ontario. He received gold medals on the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Video games and a bronze medal on the 2014 Commonwealth Video games.

Having competed on the Summer time Olympic Video games in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020), Bujold fought laborious to make it to the 2020 Video games, inspiring moms and feminine athletes world wide by efficiently advocating for the Worldwide Olympic Committee to welcome ladies into being pregnant or postpartum throughout the qualification course of. Bujold is the founding father of an area charity, Champions for Charity, an advocate for small companies and is lively within the Waterloo area group.

WILTON LITTLECHILD, HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAWS, JUNE 14, 9:30 AM, LAZARIDIS HALL, WATERLOO

An achieved lawyer, revered politician, excellent athlete and pioneer of the worldwide indigenous rights motion, Littlechild has labored tirelessly to advertise human rights, particularly these of indigenous peoples. Previously a commissioner for Canada’s Reality and Reconciliation Fee, he has achieved success regardless of present process 14 years of residential college for the reason that age of 6, selecting to deal with sports activities like baseball, hockey and swimming .

As an alternative of pursuing a profession in hockey, he grew to become the primary individual from the Alberta Treaty First Nation to obtain a legislation diploma from the College of Alberta and went on to develop into the primary Treaty Member of Parliament of India. He served a five-year time period as a congressman (1988-’93), representing the management of Wetaskiwin, Alta., and was additionally a parliamentary delegate to the United Nations.

JANE ARCHIBALD, HONORARY DOCTOR OF MUSIC, JUNE 16, 9.30am, LAZARIDIS HALL, WATERLOO

Famend opera star Jane Archibald has carried out on the world’s most famous opera homes and live performance halls, together with the Metropolitan Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Paris Opera, La Scala Milan and Carnegie Corridor . This yr, alumna Laurier made her debut because the title character in Salome on the Teatro Petruzzelli in Italy. She may also open the season of the BBC Scottish Symphony in a live performance which will probably be broadcast on radio and tv. In live performance, Archibald is the soprano soloist in performances with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Nationwide Arts Middle Orchestra, Orchester Symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony.

A Juno Award winner, she seems in quite a few recordings, most just lately in Bernstein’s acclaimed model of Candide with the London Symphony Orchestra.

MAGGIE MACDONNELL, HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAW, JUNE 16, 9:30 AM, LAZARIDIS HALL, WATERLOO

Often called “The Million Greenback Trainer”, MacDonnell was chosen from greater than 20,000 nominated academics from 179 international locations because the winner of the US$1 million World Trainer Prize. He has spent a long time instructing and studying from resilient populations world wide, across the globe; from Congolese refugees to Inuit within the air village of Salluit within the Canadian Arctic.

MacDonnell tears down conventional classroom partitions and creates new ones rooted in a pedagogy of group and empowerment that sees its college students as brokers of change. Working collectively, she drew on their abilities and motivations to handle their actual challenges. She gave the impression to be creating one of many northernmost health facilities on the earth to supply a welcoming, wholesome and protected house for younger folks. It additionally seemed like an Inuit women’ journey membership that offered a connection to the land and feminine position fashions, in addition to bike workshops, a scholar cafe, suicide prevention workshops, and a lot extra. Within the midst of seemingly insurmountable challenges, together with a suicide disaster, MacDonnell impressed college students to develop into brokers of change in their very own communities.

KENNETH HEWITT, ORDER OF WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY, JUNE 12, 1 PM, LAZARIDIS HALL, WATERLOO

Professor Emeritus of Geography and Environmental Research and Analysis Affiliate at Laurier’s Chilly Areas Analysis Middle, Hewitt’s educational profession consists of tenured professorships on the College of Toronto and Rutgers College. His most important fields of instructing, analysis and consultancy are geomorphology and excessive mountain environments, environmental disasters and peace analysis.

Hewitt has contributed to the event of ideas of catastrophe, disaster, catastrophe vulnerability and threat discount. His peace analysis considers the impacts of gun violence on civilians, human settlements and habitats. He has spent 17 subject seasons within the Karakoram Himalaya in Inside Asia and is a regional specialist in mountain environments.

Laurier may also current the next awards at its convocation ceremonies:

  • College Analysis Professor Award: 12 June, 1:00 pm and 14 June, 1:00 pm in Waterloo. Recipients to be introduced.
  • School Awards for Excellence in Service and Neighborhood Engagement: Christina Han, June 6, 10 am, Brantford; Jerzy Kaplanek, 16 June, 9.30am, Waterloo.
  • Distinguished Governor Award 15 June, 1.00pm, Waterloo. Recipient to be introduced.

Tickets are required for all convocation ceremonies. E-mail convo@wlu.ca for ticket inquiries. For extra info on convening, go to wlu.ca/convocation.