Honorary degree recipients named

The University of Alberta Senate has announced the names of this spring's honorary degree recipients. At Spring Convocation 2006, June 7-9, 12 and 13 at the Jubilee Auditorium, the U of A will confer nine honorary degrees to the following notable individuals:

Tom Jackson

Tom Jackson is an accomplished musician, actor, activist and humanitarian worker. An award-winning performer, Jackson is famous among Canadians for his character Chief Peter Kenidi on CBC's hit television series North of 60. He also starred in movies such as The Diviners, Grizzly Falls and The Water Giant and has been nominated for, and received, Genie and Gemini awards. As a musician, Jackson has recorded 13 albums, and two of which earned Juno nominations. Born in Saskatchewan on the One Arrow reserve and raised in Winnipeg, Jackson left school at age 15 and lived on the streets of Winnipeg for seven years. Committed to making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate, Jackson has had a significant impact on Canadian society through his humanitarian efforts. He created the Huron Carole Benefit Concert Series, an annual cross-country concert tour to raise money for the Canadian Association of Food Banks. He spearheaded and hosted the CBC Newsworld coverage of Say Hay, an event to raise funds for drought-stricken prairie farmers. Jackson also organizes the Dreamcatcher Tour, an annual tour to more than 100 reserves and urban locations, dedicated to bringing music and a message of empowerment to communities suffering the loss of young lives to suicide. Jackson was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and received the Queen's Jubilee medal in 2002. Jackson will be conferred an honorary doctorate of laws June 7.

Daniel Kahneman

Dr. Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel laureate, is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology at Princeton University and Professor of Public Affairs at its Woodrow Wilson School. Kahneman is a key pioneer of behavioural finance and prospect theory, which describes how individuals make decisions under conditions of risk and uncertainty. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics, with collaborator Dr. Amos Tversky of Hebrew University (who died in 1996), for ground-breaking work integrating psychological research into economics. Kahneman earned his BSc in mathematics and psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1954 and his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley in 1961. He was a professor at the Hebrew University, the University of British Columbia and the University of California-Berkeley before joining Princeton in 1993. Daniel Kahneman has won numerous awards, including the Grawmeyer Prize in Psychology (with Amos Tversky) and the Hilgard Award for Career Contributions to General Psychology. He is a member of the Econometric Society and the National Academy of Sciences. Kahneman will receive an honorary doctorate of science June 7.

Martha Cook Piper

Dr. Martha Cook Piper, an outstanding educator and advocate for higher education and research, is the 11th president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia (UBC). Piper received a BSc in Physical Therapy from the University of Michigan in 1967, a MA in Child Development from the University of Connecticut in 1970, and a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University in 1979. She was then appointed director of the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University. In 1985, she joined the University of Alberta as dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. In 1993, Piper was appointed vice-president research, and in 1995 this portfolio was expanded to include external affairs. She assumed the presidency of UBC in 1997. Her teaching and research interests have focused on early identification of the developmentally delayed infant and assessment of specific approaches used in the treatment of physically and mentally handicapped children. The Martha C. Piper Research Prize is awarded annually to a faculty member at the University of Alberta. The 2002 Killam Lecturer, Piper's commitment to the advancement of research has identified her as a national leader in the university community. She has contributed to many national organizations, including the Canada Research Chairs Program and the Advisory Council on Science and Technology. Piper was named an Officer of the Order of Canada (2003), Educator of the Year by The Learning Partnership (2004), and a recipient of the Order of British Columbia (2005). She was also recognized as one of five Canadian "Nation Builders" in the Globe and Mail (2005). Piper will be granted an honorary doctorate of laws June 8.

The Honourable Norman L. Kwong

The Honourable Norman L. Kwong, Alberta's 16th Lieutenant-Governor, is well known for his outstanding leadership and involvement in our province. A former professional athlete, Kwong played for both the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos. Nicknamed the China Clipper, he won four Grey Cups during his Canadian Football League (CFL) career and was the first Chinese Canadian to play in the league. He held more than 30 records when he retired from football and was named Canadian Male Athlete of the Year in 1955. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1969, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. He is also a past president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders and the CFL, and he was a co-owner of the Calgary Flames in 1989 when the team won its first Stanley Cup. Since retiring from a player's role in sports, the Lieutenant-Governor has maintained an active interest not only in sports, but also in community affairs. He has served as Honorary Chair of the Easter Seal Campaign in Calgary and as the National Chair of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism. He is a Member of the Order of Canada (1998) and is Chancellor of the Alberta Order of Excellence (2005). His Honour will receive an honorary doctorate of laws June 8.

Matthew E. Spence

Dr. Matthew Spence, a U of A alumnus, served as president and CEO of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) from 1990 - 2004. He obtained his MD from the University of Alberta and his post-doctoral training at McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute, receiving his PhD in neurobiochemistry. AHFMR programs support a broad range of basic, clinical, health services, and population health research in Alberta. Under the guidance of Spence, the foundation expanded beyond its early biomedical focus to push the envelope of health research. AHFMR now funds more than 235 researchers in over a dozen faculties in three Alberta universities. As a passionate ambassador for health research, Spence also helped transform the Medical Research Council of Canada into the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He chaired the committee responsible for developing the Alberta Government's new Alberta Foundation for Science and Engineering Research (Alberta Ingenuity Fund). He is a member of the boards of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, the Canadian Institute of Academic Medicine, and the Institute of Health Economics. A member of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, he serves on the Research Council of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research. Spence will receive an honorary doctorate of laws June 9.

Cécile E. Mactaggart

Cécile E. Mactaggart, author, art collector and philanthropist, is an integral figure in the artistic and cultural life of the City of Edmonton and University of Alberta community. A long-standing supporter of public libraries, she is also a passionate advocate of the arts and educational institutions. She continues to contribute to the promotion of excellence in writing for both students and faculty through the Mactaggart Writing Award. Her unique gifts as an art collector are evidenced by a remarkable Chinese art collection, including paintings, calligraphy, scrolls, and silk robes, that is reputed to be one of the finest collections in North America. One of the newest additions to the University of Alberta's diverse research collections, this Chinese art collection will enhance the both the university and the city's reputation on the international stage and open new links with China. The collection will form the foundation of the U of A's new China Institute, an exciting initiative that will promote research initiatives in both Canada and China. The institute will offer undergraduates, graduate students and faculty tremendous opportunities for educational exchange in diverse areas of scholarship, including languages, trade, human ecology and history. Her visionary support for such endeavours stems from a passionate belief that the arts, education and travel are integral components of each individual's personal growth and every society's health and security. Cécile Mactaggart will be conferred an honorary doctorate of laws June 12.

Gwyn Morgan

Gwyn Morgan, a U of A alumnus, is an outstanding leader in the petroleum industry and former president and chief executive officer of EnCana Corporation. Morgan is a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Alberta, and he has post-graduate qualifications including the Executive Business Program of Cornell University in New York State. His career includes over 35 years of technical, operational, financial and management positions in oil and gas exploration, production and pipelines. After stepping down as president and CEO of EnCana, he was appointed executive vice-chairman to EnCana's board of directors and also serves as the lead director of HSBC Bank Canada, a director of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., and a member of the Accenture Energy Advisory Board of Accenture Ltd. In the not-for-profit sector, he is a director and a vice-chairman of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, a director of the American Petroleum Institute, a director of the Institute of the Americas, and a member of the board of governors of The Canadian Unity Council and the board of trustees of The Fraser Institute. Morgan has been recognized as Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year for 2005. He is the recipient of the Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta, the Ivey Business Leader Award from the University of Western Ontario, and the Strategic Leadership Forum President's Award. He is an inductee to the Alberta Business Hall of Fame, a Fellow of The Canadian Academy of Engineering and an Honorary Colonel (retired) of the 410 Tactical Fighter Squadron, Canadian Air Force. Morgan will receive an honorary doctorate of laws June 12.

Kenneth L Thompson

Kenneth Thompson is well-known for developing the UNIX operating system, still widely regarded as one of the most powerful, versatile, and flexible operating systems in the digital world. He received a BSc in 1965 and MSc in 1966 both in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He then joined the computing science research department of Bell Laboratories from 1966 until he retired in 2000. He developed the UNIX operating system in 1969 with colleague Dennis Ritchie. Thompson also developed the computer B language, a precursor to the C language, as well as Belle, a chess-playing computer designed in partnership with Joe H. Condon. Belle won the U.S. and World Computing Chess Championships in 1980. From 1975 - 1976, Thompson was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley and in 1988 he was a visiting professor at the University of Sydney, Australia. Thompson was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (1980); the U.S. National Academy of Science (1980); and named a Bell Laboratories Fellow (1983). He was awarded the ACM Turing Award (1983) and the National Medal of Technology for the development of the UNIX system (1998), along with Dennis Ritchie. Thompson will be awarded an honorary doctorate of science June 13.

William S. Fyfe

A Companion of the Order of Canada, Dr. William Fyfe is a Canadian geologist and professor emeritus in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Western Ontario. He is widely considered one of the world's most distinguished geoscientists and has contributed ground-breaking research on the environmental implications of human energy consumption. Born in Ashburn, New Zealand, he received his BSc in 1948, his MSc in 1949, and his PhD in 1952 from the University of Otago. He pursued research at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley. He was a professor at Berkeley, Imperial College London and the University of Manchester before arriving at the University of Western Ontario in 1972. From 1986 - 1990 he was dean of science at the University of Western Ontario. Fyfe's numerous honours include: Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1969); Royal Society of Canada's Willet G. Miller Medal (1985); Geological Society of America's Arthur L. Day Medal (1990); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering (1992); and the Geological Society's Wollaston Medal (2000). Asteroid (15846) Billfyfe is named in his honour. Fyfe will receive an honorary doctorate of science June 13.