Introducing York University’s honorary degree recipients for Fall 2018 Convocation

TORONTO, October 9, 2018 – York University is proud to announce honorary degrees for five outstanding individuals who have devoted their lives and careers in the service of community, education, public service and business.

York will recognize the leadership of these five exceptional individuals, and their outstanding impact to their fields during Fall Convocation.

“Each of these individuals has proven themselves a remarkable leader not only because of the ingenuity they have demonstrated in their chosen professional fields, but also because of their dedication to the communities they serve,” said Rhonda L. Lenton, York University President and Vice-Chancellor.

“We look forward to celebrating their excellence, and we know they will inspire York’s newest graduates as they embrace their own roles as the leaders of tomorrow."

Convocation ceremonies will be held from Wednesday, Oct. 10 to Saturday, Oct. 13. A full schedule can be found here.

Ceremonies on Wednesday and Thursday will take place at the Aviva Centre, 1 Shoreham Drive, York University, Keele campus. The Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA ceremony on Friday will take place in the McEwen Auditorium, Seymour Schulich Building, also located on the Keele campus. The Glendon ceremony on Saturday will be held on the Glendon Campus, located at 2275 Bayview Avenue.

Here are the recipients in order of the Faculty ceremonies at which they will be honoured. Biographies of each of the honorary degree recipients can be found here:

Dr. Frances Shepherd (Wednesday, Oct. 10, 10:30am, Faculty of Health)

Dr. Shepherd is a world-renowned oncologist who has contributed to our understanding of lung cancer and helped develop new treatments that have improved survival outcomes of lung cancer patients worldwide.

Dame Moya Greene (Thursday, Oct. 11, 10:30am, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies)

Moya Greene is one of Canada’s most influential and accomplished exports. She has dedicated most of her life to public service and managing complex public and private organizations, mastering the daunting challenges that come with evolving business models.

Anna Maria Tremonti (Thursday, Oct. 11, 3:30pm, School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design)

Anna Maria Tremonti is a familiar and engaging voice behind Canada’s most listened-to radio program, best known as a fearless interviewer who engages and informs on CBC’s Radio One show The Current.

Colleen Johnston (Friday, Oct. 12, 10am, Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA)

Colleen Johnston is an alumna who has been praised by her peers for her visionary leadership in the emergent financial technology (fintech) space. She is an inspiration to her colleagues, the community and York’s alumni and faculty.

Thandika Mkandawire (Saturday, Oct. 13, 2pm Glendon College)

Professor Mkandawire is a noted economist and public intellectual who has published broadly on the social sciences. He is an expert and scholar on policy making, transformation and democratization in Africa.

York University champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

York's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Yanni Dagonas, Deputy Spokesperson Media Relations, York University, 647-468-7850, yannidag@yorku.ca