Wednesday, June 13 | 9:45 am ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Beedie School of Business
Michael Francis is a chartered accountant, innovator and leader who has devoted much of his life to community engagement. A chair emeritus of SFU’s Board of Governors, he has made immense contributions to business, education and the arts in BC and Canada.
Wednesday, June 13 | 2:30 pm ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Beedie School of Business; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Dorothy Grant, a Haida fashion designer, has combined her artistic and business acumen to create a new era of contemporary fashion design that evokes self-respect and pride for First Nations culture.
Thursday, June 14 | 9:45 am ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Madeleine Thien is a Canadian author who has won Canada’s top literary awards. These include the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor-General’s Literary Award for Fiction, for her novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing. It was also shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
Thursday, June 14 | 2:30 pm ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Ashok Khosla, an internationally renowned pioneer in environmental sustainability, develops conceptual frameworks and global systems for promoting a sustainable future that has had profound impacts in India and around the globe.
Friday, June 15 | 9:45 am ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
Crystal Pite is an internationally renowned Canadian choreographer. Pite’s creations, sought by companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet, are renowned for being masterfully crafted and profoundly human.
Friday, June 15 | 2:30 pm ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Education; Faculty of Health Sciences
Stanley Zlotkin is a paediatrician, professor and internationally acclaimed advocate for children's health. He has developed a micronutrient powder that is helping to improve the health of millions of infants and children in the developing world.
Thursday, October 4 | 9:45 am ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Applied Sciences; Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology; Faculty of Health Sciences
Mariana Mazzucato is a professor at University College London where she directs the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. She is author of the highly acclaimed book The Entrepreneurial State and has a forthcoming book, The Value of Everything. A special advisor to the European Commission on mission oriented innovation, she was named one of the 'three most important thinkers about innovation' in The New Republic magazine.*
*Note: Mariana Mazzucato was originally scheduled to receive an honorary degree in 2017 but was unable to attend the ceremony.
Thursday, October 4 | 2:30 pm ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Jane Goodall is a celebrated primatologist, ethologist, environmentalist, animal rights activist and UN Messenger of Peace. She is best known for her lifelong, pioneering study of chimpanzee behaviour in Africa and her work to prevent their extinction.
Friday, October 5 | 2:30 pm ceremony
Academic credentials conferred: Faculty of Education; Faculty of Environment
Alison Gopnik is an internationally recognized leader in the study of cognitive science. Her research exploring children’s learning and development has revealed surprising discoveries about children’s sophisticated learning abilities.
For more information, contact Ceremonies and Events at invite@sfu.ca
Last update: Wednesday, March 21, 2018