TORONTO, June 17, 2015 – Politician, academic leader and human rights advocate Lloyd Norman Axworthy will receive an honorary degree from York University on Wednesday, June 17. He will talk to graduating students at their 3:30pm convocation ceremony.
Lloyd Axworthy
Axworthy has had a distinguished career as a member of parliament, a cabinet minister and, most recently, as president and vice-chancellor of The University of Winnipeg. Among his most notable contributions, he created the Royal Commission on Equity in Employment while he was minister of employment and immigration. Later as foreign affairs minister, his leadership behind the Ottawa Treaty to ban anti-personnel landmines garnered him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
Following 27 years of service in public office, Axworthy went on to advocate international human rights, improve the conditions of Canada’s First Nations, and lead United Nations efforts to advance rights in Africa and South America. During his governance at The University of Winnipeg from 2004 to 2014, he focused on campus renewal and its surrounding urban community, making postsecondary education more accessible to students who are disadvantaged, aboriginal, recent immigrants, or refugees. He also expanded that university’s outreach in the areas of aboriginal education, environmental studies, and human rights.
A graduate of The University of Winnipeg and Princeton University, Axworthy was installed as the first chancellor of St. Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo in 2014.
When: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 3:30pm
Where: York University, Keele campus at the Convocation Pavilion located at the Aviva Centre (formerly the Rexall Centre), 1 Shoreham Drive, at York University’s Keele campus (#8 on map).
The convocation ceremony will be webcast at the following link, which will become live when it begins: http://www.yorku.ca/mygrad/livewebcast.
York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre. York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 25 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 280 leading universities worldwide. York U’s community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 275,000 alumni.
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Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, York University, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097 / sandramc@yorku.ca
