Spring 2015 honorary degree recipients

The University of Victoria will present four honorary degrees for outstanding achievements in community-based leadership, public service, legal affairs and mathematics during spring convocation ceremonies.

Ruby Dunstan, Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD)

June 9 | 10 a.m.

The first female chief of the Lytton First Nation, Ruby Dunstan was a dynamic leader in the fight to protect the Stein Valley, ancestral territory of the Nlaka’pamux people, from logging. She was a key negotiator in the formation of the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Provincial Park, co-managed by the Lytton First Nation and B.C. Parks.

Dunstan was among the first to bring attention to residential school abuses in Canada, helping to mobilize a national campaign that led to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and she was a driving force behind the creation of the Stein ValleyNlaka’pamux School in Lytton.

Don Drummond, Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD)

June 9 | 2:30 p.m.

Don Drummond, BA ’76 (Economics), is an economist whose career has been guided by a vision for a Canada that is fiscally strong, educated and inclusive. As associate deputy minister of finance, Drummond played a key role in the 1995 budget (and subsequent budgets) that eliminated deficits that had been the worst of the G7 countries at the time.

After leaving the federal civil service, Drummond continued to influence economic outcomes in Canada as the senior vice-president and chief economist at TD Financial Group. From 2000-2010, he made frequent media appearances, offering informed perspectives on Canadian economic issues and policies. He later chaired the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services.

Hon. Lance Finch, Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD)

June 10 | 2:30 p.m.

Hon. Lance Finch is the retired chief justice of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, a position he held from 2001-2013. His approach to justice is characterized by wisdom, compassion, and profound concern for the law and its role in Canadian society.

Finch studied at Victoria College, starting in 1955, before completing his undergraduate and law degrees at UBC. An effective and principled leader of the court, Finch has been especially concerned with the impact of the law on less advantaged members of society. He has been outspoken about challenges related to access to justice and has urged the law community to share more responsibility for helping those who can’t afford legal services.

Dr. Nassif Ghoussoub, Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc)

June 12 | 2:30 p.m.

Dr. Nassif Ghoussoub is a world-leading mathematician who has played a critical role in building Canadian networks for the support of education and research in mathematical sciences. He is the founder of the Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences, the Banff International Research Station, and a co-founder of Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems.

PIMS has transformed mathematics among research universities in western Canada by encouraging regional research initiatives. BIRS has gained an international reputation as a premier venue for mathematics conferences. MITACS, an offshoot of PIMS, promotes collaboration among mathematicians working in industry and academia. Ghoussoub, a UBC math professor, is a world leader in the field of partial differential equations.