Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell is being awarded an honorary degree from Mount Allison University this year. And she’s not the only public health official to be recognized. Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial Health Officer for British Columbia and a Mount Allison alum, will also be among the six recipients.
Others 2021 honorary degree recipients include:
- Chief Terry Paul of the Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia,
- Dominic Leblanc, longtime member of parliament for Beausejour and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs,
- Annette Verschuren, Mount Allison alum and CEO of energy storage corporation NRStor Inc.,
- and Pierre Lassonde, former chairman of the Franco-Nevada gold mining corporation, and philanthropist.
Lassonde’s name will soon be a familiar one on campus, as his family foundation recently donated $5 million towards Mount Allison fine arts program, which is now name the Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts.
“These six individuals are leaders in their respective fields, including medicine, business, government, and community development,” says Mount Allison president Jean-Paul Boudreau in a news release June 3. “Their commitment to the public good, through their leadership and actions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout their careers, is exceptional. We are honoured to welcome them to the Mount Allison community as our newest honorary degree recipients.”
Recipients will be formally recognized at planned in-person Convocation ceremonies on the Mount Allison campus in Spring 2022, along with their 2020 counterparts.
Honorary degrees are awarded to those who are nationally or internationally recognized in their fields, those who have demonstrated service to Mount Allison or the wider community, or prominent public persons.
Mount Allison has an Honorary Degrees Committee, made up of members of the University Senate, students, and the Board of Regents. The committee takes nominations and awards honorary degrees to, “those who are nationally or internationally recognized in their fields, those who have demonstrated service to Mount Allison or the wider community, or prominent public persons,” according to a Mount Allison news release.