From global leadership and Indigenous knowledge\u2011keeping to journalism, philanthropy, athletics and community advocacy, this spring\u2019s Honorary Degree and Order of the University of Calgary recipients represent a remarkable breadth of achievement and service.<\/p>\n
The honours will be presented at the Spring 2026 Convocation ceremonies, Chancellor Jon Cornish and President and Vice\u2011Chancellor Ed McCauley have announced.<\/p>\n
Honorary degree recipients<\/p>\n
The Honorary Degree (Doctor of Laws, or Hon. LLD) is UCalgary\u2019s highest academic honour, acknowledging individuals whose outstanding achievements and contributions to the community deserve special recognition. The recipients will address the graduating class, sharing insights and lessons from their distinguished careers and leadership experiences.<\/p>\n
Marilyn and Jeff McCaig<\/p>\n
Conferral and address \u2013 Wednesday, June 3, 2 p.m. ceremony<\/p>\n
Marilyn\u00a0and Jeff\u00a0McCaig have been long-time supporters of UCalgary, dedicating their time and resources to advancing education,\u00a0research\u00a0and community leadership. Marilyn, BEd\u201975,\u00a0is an\u00a0alum\u00a0of the\u00a0Werklund\u00a0School of Education<\/a>. Jeff\u00a0remains\u00a0actively involved with the university through the McCaig Chair in Management in International Business and the Haskayne School of Business<\/a>. He has also generously supported the McCaig Family Future Fund Professorship in International Family Business.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Marilyn has focused much of her work on the Cumming School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0(CSM), particularly through the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health<\/a>. She has chaired the institute\u2019s Strategic Advisory Board for\u00a0more than\u00a015 years and continues to serve on the CSM Dean\u2019s Advisory Committee. Both Jeff and Marilyn remain deeply engaged in the mentorship,\u00a0governance\u00a0and ongoing support of the McCaig Institute.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond the university, Jeff continues to play a prominent role in Calgary\u2019s business community as chair of the\u00a0Trimac\u00a0group of companies,\u00a0Bantrel, and the Calgary Flames Foundation<\/a>. Marilyn oversees their family\u2019s philanthropic efforts through the McCaig Family Foundation, helping to guide funding toward initiatives that reflect their shared values of innovation,\u00a0education\u00a0and community well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n Deborah Yedlin<\/p>\n Conferral and address \u2013 Friday, June 5, 2 p.m. ceremony<\/p>\n Former UCalgary Chancellor Deborah Yedlin has built her career across finance, journalism\u00a0and civic leadership since 1987. After starting her career as an investment banker with Goldman Sachs in New York and later continuing with other firms in Canada, she became a prominent business columnist and commentator for major Canadian media outlets, including the\u00a0Calgary Herald,\u00a0Globe and Mail\u00a0and\u00a0Financial Post, in addition to national radio and television networks. Her business commentary was regarded as both incisive and accessible,\u00a0providing\u00a0important insights to readers and listeners from\u00a0across the country.\u202f\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Born and raised in Edmonton, but living in Calgary since 1992, Yedlin is a long-time community leader, has served on several not-for-profit boards and was the 14th\u00a0Chancellor of the University of Calgary from 2018 to 2022.\u202fSince 2021, she has been\u00a0president\u00a0and\u00a0CEO of the Calgary Chamber<\/a>, where she champions economic growth, innovation and inclusive business development while strengthening the organization\u2019s influence in public policy in the municipal,\u00a0provincial\u00a0and national context.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jackie Flanagan<\/p>\n Conferral and address \u2013 Monday, June 8, 2 p.m. ceremony<\/p>\n Jackie Flanagan\u00a0BEd’69,\u00a0MA\u201975,\u00a0was born in Calgary and raised in the town of Bowness before it became part of the city. She is the publisher and founding editor of\u00a0Alberta Views, a magazine of political, social and cultural commentary established in 1997, rooted in her belief that a healthy democracy depends on informed and engaged citizens. Flanagan spent 18 years teaching in the English department at Mount Royal College\u00a0(now Mount Royal University)\u00a0from 1972 to 1990.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her literary work includes\u00a0Grass Castles\u00a0(1998), a collection of interconnected short stories published by\u00a0Bayeau\u00a0Arts. Deeply committed to community and the arts, she has served as a director of Calgary Foundation<\/a> and on the board of Lunchbox Theatre<\/a>. With her former husband, Allan Markin, she established the Distinguished Writer-in-Residence<\/a> program at UCalgary.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flanagan studied at the University of British Columbia, UCalgary and the University of Alberta. Invested into the Order of Canada\u00a0in 2024, she is recognized for her philanthropy and long-standing support of Canadian writers and the arts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Elder Rod Hunter<\/p>\n Conferral and address \u2013 Wednesday, June 10, 9:30 a.m. ceremony<\/p>\n Elder Rod Hunter, whose traditional Stoney Nakoda name is Othni (\u201cCold\u201d), is a leader, Knowledge Keeper and cultural advocate from Bearspaw First Nation. He has dedicated his life to strengthening the cultural, political and spiritual well-being of his community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elder Rod currently serves as an elected councillor for Bearspaw First Nation, contributing to governance, community priorities and Nation\u2011to\u2011Nation relationships. A world\u2011class powwow singer and a legend in the powwow circuit, he is the longtime leader of the drum group Eyahey Nakoda and has shared Stoney Nakoda culture across North America since beginning his singing journey at the age of nine.\u00a0<\/p>\n Deeply committed to traditional spiritual practice, Elder Rod is a Sundance Maker who has completed four Sundance lodges and carries responsibilities as a medicine holder and pipe\u2011holder.\u00a0<\/p>\n He has contributed to UCalgary through ceremony, cultural education and relationship building, including sharing teachings related to the university\u2019s Honour Song. Elder Rod continues to support reconciliation and Indigenous Ways of Knowing through leadership, song and ceremony.\u00a0<\/p>\n President Sauli Niinist\u00f6, former president of the Republic of Finland\u00a0<\/p>\n Conferral and address \u2013 Wednesday, June 10, 2 p.m. ceremony<\/p>\n President\u00a0Sauli Niinist\u00f6 served two full terms as the 12th President of Finland from 2012 to 2024, guiding the country through a defining period in European and global geopolitics. Re-elected in 2018, he played\u00a0a central role\u00a0in shaping Finland\u2019s foreign and security policy, including the country\u2019s historic decision to join NATO.\u00a0<\/p>\n A lawyer by training,\u00a0Niinist\u00f6 previously served as Finland\u2019s longest-serving minister of finance, helping steer the country out of severe recession in the 1990s. He was\u00a0chairman\u00a0of the National Coalition Party from 1994 to 2001. In addition to domestic politics, he was\u00a0chairman\u00a0of the European Democrat Union (EDU)\u00a0from 1998 to 2002.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2003,\u00a0Niinist\u00f6 took up the post of\u00a0vice-president\u00a0of the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. He returned to the Finnish Parliament in the 2007 elections with the highest number of votes ever gained by a candidate. He was Speaker of Parliament from 2007 to 2011.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, he speaks on geopolitics, European security, transatlantic\u00a0relations\u00a0and leadership in times of crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Order of the University of Calgary recipients<\/p>\n The Order of the University of Calgary is awarded to individuals with a significant history of service to the university. Recipients may include current or former members of the UCalgary community.<\/p>\n Ben Matchett\u00a0<\/p>\n Presentation \u2013 Tuesday, June 9, 2 p.m. ceremony<\/p>\n In 2021, Ben Matchett, BComm\u201906, BA\u201906, was appointed as the eighth athletic director in Dinos history, after more than two decades of service to Dinos Athletics<\/a>. His career at UCalgary began in 2000 as a student and volunteer, and he later completed a full-time internship and was hired as marketing and communications co-ordinator in 2006. He became sports information director the following year and was promoted to assistant athletic director, operations and communications, in 2011.<\/p>\n In that role, Matchett led initiatives such as the Crowchild Classic, the Dinos brand re-launch, hosting multiple U\u202fSPORTS national championships, and he has elevated the Dinos\u2019 national profile. As athletic director, he has strengthened departmental funding and campus partnerships while overseeing 23 varsity and eight competitive club programs serving nearly 700 student-athletes annually.<\/p>\n Beyond campus, Matchett has served with Canada West and U\u202fSPORTS and acted as Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2023 Winter World University Games.<\/p>\n Matchett has served as president of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association<\/a> since 2024.<\/p>\n Jill Wyatt<\/p>\n Presentation \u2013 Wednesday, June 10, 9:30 a.m. ceremony<\/p>\n Jill Wyatt is a former educator and high school principal, CEO of the YWCA of Calgary<\/a>, and vice-president, Community Investments and Collaborations, with United Way of Calgary and Area<\/a>. She has served two distinguished terms as a UCalgary senator<\/a>, and was appointed as chair of the Board of Governors<\/a> from 2017 to 2019. Wyatt\u2019s passion for community building has been a driving force in changing social conditions and creating opportunities for individuals, families and communities. She is a proven leader during times of complex change, working to innovate for greater impact, and helping people develop to reach their potential.<\/p>\n Wyatt is bilingual and holds a Diploma in Education from UCalgary, a Bachelor of Arts from York University, and a master\u2019s degree in French from the University of Toronto.<\/p>\n Wyatt is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, the Paul Harris Rotary Fellow Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals, and the Alberta Centennial Medal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From global leadership and Indigenous knowledge\u2011keeping to journalism, philanthropy, athletics and community advocacy, this spring\u2019s Honorary Degree and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-642963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}