Five people will receive honorary doctorates of letters at Vancouver Island University's convocation ceremonies next week.
Raffi Cavoukian – Cavoukian is best known as a talented Canadian children's singer, writer, author and speaker. Cavoukian has received the Order of Canada and the United Nations’ Earth Achievement Award. He founded The Centre for Child Honouring in 2010, which is at the heart of a global movement to create sustainable, peacemaking societies.
Wade Davis – Writer, speaker, educator, photographer, filmmaker and world adventurer, Davis was named one of the Explorers for the Millennium by the National Geographic Society. Davis is an anthropologist, botanist and author of 17 bestselling books. His documentary films and photographs have been shown in major exhibits around the world.
Takao Tanabe – Over a career spanning 60 years, Tanabe has gained international acclaim as one of Canada’s most important painters. His life has taken him from imprisonment on Canadian soil as a Japanese alien during the Second World War to exhibiting his paintings across Canada and internationally.
Shelagh Rogers – Canadian broadcast journalist Rogers has captivated and entertained millions of Canadians with her voice and personality on CBC Radio programs such as Morningside, Basic Black, This Morning and Sounds Like Canada. Rogers was named an Officer of the Order of Canada as an advocate for Canadian culture, adult literacy, mental illness awareness and building new relationships through reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
C.S. (Buzz) Holling – Holling is a professor in ecological sciences at the University of Florida and one of Canada’s best known forest entomologists, whose pioneering methods in adaptive ecosystem management paved the way for modern movements in sustainability and conservation. His numerous awards include being named Officer of the Order of Canada.
For detailed biographies about VIU’s 2014 honorary degree recipients, please visit www.viu.ca/convocation/honorary-degree-recipients/index.asp.