WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg today announced the names of three outstanding individuals will receive Honorary Degrees at the University’s 2009 Spring Convocation ceremonies. The recipients are media leader and philanthropist Leonard Asper, business leader and philanthropist H. Sanford Riley and internationally acclaimed writer & researcher Donald Treffinger.
The recipients will be celebrated at Spring Convocation, which takes place Thursday, June 4 and Friday June 5. Asper will receive his degree in the morning ceremony June 4, which goes from 9:30 am-12:00 Noon. Treffinger will receive his degree in the afternoon ceremony June 4, which runs from 2:30-5:00 pm. Riley will receive his degree in the morning ceremony June 5, which takes place from 9:30 am-12:00 Noon.
The following is a summary of accomplishments of the Honorary Degree recipients:
Leonard Asper
The University of Winnipeg is proud to present Leonard Asper with an Honorary Doctor of Laws in recognition of his many accomplishments and for his unwavering commitment to our campus and our community.
A lawyer by training, Asper is a graduate of The University of Winnipeg Collegiate and was a member of The University of Winnipeg Foundation Board of Directors from 2003-2008, where he contributed to a number of development projects that will benefit students for many years to come. His leadership and generosity in Winnipeg extends to the arts, education, inner city issues, seniors’ residences and First Nations communities.
Asper became President and CEO of Canwest Global Communications Corp., having worked in a number of areas of the business. Today, Canwest is Canada’s largest integrated media company and holds television, out of home advertising and new media assets in the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
H. Sanford Riley
The University of Winnipeg is proud to present H. Sanford Riley with an Honorary Doctor of Laws in recognition of his service with great distinction to the University as its Sixth Chancellor and for his consistent contributions to our campus and our community. Riley has served as UWinnipeg Chancellor for nine years, during which time the University has shown remarkable growth and development as a campus.
He was appointed the founding Chairperson of The University of Winnipeg Foundation Board of Directors. During his time as Chair, a $70-million capital campaign has been launched and is now well underway. He also presently serves as a director on a number of boards, including Molson Coors Brewing Company and The Canada West Foundation, and he is the Chairperson of The North West Company Board of Directors.
Riley is the President & CEO of Richardson Financial Group Limited. He has served in this capacity since May 2003, following his career as Chairperson of the Board for Investors Group and subsequent to the nine-year period where he served as Investors Group President and Chief Executive Officer. His past and present involvement in community activities is extensive. His many roles have included that of Chairperson of the United Way Campaign in Winnipeg and Chairperson of the Manitoba Sports Federation. He served as Chairperson of the Board for the highly successful Pan American Games held in Winnipeg in 1999. He was also the Chairperson of the Business Council of Manitoba.
Riley’s commitment to UWinnipeg has also been personal, as he made a generous donation to the school to establish a new fellowship fund. The H. Sanford Riley Fellowships in Canadian History are designed to initiate dynamic relations between the University and the country’s top historians. The fellowships will enable these historians to visit the University to undertake research projects, conduct academic seminars and offer public lectures on the history of Canada. Each fellow will be invited to deliver a Distinguished Lecture to the community and to develop an interest in Canadian history among high school students.
Donald Treffinger
The University of Winnipeg is proud to present Donald Treffinger with an Honorary Doctor of Laws in recognition of his commitment to creating accessible models in gifted education that continue to have a lasting impact in Manitoba. Treffinger is an internationally known researcher, writer, educator and speaker in the area of creativity and Creative Problem Solving, especially in the domain of gifted education. He is currently the President of the Center for Creative Learning in Sarasota, Florida and Professor Emeritus of Creative Studies at Buffalo State College, New York.
He has authored or co-authored more than 60 books and monographs, including Creative Problem Solving: An Introduction and Creative Approaches to Problem Solving, and more than 350 articles with the core philosophy that gifted programs should be as innovative, unique and ever-evolving as the exceptional students they serve.
Treffinger’s keynote addresses at several high-profile University of Winnipeg events have inspired our Faculty of Education. He has provided training in problem-solving, creative styles and leadership to many of our faculty and staff. His Creative Problem Solving approach provides the curriculum foundation for our new Model School on campus, which opened in September 2008 to assist 20 high-school students develop to their fullest potential.
