Recipients

On an annual basis, the Board of Governors of Athabasca University invites nominations for honorary degrees to be presented at the university’s convocation ceremonies. Honorary doctorates may be awarded in the following categories:

• Honorary Doctor of Laws
• Honorary Doctor of Letters
• Honorary Doctor of Science
• Honorary Doctor of Athabasca University

The criteria for the selection of candidates for Honorary Degrees are contained within the Honorary degree nomination guidelines. Please read the guidelines carefully before preparing and submitting a nomination.

Nominations must be submitted electronically using the Athabasca University Honorary Degree Nomination Form. The Nomination Form must be completed in full and duly signed by the nominator (electronic signatures are accepted).

This year, nominations will be accepted until Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.

For further information, please feel free to contact ocgogovernance@athabascau.ca.

Honorary Doctor of Laws

Esmail Bharwani

Bharwani's contributions to post-secondary education in Alberta will last for generations.

Through the Esmail Safana Farzana Fayaz Bharwani Foundation, he and his family have supported endowments that help countless students to improve their lives through education—in the same way he did.

As a young man in Tanzania, Bharwani took whatever jobs he could to support his parents and siblings while he saved what he could for his own education. He saved enough to pursue an accounting designation in England but nearly had to leave the program until his instructor helped him to get a job that allowed him to finish his education. That experience inspired a lifelong drive to help others.

“As I met more students in Tanzania, Kenya, England, Scotland, and Canada, I noticed a great appetite from others who sought education but who were held back because of lack of money,” he said. “Learning from my own example of achievements, I quickly realized that to improve the quality of life of people, they needed to be educated and not all are fortunate enough to have the necessary resources."

Read more about Esmail Bharwani

Honorary Doctor of Laws

Douglas Cardinal

Cardinal is a legendary fixture in the field of architecture and Indigenous human rights. His life’s work has been to create deeply personal buildings inspired by the natural world and Indigenous culture.

Born in Calgary, Cardinal drew early inspiration from natural features in the varied landscape of southern Alberta. The curvaceous, non-linear style he developed is evident in his work, including many prominent designs across Canada that draw inspiration from the natural world: Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie, TELUS World of Science in Edmonton, St. Albert Place, the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, First Nations University in Regina, the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and many others.

That connection to the natural world is a fundamental part of Cardinal’s design philosophy.

“As a child, I was taught to respect all life around me,” he said. “As a planner and architect, I strive to follow these teachings to create a better future for the next generations, so we learn to live in harmony and balance with this amazing blue planet, our Mother, the Earth.”