WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg today announced the names of two outstanding visionary individuals will receive Honorary Degrees at the University’s 2008 Autumn Convocation ceremonies. The recipients are national First Nations leader Phil Fontaine and entrepreneur and philanthropist Pat Broe. The University also announced that former Board of Regents chairperson Frank Hechter will be conferred with the Fellowship in The University of Winnipeg.
The three recipients will be celebrated at the Autumn Convocation, which takes place Sunday, October 19. The following is a summary of accomplishments of the recipients:
Phil Fontaine – Honorary Degree Recipient
Presently National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Fontaine has been one of the foremost First Nations leaders in Canada for decades. He played a pivotal role in exposing the abuses within the residential school system and made key contributions to the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord. Along with his work in achieving a framework agreement for self-government of Manitoba’s First Nations, Fontaine is a person who has made many positive contributions to Canada.
Fontaine, a member of the Sagkeeng First Nation, is seen as the leader in Aboriginal self-governance in Manitoba. His devotion to the advocacy for the rights and well-being of First Nations communities as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations speaks highly to the dedication and talents he has brought to his work.
The crowning achievement of his career to date, however, is leading the successful resolution and settlement of claims arising out of the 150-year Indian residential school tragedy. The Final Settlement Agreement now being implemented is the largest, most unique and most comprehensive settlement in Canadian history. Worth over 5.2-billion dollars in individual compensation, the settlement also includes a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an education fund, healing resources and commemoration funding.
Fontaine will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Pat Broe – Honorary Degree Recipient
Broe is a Denver-based entrepreneur whose unique vision and role in the development of Manitoba’s north has been truly remarkable. Broe and his company OmniTRAX Canada, Inc. rescued 1,300 km of rail line in northern Manitoba from abandonment. He also acquired the economically precarious and long-neglected Port of Churchill, spending considerable time and effort along the way in establishing the port as a vital trade link between Canada and Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
Beyond business involvement, Broe has made significant personal contributions to Churchill and The University of Winnipeg. He is the leading donor with the Town of Churchill and the University in the development of a sustainability plan designed to enhance the quality of life and ensure the future of Churchill by improving the ecological, economic and social conditions of the community. Broe and his company now serve as the leading transportation enterprise focused on the increasing importance of the north in conjunction with supporting The University of Winnipeg’s efforts headed by Dr. Jino Distasio to establish Churchill as a leading northern sustainable community.
As well, Broe’s generosity and progressive thinking were vital in the creation of the OmniTRAX Broe Quest series of free public international conferences launched by The University of Winnipeg in 2004 to explore important topics such as global citizenship, war-affected children and transformative education.
Broe will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Frank Hechter – Fellowship in The University of Winnipeg
The Fellowship in The University of Winnipeg is conferred to those who have served the University with distinction on a volunteer basis. No more is this distinction true than in the remarkable volunteer contributions of former Board of Regents chairperson Frank Hechter.
An orthodontist, Hechter has been engaged professionally with his peers since 1971, particularly in the areas of continuing education and research matters. A strong leader during his tenure as Board chair (1998-2000), Hechter’s service goes far beyond his remarkable contributions in the health care field. Hechter served the University as a Board member from 1993-2003 and was part of search committees at various times for the University President and Chancellor positions.
A family man and sports enthusiast, Hechter has volunteered from the grassroots levels (AAA hockey and AA baseball) to the elite-levels of amateur sports (Pan-American Games committees and the 2009 Royal Bank Junior A Hockey Championships bid committee). His lengthy list of volunteer activities also includes various roles with the Manitoba Lung Association, the Provincial Tuberculosis Steering Committee and the United Way.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Shawn Coates, Director of Marketing & Communications, University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7126, C: 204.230.0202, E: s.coates@uwinnipeg.ca
