The University of King’s College is pleased to announce that four individuals will be distinguished with honorary degrees at its Encaenia Ceremonies on Thursday, May 19, 2011 at the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Halifax.
Professor John Casken is an internationally acclaimed composer based in the United Kingdom. He was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and read Music at the University of Birmingham. He studied at the Academy of Music in Warsaw, where he met and formed a long association and friendship with the renowned Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski. Casken began lecturing in 1973, and was appointed as Lecturer at the University of Durham in 1981. He went on to become featured composer at Musica Nova in Glasgow and in 1985 composed an elegy for the BBC Singers. In 1989 Casken was featured composer at the Almeida Festival in London, and it was here that he presented his first opera, Golem. Golem went on to win the First Britten Prize for Musical Composition in 1990 as well as a Gramophone Award in 1991. In 1992 three of his works were performed by the BBC Philharmonic, kicking off a long-standing relationship with that ensemble. In 1993 his orchestral song cycle Still Mine won the 1993 Prince Pierre de Monaco prize for Musical Composition. Casken was composer-in-association with the Northern Sinfonia from 1990 – 2001 and from 1992 – 2008 he was Professor of Music at the University of Manchester. His music has been featured at major festivals in Europe, the US, and in Tokyo. He lives in Coquetdale, Northumberland. His musical accomplishments fit closely with the new directions being undertaken by the Chapel Choir of the University of King’s College. He will be receiving a Doctor of Civil Law (honoris causa).
Dr. Ruth Goldbloom, O.C., O.N.C is one of Nova Scotia’s most committed and celebrated humanitarians. She was born in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, and attended Mount Allison and McGill Universities. Upon moving to Halifax in 1967, Goldbloom continued to pursue positions in non-profit leadership. Among her many appointments, she has served as the first female chair of the Metro United Way Campaign, chair of the Board of Mount Saint Vincent University, Regent of Mount Allison University and Chair of Dalhousie University’s Annual Fund. Goldbloom joined Pier 21’s Board of Directors in 1990 and moved on to become President of the Pier 21 Society. She went on to raise $9 million towards the building’s restoration, transforming it into an award-winning national historic site. In 2009 it was named a national museum and making it one of only two national museums situated outside of Ottawa. She has received numerous honorary degrees and her work has been recognized through multiple provincial and national awards. In 2002, she was named an Officer in the Order of Canada. In 2009 she received the Halifax Progress Club’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a major presence in the life of the province and nation. She will be receiving a Doctor of Civil Law (honoris causa).
Brigadier-General, The Venerable Karl McLean is Chaplain-General of the Canadian Forces. He was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick, and attended Dalhousie University, the University of Waterloo, Regent College and the Vancouver School of Theology. He was ordained a Deacon in 1984 and a priest in 1985. After serving at churches in Saint John and Shediac, he was recruited to the Canadian Forces in 1987. He went on to serve in a number of base chaplaincy positions in CFB Calgary, BFC Bagotville and CFB Gagetown. In 1996, he deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as Brigade Chaplain. From 2003-2004 he served as Senior NATO Chaplain with SFOR in Sarajevo, and in 2005 became Command Chaplain of the Air Force. He was appointed to the position of Chaplain General in 2010. He has since gone on to represent the Chaplain Branch and the Canadian Forces at conferences in Australia, England, the United States, Estonia and the Czech Republic. Padre McLean is also the Archdeacon Emeritus of the Anglican Military Ordinariate of the Canadian Forces and has served two terms as a member of the Council of General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada. Throughout his career, Padre McLean has also encouraged the military and theological ties between King’s and the Canadian Forces. He will be receiving a Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa).
Mr. Jeffrey Simpson is an award-winning journalist and national affairs columnist at the Globe and Mail. Born in New York, Mr. Simpson came to Canada at age 10 and attended the University of Toronto Schools, Queen’s University and the London School of Economics. After a yearlong stint as a parliamentary intern in Ottawa, he joined the Globe and Mail in 1974. He has written eight books, including Discipline of Power, which won the 1980 Governor General’s Award for non-fiction book writing. Mr. Simpson has also received the National Magazine Award for political writing and has twice been awarded the National Newspaper Award for column writing. In 1993-1994 Mr. Simpson served as John S. Knight fellow at Stanford University. Since then he has held many other fellowships at a broad array of institutions, including Queen’s, the University of Alberta and Georgetown University. He has received five honorary doctorates of law and has served as a member of the board of trustees at Queen’s, the board of overseers at Green College, University of British Columbia, and the advisory councils of the Robarts Medical Research Institute and the Richard Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. He is now senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He will be receiving a Doctor of Civil Law (honoris causa).
For more information on these recipients or Encaenia 2011, please contact Alison Lang at (902) 422-1271, ext. 136, or at alison.lang@ukings.ca.
