Nipissing University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike DeGagné has been recognized with an honorary degree from Dalhousie University.
Dr. DeGagné had been nominated for his dedication to justice and reconciliation, and his commitment to education and his belief that it is a life-changing opportunity.
Dalhousie is awarding bicentennial honorary degrees in celebration of 200 years of academic excellence. These degrees are being presented at special ceremonies and the event honouring Dr. DeGagné took place Monday at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Halifax, the first of Dalhousie’s special ceremonies.
Featured as part of the event was a panel discussion on reconciliation in education. Dr. DeGagné has a lengthy relationship with Dalhousie and its Schulich School of Law. He returns every year to teach a leading course on the Indian Residential Schools Settlement that he helped to develop. He has also agreed to serve on the Indigenous Advisory Council at the school.
In addition to a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, Dr. DeGagné has also earned a Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, a PhD in Educational Administration from Michigan State University, and a Master of Laws degree from York University’s Osgoode Hall.
In his position at Nipissing, Dr. DeGagné is the first Indigenous president and vice-chancellor of a Canadian chartered university.
