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The University of New Brunswick will grant honorary degrees to five outstanding individuals during its spring graduation ceremonies. The Fredericton campus will celebrate its 182nd Encaenia with four ceremonies at The Richard J. CURRIE CENTER on May 18 and 19. The Saint John campus will hold its 37th Spring Convocation on May 20 at the G. Forbes Elliot Athletics Centre.

UNB Fredericton

Graham Farquharson will receive an honorary doctor of science degree at Encaenia Ceremony A, on Wednesday, May 18, at 10 a.m.  A leader in mining engineering in Canada, Mr. Farquharson has an outstanding reputation amongst his peers, and has worked diligently to ensure that indigenous people benefit from mining projects in their communities.  He will give the Encaenia Address to students in the faculties of science and nursing. Encaenia Ceremony B will be held on Wednesday, May 18, at 2 p.m. Measha Brueggergosman, an internationally acclaimed soprano from Fredericton, will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree.  She will deliver the Encaenia Address to students in the faculties of business administration, kinesiology and education. Ceremony C will take place on Thursday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Lawson Hunter, a lawyer of international repute in the areas of competitive and regulatory law, will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree. Mr. Hunter will give the Encaenia Address to students in the faculties of arts, law and Renaissance College. At Ceremony D, on Thursday, May 19 at 2 p.m., degrees will be awarded to students in the faculties of engineering, forestry and environmental management, and computer science.

UNB Saint John

In Saint John, honorary doctor of science degrees will go to Hans W. Klohn, whose leadership in the construction industry has resulted in the employment of thousands and influenced the development of the New Brunswick economy; and Glenn Cooke, a New Brunswick business leader and innovator in the aquaculture industry. Mr. Cooke will address graduates in the faculties of arts; business; and science, applied science and engineering on May 20, at 2 p.m.

The Honorees

Not only has Graham Farquharson achieved great things in his mining career and earned an outstanding reputation amongst his peers, he has done so with principles, working to ensure that indigenous people benefit from mining projects in their communities. Originally from Timmins, Ont., Mr. Farquharson grew up in Bathurst, N.B., and attended UNB where he played hockey from 1959 to 1962. He worked at mines in Uganda and Namibia before returning to Canada where he co-founded Strathcona Mineral Services Ltd. in 1974. Thirty-five years later, he continues to serve as president.  Highly respected by the mining industry, he was the one the community turned to when doubts arose about the authenticity of the Bre-X gold discoveries.  His analysis demonstrated the company's claims were fraudulent. For his many achievements and for demonstrating a commitment to integrity, fairness and technical excellence, he was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2010.  He volunteers as chairman of the Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to students entering the mining industry; and as director of the Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation. In addition to supporting the Varsity Reds and other projects at UNB over the past 20 years, he is a major benefactor of kidney cancer research at the Princess Margaret Hospital, where he established a research chair and research program in honour of his wife, Anna-Liisa. Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman has emerged as one of the most magnificent performers and vibrant personalities of the day. She is critically acclaimed by the international press as much for her innate musicianship and voluptuous voice as for a sovereign stage presence. Born in Fredericton, N.B., Ms. Breueggergosman began singing in the choir of her local Baptist church and her first recording on the label, Surprise, garnered a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year. She performed the Olympic Hymn at the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and has given solo recitals at London's Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels just to name a few. She has performed for many dignitaries around the world including Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales, and Nelson Mandela. Beyond the great concert halls of the world, Ms. Brueggergosman lends her voice, passion, and energy to social and environmental causes as a Canadian good-will ambassador for three international organizations.  She has been the subject of a full-length feature documentary, Spirit in her Voice, aired by the CBC network.  She has starred in numerous independent short music-films and has appeared as a special celebrity guest on television episodes of MTV Canada Cribs, Project Runway Canada, The Surreal Gourmet, and Bravo Arts & Minds. Lawson Hunter is a lawyer of international repute in the areas of competitive and regulatory law.  Formerly Canada's senior civil servant in charge of competition policy and enforcement, Mr. Hunter was primarily responsible for the drafting of the federal Competition Act. From 1993 to 2003, he was a partner of Stikeman Elliott and head of the firm's Competition/Antitrust Group. In 2003 he worked as executive vice-president and chief corporate officer of Bell Canada and BCE Inc. In 2008 he rejoined Stikeman Elliott as counsel and recently assumed the role of head of the Competition/Antitrust Group. A native of Florenceville, N.B., Mr. Hunter has long-standing ties to UNB. He was the president of the UNB Student's Representative Council in 1966-67 and valedictorian of the class of 1967. Mr. Hunter has been a strong proponent of UNB fundraising as a member and patron of the Heritage Campaign Committee as well as the Forging Our Futures Campaign. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Columbia Institute for TeleInformation at Columbia Business School, and has served as a director of the Information Technology Association of Canada and of the EDGE Network. While in private practice, Mr. Hunter has consistently been ranked in national and international surveys as one of the world's leading counsel on regulatory matters and named one of the World’s Top 20 competition and antitrust lawyers by The Best of the Best. Born and raised in Blacks Harbour, N.B., Glenn Cooke is CEO of the largest fully integrated and independent salmon farming company in North America, Cooke Aquaculture Inc. In 1985, together with his father and brother, he began a new venture of raising farmed Atlantic salmon in the Bay of Fundy. Today, the company has 2,000 employees and operations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Newfoundland and Maine. The company also owns Salmones Cupquelan in Chile. In addition, Cooke Aquaculture Inc. partners with a UNB Saint John researcher and his team on the development of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems. Mr. Cooke's vision, entrepreneurship and business savvy have been recognized with a number of awards. In 2006, Cooke Aquaculture Inc. was first named as one of the 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada and has been renamed to that list for every year since. In 2007, Mr. Cooke was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Atlantic Canada and has since been named as one of Atlantic Canada's top 50 CEOs for several consecutive years.  In 2009, Cooke was inducted into New Brunswick's Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. Cooke Aquaculture was also recognized by the Maine International Trade Association as the State's International Investor of the Year in 2009 and received Export Achievement and Community Development awards in Nova Scotia in 2010. Hans W. Klohn was born in Kiel, Germany. In 1952 he moved to Saint John, N.B. to work on the Irving Pulp and Paper Mill expansion project. His engineering skills and exemplary leadership abilities were quickly recognized by K.C. Irving, who named Mr. Klohn manager of this project. In 1955 he was named the first president of Ocean Steel and Construction Limited (OSCO). Under his leadership the company saw rapid growth.  From Newfoundland, and along the eastern Atlantic seaboard to New York City, Mr. Klohn has applied his engineering and construction abilities where we drive, work and live. The Queen's Court building in Halifax, N.S.; the N.B. Power Generating Station in Belledune, N.B.; the Saint John Harbour Bridge; Harbour Station; and the Saint John Regional Hospital are just a few examples of construction projects overseen by Mr. Klohn. In addition, he played a pivotal role in bringing John E. (Jack) and Arthur Irving's project to restore the Old Burial Ground in Saint John to completion. Mr. Klohn was named one of only three Honorary Life Members to the Saint John Construction Association in 2002. His commitment to community development has been consistent with Ocean Steel's involvement in various charities and support of education, including: the Boys and Girls Club of Saint John, Inc.; Romero House; Children's Wish Foundation and a bursary program for the children of Irving company employees. Mr. Klohn took a keen interest in all aspects of the construction of the K.C. Irving Hall on UNB's Saint John campus, and has lent his expertise in the development of its Commons Project. Mr. Klohn's four children and three of his grandchildren are graduates of UNB.