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The University of New Brunswick will grant four honorary degrees during its spring graduation ceremonies in Fredericton and Saint John on May 17, 18 and 19. The recipients are:

Heidi Shyu will receive a doctor of science degree in Fredericton on May 17 at 10 a.m.

Heidi Shyu, who earned a bachelor of science degree at UNB in 1976, immigrated from Taiwan to Japan, then to the United States when she was 11 years old. She later moved to Fredericton, where her father was a history professor at UNB and completed her final year of high school at Fredericton High. Ms. Shyu graduated from UNB with an honours science degree. She also has a master’s degree in math from the University of Toronto, a master of science degree in systems science and an engineer’s degree from UCLA.

Ms. Shyu is the owner of Heidi Shyu Consulting, and is consulting for four companies. From September 2012 until her retirement in January 2016, she was the assistant secretary of the US Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, the highest position in army acquisition. In this role, she was the principal adviser to the secretary of army for all matters concerning acquisition, logistics and technology. She also had oversight responsibility for the life cycle management and sustainment of army weapon systems and equipment, from research and development through test and evaluation, acquisition, logistics, fielding, and disposition.

For more, please see her full biography.

Dr. Pamela D. Palmater will receive a doctor of laws degree in Fredericton on May 18 at 10 a.m.

Pamela D. Palmater, a 1997 graduate of UNB Law, is a Mi’kmaw citizen and member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. She has been a practising lawyer for more than 18 years and is an associate professor and the Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University. She began her advocacy career while studying for her law degree at UNB.

She has been studying, volunteering and working in First Nation issues for more than 25 years on a wide range of social and legal issues, such as poverty, housing, child and family services, treaty rights, education and legislation impacting First Nations.

She has been recognized with many awards for her social justice advocacy on behalf of Indigenous women and children, and most recently for her work related to murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

For more, please see her full biography.

Mr. William M. Jones will be awarded a doctor of science degree in Fredericton on May 18 at 2:30 p.m.

Bill Jones (BScEng’65) grew up in Apohaqui, N.B. An engineer and businessman, Mr. Jones is president and owner of Maple Leaf Homes, a mini and modular home manufacturing company based in Fredericton. He is also the owner and operator of several sustainable woodlots in Kings County, N.B.

Believing in its mission and values, he has been an active and dedicated supporter of the Fredericton YMCA for more than 40 years, serving senior roles on its board of directors, including president in 1979.

Through the 1980s, Mr. Jones took on a wide range of local and national roles for the YMCA. He was instrumental in the creation of the Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund in 1986 and was the fund’s first president, a position he held for 11 years. In 2013, Mr. Jones received the YMCA Fellowship of Honour, the highest and most valued award by the YMCA in Canada.

He is a staunch believer in protecting New Brunswick’s natural areas and has made a significant impact on land conservation in the province. He served on the Premier’s Round Table on Environment and Economy and was involved in the provincial government’s Protected Natural Areas program.

For more, please see his full biography.

Dr. Andrew Garrod will be granted a doctor of letters degree in Saint John on May 19 at 2 p.m.

Dr. Andrew C. Garrod holds a bachelor of arts (1961) and a master of arts (1967) from Oxford University. He holds a master of education (1976) and a doctoral degree in human development and psychology (1982) from Harvard University. He taught at Dartmouth College for 25 years, becoming the chair of the education department twice and for eight years was director of the teacher education program. He is a recognized scholar and distinguished teacher, receiving Dartmouth College’s Distinguished Teaching Award in both 1991 and 2009.

Dr. Garrod co-founded Youth Bridge Global in 2004, a non-profit organization with a goal of providing youth theatre experiences in war-torn and under-resourced parts of the world. He has been the program director for the Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program, which began in 2000 with a view to contribute to education in the Marshall Islands. Dr. Garrod also serves on the executive committee for the Summer Enrichment Program at Dartmouth College.

For 16 years, Dr. Garrod taught at Saint John High School, where he chaired the English department and won provincial and national awards for his Shakespearean student productions. To recognize his contributions, members of the school’s alumni established a scholarship in his name at UNB.

For more, please see his full biography.

Media contacts

• Fredericton: Natalie Montgomery
• Saint John: Heather Campbell