Jane Goodall to receive honorary doctorate from University of Winnipeg
World-renowned primatologist getting honorary doctor of laws for her work
The world's most well-known and respected leader in primatological research will be presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg this fall.
Dr. Jane Goodall will be the recipient of an honorary doctor of laws from the U of W on Sept. 29.
Goodall is known mostly for her groundbreaking work with primates that spanned over decades beginning in the 1960s. She established the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to help fund research, education, community development and conservation.
"Dr. Goodall spends considerable time and effort, through the Jane Goodall Institute and in particular its Roots & Shoots program, educating and inspiring our next generation of leaders," said Annette Trimbee, U of W president and vice-chancellor. "She has an amazing ability to speak from the heart and reminds all of us that we are interconnected beings on this planet. It is our privilege to honour her with our highest award."
Goodall was last in Winnipeg in 2015, when she spoke in front of a sold-out crowd at the U of W as part of the Axworthy Distinguished Lecture Series on Social Justice and the Public Good.
The following year, U of W Prof. Carlos Colorado was appointed chair of the board of directors of the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. That relationship has inspired the university to embrace Goodall's vision of a symbiotic relationship between humans, animals and the planet and enact it through "educational programs, habitat protection and development initiatives," said Trimbee.
Goodall was appointed a United Nations messenger of peace in 2002 and has been presented with the Medal of Tanzania, the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal, the Kyoto Prize, the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence, the Franklin Institute's Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life and Science, and Spain's Prince of Asturias Award.
She was made a Dame of the British Empire (the female version of knighthood) in February 2004.
The doctorate will be presented at 12:30 p.m. in Convocation Hall on Sept. 29.