Dr. Alfie: ex-Sens star to receive honorary degree from Carleton

Soon, you can call him Dr. Alfie.

Daniel Alfredsson will be among 15 recipients of honorary degrees at Carleton University’s spring convocation.

The former Senators captain, known for volunteer work with the Ottawa Senators Foundation and the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health, will receive the degree of doctor of laws, honoris causa, at the June 7 ceremony at 2 p.m.

Conferring honorary degrees gives Carleton “an opportunity to convey to the world our values and principles by recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of exceptional individuals,” and also to provide graduates with role models and meaningful messages, the university says. Nominations come from the university community, including faculty, students, staff alumni and board members.

More than 4,300 Carleton undergraduate and graduate students will receive graduate degrees at the convocation ceremonies, which take place between June 7 and 10.

Gail Asper, president and trustee of the Asper Foundation, which led the drive to establish the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, will receive an honorary degree at the same ceremony as Alfredsson.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon, will be recognized at the June 7 morning ceremony, both for their service to Canada at Rideau Hall and for their careers — Sharon for rehabilitation science, child psychiatry and as an author, and David for his work as an educator and post-secondary leader.

Other honorary degree recipients at spring convocation include Jodi White, who has been a journalist, prime minister’s chief of staff under Kim Campbell and president and chief executive of the Public Policy Forum; Margaret Bloodworth, national security adviser to former prime minister Stephen Harper; internationally acclaimed designer Karim Rashid; Peter Coughlin, cofounder of Redbourne Properties; John Ruddy, founder of the Trinity Development Group and managing partner of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group; Tom Jenkins, chairman of OpenText Corp.; Bonnie Patterson, former president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities; John Daniel O’Leary, former president of Frontier College; Barbara McInnes, longtime president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Ottawa; author Jane Urquhart; and visual artist Tony Urquhart.