Scheduled to receive an honorary degree at Western University’s 303rd Convocation, former National Chief Shawn Atleo recently informed the university that, with deep regret, he will not be able to attend due to personal reasons. The university will attempt to reschedule the honorary degree conferral to a future convocation ceremony.
Distinguished University Professor Jonathan Vance, a specialist in Canadian military and cultural history and considered a “master teacher” by his students and faculty peers, will deliver the convocation address at the 10 a.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 10.
An award-winning professor at Western’s Department of History, Vance primarily investigates Canada and the First World War. From 2000-10, Vance held the Canada Research Chair in Conflict and Culture, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2008. His book Death So Noble won the Sir John A. Macdonald Prize, the C. P. Stacey Award and the Dafoe Book Prize in 1998.
His most recent books are Unlikely Soldiers: How Two Canadians Fought the Secret War Against Nazi Occupation (2008), A History of Canadian Culture (2009) and Maple Leaf Empire: Canada, Britain and Two World Wars (2011).
Vance is co-director of the educational website Wartime Canada: A Window into the Canadian Experience during the world wars.
