A former Western dean, a pioneering physician and the Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court are among the individuals receiving honorary degrees during spring convocation, June 9 to 13.
The honorees will be celebrated during Western’s first graduation ceremonies to take place at Canada Life Place in London, Ont. Ceremonies will remain downtown for the next five years.
Degrees will be conferred upon the following recipients, who will also address the graduates:
Bruce Ross (Submitted)
Bruce Ross, LLD
June 10, 10 a.m.
Bruce Ross, BESc’85, is a pioneering business leader in transformative technology and currently serves as group head of technology and operations at RBC. He is known for expertly translating strategy into business success by adapting and advancing rapid global change in technology. Ross is also known for his commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism with a particular focus on health, education and mentoring the next generation. He has spearheaded several programs to encourage young people to pursue technology careers.
Dr. Cissy Kityo Mutuluuza (Submitted)
Dr. Cissy Kityo Mutuluuza, DSc
June 10, 3 p.m.
Dr. Cissy Kityo Mutuluuza is a distinguished Ugandan physician, epidemiologist and researcher, recognized for her groundbreaking work in antiretroviral therapy for HIV treatment and care across sub-Saharan Africa since 1992. As executive director of the Joint Clinical Research Centre in Uganda, she was instrumental in developing one of the world’s largest HIV treatment programs. She established a robust clinical research program and state-of-the-art laboratories contributing significantly to biomedical research, saving millions of lives. Currently, Mutuluuza is leading initiatives to introduce gene therapy and advance HIV cure research in sub-Saharan Africa.
Connie Walker (Jordana Bermúdez)
Connie Walker, LLD
June 11, 3 p.m.
Connie Walker is an award-winning Cree journalist from the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan. She has dedicated more than two decades to investigative journalism focusing on the crisis of violence in Indigenous communities and the devastating impacts of intergenerational trauma stemming from Indian Residential Schools. Walker is renowned for her acclaimed podcasts Missing & Murdered and Stolen. In 2023, her work on Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s earned both a Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody Award, marking the first time a podcast received both honours in the same year.
Chief Justice Richard Wagner (Submitted)
Richard Wagner, DCL
June 12, 10 a.m.
The Right Honourable Richard Wagner, P.C., is the Chief Justice of Canada. Appointed to the Supreme Court in 2012, he was sworn in as Chief Justice in 2017. Before his tenure on the Supreme Court, Wagner served on the Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal. In 2021, Chief Justice Wagner assumed the role of Administrator of the Government of Canada, fulfilling viceregal duties for six months. Throughout his career, he has advocated for access to justice, judicial independence and the openness and transparency of courts.
Justice Eileen Gillese (David Batten/Digital Freedom)
Eileen Gillese, DCL
June 12, 3 p.m.
The Honourable Justice Eileen E. Gillese has been a distinguished member of the Court of Appeal for Ontario since 2002. A Rhodes Scholar, and Western’s first female dean of law, Justice Gillese is known as a trailblazer dedicated to community service. She served as chancellor of Brescia University College from 2015 to 2019, was named among Canada’s Top 100 Women and has been honoured as a Globe and Mail Nation Builder. In 2017, she served as commissioner of the Public Inquiry into the Safety and Security of Residents in the Long-Term Care Homes System.
Rosaline Etiti Okosun (St. Justin’s Catholic Church)
Rosaline Etiti Okosun, LLD
June 13, 10 a.m.
Rosaline Etiti Okosun has been an professional educator and administrator for more than 30 years. She served as the pioneer principal of the Federal Government College Staff School in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. Okosun was also a lecturer at Brescia University College. In 2023, she was appointed to lead the newly created Directorate for Quality Assurance in Edo State, Nigeria, aiming to enhance education standards. She is the founder of the Association Against Women Export, an organization dedicated to empowering young girls and combating human trafficking and child abuse.
