Boyden to receive honourary degree

Novelist
and short-story writer Joseph Boyden is one of five individuals who will
receive honorary degrees at Trent University’s 47th Convocation ceremonies to
be held in June.
Photo: Norman Wong

Joseph Boyden will be
honoured at the June 3 convocation for Trent University with a Doctor of
Letters degree for achievements in literature of Canadian and international
importance and in concordance with Trent’s history of First Nations engagement.
Dr. Steven E. Franklin, president and vice-chancellor, says Boyden, like the
other four recipients, reflects the university’s “key values, such as our commitment
to leadership, intellectual collaboration, and social responsibility as global
citizens.” Boyden, who won the Giller prize in 2008 for his second novel,
focuses his writing on First Nations heritage and culture. He served as a
writer-in-residence at Trent in 2006 and continued in 2012-2013 with his term
as the Jack Matthews fellow.