Brock bestows honourary degree on Eber Hampton

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Dr. Eber Hampton, outgoing First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) president, was one of six distinguished people to receive honourary degrees during Brock University's spring convocation ceremonies held from June 6 to 10.

Hampton, a member of the Chickasaw Nation who was born in Talihini, Oklahoma and grew up in California, had sat at the helm of FNUC, the first accredited First Nations university in North America, since 1991. He left the position in mid-June and plans to return to teaching.

Hampton received his honourary degree from Brock in recognition of his ongoing dedication to fostering a better understanding of Aboriginal people within the field of education. It is just the latest in an impressive list of honours for Hampton, who was one of this year's recipients of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the education category.

In 1964 he was named a Regents Fellow of the University of California and in 1978 he was named a Bush Leadership Development Fellow, a program of the Archibald Bush Foundation that provides financial support for students based on their leadership potential. In 1990 he was given the Merit Award for Service from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and in 2001 became an honourary member of the University of Regina's chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

Hampton has a BA in psychology from Westmount College in Santa Barbara, California, and a doctor of education degree from Harvard.