TORONTO, ON—Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto is pleased to announce the names of its honorary degree recipients for 2022.
This year, during a special convocation ceremony on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, beginning at 2:30 p.m., Wycliffe will award the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, with a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa. In a ceremony that will be live streamed from Wycliffe's Sheraton Hall (https://www.wycliffecollege.ca/convocation_2022), former Principal George Sumner will present the Archbishop for the degree, which will be conferred by Principal Stephen Andrews with Board Chair Carol Boettcher.
During a second convocation ceremony, on Monday, May 9, 2022, beginning at 4:45 p.m., Wycliffe will award Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and Mr. Robert Hamilton with Doctor of Sacred Letters honoris causa, and the Rt Rev. Todd Townshend with a Doctor of Divinity jure dignitatis. The ceremony will be live streamed from Wycliffe’s Sheraton Hall (https://www.wycliffecollege.ca/convocation_2022). Dr. Hayhoe will deliver the convocation address, entitled “Finding Hope in a Changing Time.”
Honorary Degrees are ceremonial degrees approved by the Board of Trustees to formally honour people who have made significant contributions to the life of the Church or to the academic and community life and programs at Wycliffe College. The College also awards honorary degrees to alumni who are elected to the ecclesial office of bishop in the Anglican church.
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013. He was previously Bishop of Durham, Dean of Liverpool Cathedral and a Canon of Coventry Cathedral, where he worked extensively in the field of reconciliation. He will be in Canada from April 29—May 3 at the invitation of Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to meet with Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors. His tour will conclude with the special convocation at Wycliffe College, where he will speak on the matter of the legacy of colonialism and the need for repentance and reconciliation.
Before he began training for ministry in 1989, Archbishop Justin worked in the oil industry for 11 years—five in Paris and six in London.
Archbishop Justin has three main priorities for his ministry—Evangelism and Witness; Prayer and the Renewal of Religious life; and Reconciliation. He is a member of the High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation for the United Nations.
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change. A remarkable communicator, she has received many awards in her field and been named to Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, FORTUNE magazine’s World’s Greatest Leaders, and the United Nations Champion of the Earth in Science and Innovation.
Her writing has appeared in a broad range of outlets including the New York Times, Wired, O Magazine, and Chatelaine. Her TED talk, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it” has nearly 4 million views. Her most recent book is Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, published by Simon & Schuster.
Katharine hosts and produces the PBS Digital Series, Global Weirding, and serves as Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy. She is a Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University.
The Rt Rev. Dr Robert Todd Townshend grew up in Southwestern Ontario and has spent his whole ministry in Anglican parishes and learning institutions in this area. Following ordination in 1992, Todd has served four congregations in the Diocese of Huron. In 2007, Todd graduated from Wycliffe earning the Doctor of Theology (ThD) degree and has spent over twenty years teaching preaching and pastoral subjects in seminary and church. Todd served as Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Huron University College from 2012 to the end of 2019 when he was elected as Bishop of Huron. Todd is married to Stacey and they have three children, Tyne, Seth, and Samuel.
Mr. Robert Hamilton is a retired senior vice-president with TD Bank. Mr. Hamilton has a strong interest in missions and theology and is a member of St. Paul’s (Anglican Church) Bloor Street. He served on the Wycliffe College Board of Trustees for 12 years, including three as Chair.
