Memorial University will celebrate fall convocation at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre on Oct. 16.

During three sessions, approximately 900 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be awarded to Memorial’s newest alumni and Dr. C. Carney Strange will be recognized as a thought-leader in campus ecology, student development and inclusive services with an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Honorary degree recipients are chosen by the Senate, the university’s highest academic governing body.

The honorary doctorate is designed to recognize extraordinary contributions to society or exceptional intellectual or artistic achievement.

The awarding of honorary doctorates, an important feature of Memorial’s convocation, serves to celebrate both the individual and the university as well as to inspire graduates, their families and guests.

Two members of Memorial University’s leadership team will be officially installed in their roles during convocation this fall.

Installation is the ceremonial endowment of powers and responsibilities of the respective offices.

Dr. Janet Morrison, who became Memorial’s president and vice-chancellor on Aug. 11, 2025, will be installed in her role during the 10 a.m. ceremony.

Dr. Jennifer Lokash, who became Memorial’s provost, vice-president (academic) and pro vice-chancellor on Jan. 20, 2025, will be installed in her role during the 3 p.m. ceremony.

For more information about fall convocation 2025, please visit the convocation website.

Ceremonies will be webcast live via the main page of the university’s website.

A biography of the fall 2025 honorary degree recipient follows below.

Dr. C. Carney Strange

Dr. C. Carney Strange is a distinguished educator, researcher, former department chair and now professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University.

His research on campus ecology, student development and inclusive services, combined with decades of institutional leadership and mentorship, has made an indelible impact on higher education in Canada and the U.S.

He earned a bachelor of arts in French literature from Saint Meinrad College, a master of arts in college student personnel and a PhD in higher education and student development, both from the University of Iowa. He joined Bowling Green State University in 1978 in what became the Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs, which he chaired from 1985 to 1993.

Dr. Strange is recognized as a thought-leader in campus ecology and student affairs, whose co-authored or co-edited works include the field-defining books Designing for Learning; Achieving Student Success: Effective Student Services in Canadian Higher Education; and Serving Diverse Students in Canadian Higher Education.

Over a span of decades, he served on various editorial boards, including the Journal of College Student Development, the NASPA Journal, the Journal of Religion and Education and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s International Journal of Educational Advancement.

Dr. Strange’s scholarship has guided generations of professionals in understanding how physical, social and psychological environments impact student learning, engagement, identity development and success.

He received the Ralph F. Birdie Memorial Research Award in 1978; was designated an American College Personnel Association’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Honoree in 1999; was named a NASPA Pillar of the Profession in 2006; and received the American College Personnel Association Contribution to Knowledge Award in 2010.

In recognition of his unwavering commitment to the cultivation of human potential through higher education and of his impactful work on the theory and practice of student development and the creation of inclusive, transformative post-secondary learning environments, Dr. C. Carney Strange will be awarded the degree of doctor of laws, honoris causa.

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For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact Chad Pelley, media relations manager for Memorial University, at chad.pelley@mun.ca or 709-853-4281.