St. Thomas University will confer honorary degrees on a Nobel Prize laureate and a leading Roman Catholic Archbishop at its Summer Convocation on Wednesday, July 18, 2007.

Nobel laureate John Hume, holder of the Tip O’Neill Chair in Peace Studies at Ulster University, is credited with being the architect of many significant political developments in Northern Ireland including the Good Friday Agreement. Prior to becoming the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin was permanent observer for the Holy See at the United Nations in Geneva and the World Trade Organization.

The convocation address to the bachelor of arts, education, social work, and applied arts graduates will be delivered by the Irish Ambassador to Canada, the Honourable Declan Kelly.

“John Hume is a political leader and peacemaker, and Archbishop Martin is a diplomat and social justice advocate. The values they represent align strongly with the mission of St. Thomas University and our university community is excited that they will be part of our convocation celebration,” said Dr. Michael Higgins, President of St. Thomas University.

Dr. Higgins added that the accompanying Irish mission to New Brunswick demonstrates the role that universities can play in development, be it in education, cultural or economic spheres.

The two leading Irish figures are part of an Irish economic and cultural mission to New Brunswick that includes officials from the University of Ulster, Derry City, Inishowen Rural Development, Irish Fisheries Board, and National Museums of Northern Ireland. The mission will explore collaboration opportunities between Ireland, north and south, and New Brunswick.

Higgins noted similarities between St. Thomas and the University of Ulster as both universities have endowed chairs in Human Rights and programmes in Fine Arts and Irish Studies. St. Thomas has a Chair in Native Studies while the University of Ulster is home to an Ulster Scots Institute. Delegates from both institutions will meet to explore research and academic programmes as well as faculty and student exchanges.

Hume emerged as a leading figure in the civil rights movement in the late 1960s and became an independent member of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1969 at the height of the civil rights campaign. He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1973 and served as Minister of Commerce in the power-sharing government in 1974. He founded the Social Democratic and Labour Party, which he led from 1979 to 2001. In 1998, Hume and David Trimble, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Martin was ordained in 1969, entered the service of the Holy See in 1976 in the Pontifical Council for the Family, and later served as secretary for the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He attended the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance, and was a strong advocate for debt relief for less developed countries. He was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin in 2003 and became Archbishop of Dublin the following year.

St. Thomas University also awards honourary fellows at its Summer Convocation to individuals who have made a contribution to the discipline of education. This year, the university is recognizing Terrance Austin Lynch, a teacher, scholar, and community leader. He received a bachelor of arts from St. Thomas in 1968 and a bachelor of education in 1970. He taught for the Toronto Catholic School Board for 31 years and was the first principal in Toronto to integrate mentally challenged children into regular classes. He is principal of Donghai Canadian International High School in Shandong Province, Peoples Republic of China.