The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University this week awarded an honorary doctorate of law degree to His Highness the Aga Khan in a joint conferral ceremony —a first for both universities.

The honorary degrees, conferred together at a ceremony in Vancouver, are in recognition of the Aga Khan’s lifelong service to humanity, and the intersections of his work at UBC and SFU.

“We applaud His Highness the Aga Khan’s outstanding humanitarian contributions,” said UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Santa J. Ono.

“In his capacity as spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community, his commitment to helping fight poverty and improve health and education for millions of people in underdeveloped and war-torn parts of the world is truly remarkable and serves as an inspiration to us all.

“His Highness has demonstrated an exemplary international commitment to address the needs of others,” said SFU President and Vice-Chancellor Andrew Petter.

“He has in this context supported programs at both of our universities, and we are grateful for his generosity in promoting positive change in the lives of young people and in advancing the well-being of the communities we serve.”

The Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims around the world.

UBC and SFU students, faculty and staff have benefited from the Aga Khan’s lifelong humanitarian work.

Through a partnership with the Aga Khan Academies’ Teacher Preparation Programme, UBC’s IB Education team of faculty and adjunct faculty are providing mentorship to an evaluation of teacher interns in Mombasa, Kenya, who are seeking International Baccalaureate (IB) certification.

SFU’s Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies and the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations partnered to establish Expressions of Diversity, an internationally renowned summer school on Muslim diversity that provided participants with a critical-historical understanding of Muslims within larger and more diverse frameworks.

Photo Gallery - Historic first for Aga Khan, UBC and SFU

The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University today awarded honorary doctorate of laws degrees to His Highness the Aga Khan in a joint conferral ceremony —a first for both universities.

The honorary degrees, conferred together at a ceremony in Vancouver, are in recognition of the Aga Khan’s lifelong service to humanity, and the intersections of his work at UBC and SFU.

“We applaud His Highness the Aga Khan’s outstanding humanitarian contributions,” said UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Santa J. Ono.

“In his capacity as spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community, his commitment to helping fight poverty and improve health and education for millions of people in underdeveloped and war-torn parts of the world is truly remarkable, and serves as an inspiration to us all.

“His Highness has demonstrated an exemplary international commitment to address the needs of others,” said SFU President and Vice-Chancellor Andrew Petter.

“He has in this context supported programs at both of our universities, and we are grateful for his generosity in promoting positive change in the lives of young people and in advancing the well-being of the communities we serve.”

The Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims around the world.

The event was attended by a host of dignitaries, including senators, MPs. local politicians and BC premier John Horgan.

Here is a photo gallery of the event: