Doctor of Education
(honoris causa) DEd
L.Gen. the Honourable Roméo Dallaire, (Ret’d) received the honorary degree, Doctor of Education on Friday, June 8, 2007 and delivered the convocation address to the graduates of Nipissing’s Faculty of Education, Intermediate / Senior division and Master of Education.
Dallaire was appointed to the Senate in 2005 as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. In 1994, Dallaire commanded the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. His book on his experiences in Rwanda, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004. Since his retirement from the military, Dallaire has worked to bring an understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder to the general public. As a champion of human rights, his activities include: visiting lecturer at Canadian and American universities and public speaking engagements on issues relating to human rights and genocide prevention; visiting Darfur as a member of Prime Minister Martin’s Special Advisory Team on Darfur; advocacy for the Canadian Forces mission to Afghanistan; leadership in a project to develop a conceptual base for the elimination of the use of child soldiers; and leadership in activities aimed at the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Dallaire has received numerous honours and awards, including Officer of the Order of Canada; Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec and the Aegis Award for Genocide Prevention from the Aegis Trust (United Kingdom). He is the recipient of the United Nations Association of Canada’s Pearson Peace Medal.