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U of C to award the Aga Khan with honorary degree

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The University of Calgary will be giving the Aga Khan its highest academic honour next month.

Deborah Yedlin, chancellor for the university, announced Monday that the Aga Khan will be given an honorary degree from the university at a ceremony Oct. 17 because of his “strong ties” with the school and his work with “social development and cultural networks.”

“From international partnerships and exchanges, to programs launched right here in Calgary that bring our communities together, so many of us have benefited from his vision for a more integrated and understanding society around the globe,” Yedlin said in a statement.

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The Aga Khan visited Calgary in May to mark 60 years as the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community, whose members come from a diverse background across Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

Honorary degrees are awarded by the U of C for “extraordinary achievement in community” and “national or international services” to individuals whose “notable achievements and community service merit recognition.”

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The Aga Khan received his title in 1957 and is the founder of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of non-denominational agencies working to support education, agriculture, health care and other developmental initiatives in more than 30 countries.

“As someone who has dedicated his life as a world leader, His Highness has fostered initiatives focusing on health, education, cultural and economic revitalization and development, as well as the advancement of pluralism, civil society and protection of the environment,” said Elizabeth Cannon, U of C president and vice-chancellor.

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“His leadership serves as an example of how we can all work together to support social and human development, both at home and around the world.”

The university said its Doctor of Laws honorary degree can be awarded for outstanding contributions in any field, including the arts, business, scholarly pursuits and volunteerism.

The Aga Khan was embroiled in a conflict of interest probe by Canada’s federal ethics commissioner after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vacationed on a private Bahamian island owned by the spiritual leader last Christmas.

Commissioner Mary Dawson found the trip, as well as two other Trudeau family vacations, broke conflict of interest laws prohibiting a minister or any member of their family from accepting gifts or “advantages” that could reasonably be seen as influencing government decisions.

RRumbolt@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @RCRumbolt

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