Queen’s will host Fall Convocation from November 11-15, where graduates will cross the stage and receive their degrees in eight ceremonies at Grant Hall. 

Graduates at five of the ceremonies will also be hearing from the university’s latest group of Honorary Degree recipients. Each was chosen by Queen’s community members for their outstanding achievements and contributions to local, national, and global communities. 

“Convocation is a time to celebrate our graduates’ remarkable journeys and accomplishments at Queen’s,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “We are excited to welcome our honorary degree recipients, whose stories and insights will inspire the next generation as they move into the next chapters of their lives.” 

The first ceremony will also include the official installation of Queen’s 16th Chancellor, Shelagh Rogers. 
 

Honorary degree recipients 

Kent Monkman, Ceremony 1, Nov. 11, 2024, 2:30 p.m. 

Kent Monkman is a Cree interdisciplinary visual artist from Fisher River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory, living and working between New York City and Toronto. Through his gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, he challenges colonial perspectives and historical narratives about Indigenous peoples. Monkman’s work is featured in prominent institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2023, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian contemporary art. 

Marie Benard, Ceremony 3, Nov. 12, 2024, 2:30 p.m. 

Marie Benard is a dedicated advocate for social equity, inclusion, and sustainability, with a background in the mental health field—having held roles in suicide prevention, mental health and recovery group facilitation, and youth support. A former host of syndicated radio show Synchronicity for Your Mind, Body, and Soul, she now supports patients impacted by the Mental Health Act, empowering them with tools for self-advocacy. Benard also serves on the board of directors for The Kettle Society, a longstanding non-profit addressing the social determinants of health for people who face mental health challenges. 

Rhonda Hopkins, Ceremony 4, Nov. 13, 2024, 10:00 a.m. 

Rhonda Hopkins, a fluent pan-dialectical speaker of Anishinaabemowin from Wikwemikoong Unceded Territory, has devoted over 40 years to Indigenous education and language revitalization. She is a traditional knowledge keeper and a Teaching and Learning Professor at the Indigenous institute Kenjgewin Teg, where she developed a successful Early Learning Diploma program in Anishinaabemowin and where she worked extensively in immersion education and curriculum development. Dr. Hopkins also collaborated with the Potawatomi Nation in Kansas, USA, helping to revive their language, contributing hundreds of hours of recorded footage capturing its use. 

Jennifer Jones, Ceremony 6, Nov. 14, 2024, 10:00 a.m. 

Jennifer Jones served as president of Rotary International from 2022-23 – earning the organization’s highest elected office, and the first female president in its 118-year history. A communications executive, she is the founder of Media Street Productions Inc., and has dedicated her life to service and leadership both locally and globally. At home in Windsor, she has served as chair of the University of Windsor board of governors; Maryvale Adolescent & Family Services; and the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

Matthieu Aikins, Ceremony 8, Nov. 15, 2024, 10:00 a.m. 

Matthieu Aikins is a prize-winning Canadian-American journalist and author who has reported from Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. A contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a Puffin Fellow at Type Media Center, his first book The Naked Don’t Fear the Water, about Afghan refugees journeying to Europe, was published in 2022 and translated into seven languages. Aikins’ work with a New York Times team that investigated civilian casualties from U.S. airstrikes received a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting, and an accompanying video won two Emmy awards. He’s been recognized with National Magazine, Polk, and Livingston awards, and has been published in the New Yorker and Harper’s. 

Ceremonies and Broadcasts 

The full schedule of ceremonies, online livestream links, and more information can be found on the Office of the University Registrar website.