February 23, 2001 For Immediate Release

Three extraordinary individuals - an author, a philanthropist, and a research pioneer - will be recognized at the University of Northern British Columbia's May Convocation Ceremony.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to author Denise Chong and philanthropist Jennifer Simons.

Denise Chong has authored two books and edited an anthology of stories by Canadian women. Her book, The Concubine's Children, chronicles the experiences of previous generations of Chinese immigrants and their families. Her second book, The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photographer, and the Vietnam War, recounts the experience of a Vietnamese woman now living in Canada. Ms Chong was raised in Prince George and graduated from Prince George Secondary in 1970. She was an advisor to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and is currently a board member for the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

Dr Jennifer Simons is President of the Simons Foundation, which actively promotes education in peace, disarmament, global cooperation, the environment, social justice, and human rights. In addition to serving as a professor in the Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University, Dr Simons is a member of the boards of the Canadian Landmine Foundation, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the Middle Powers Initiative, and the Canadian Council for International Peace and Security. She has received honours from SFU, Charles University in Prague, and the Nisga'a House of Wisdom. Dr Simons is a past member of the UNBC Board of Governors.

In addition to the presentation of honorary degrees, Dr Alex Michalos will be named a Professor Emeritus of UNBC. Dr Michalos has pioneered research on quality of life and helped to establish the Institute for Social Research and Evaluation at UNBC. He has published 18 books and more than 70 articles, and his work has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, German, Polish, French, Italian, and Spanish. Most of his research and teaching has been concerned with improving quality of life through research and applications of science and technology. He has been invited to speak on the topic around the world. Dr Michalos has also founded and edits four scholarly journals. He is currently the President of the Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences for the Royal Society of Canada, the nation's senior body of distinguished scientists and scholars.

The 2001 Convocation Ceremony will be May 25th.