St. Francis Xavier University will welcome almost 950 new alumni and will honour Nova Scotia Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang and Sean Boyd, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, with the degree Doctor of Laws honoris causa, during Spring Convocation ceremonies on May 2.
StFX will award degrees and diplomas to nearly 945 students from the Class of 2021 during morning and afternoon ceremonies that will be streamed live from the campus. StFX will present honorary degrees to Dr. Strang, Nova Scotia’s top doctor and public face of Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 response, and to Mr. Boyd, who’s been heralded as a global visionary in the mining industry and is a former member of the StFX Board of Governors.
“Along with our students, who have worked exceptionally hard to earn their degrees, we are very proud to welcome Dr. Strang and Mr. Boyd to the Xaverian family,” said StFX President Dr. Andy Hakin. “Both have demonstrated tremendous leadership in their respective fields.”
The stage party, socially distanced, will proceed with convocation while graduates, parents and friends will watch virtually. The link to Spring Convocation 2021 will be posted on the university’s website stfx.ca in the days ahead.
Dr. Robert Strang is Chief Medical Officer of Health in Nova Scotia appointed in August 2007. He received his medical degree from the University of British Columbia and completed Family Practice and Public Health and Preventive Medicine residencies at UBC. Dr. Strang was an Associate Medical Officer of Health in South Fraser Health, BC, from 1997-1999 and in 1999, he moved to Halifax to become Medical Officer of Health for Capital District Health Authority. He was acting provincial Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health prior to his CMOH appointment. As CMOH, he has provided leadership around the renewal of the public health system in Nova Scotia as well as raising awareness around the importance of creating policies and environments that support better health for Nova Scotian families and communities. He is passionate about public health and has worked with non-government organizations such as Smoke Free Nova Scotia, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Public Health Association of Nova Scotia. Dr. Strang has an adjunct appointment with Dalhousie University, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology.
Sean Boyd serves as the Vice-Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, Canada’s second-biggest gold mining company. He was appointed the company’s CEO in 1998 after having served as the Chief Financial Officer from 1990-98 and Comptroller from 1985-90. During his tenure as CEO, Agnico Eagle has grown from a small, single mine gold producer to a multi-mine international gold mining company. In December 2020, the Globe and Mail ROB Magazine recognized Mr. Boyd as its Global Visionary of the Year CEO. He has been recognized as The Northern Miner’s Mining Person of the year in 2007 and 2017 and appeared on the list of The Best-Performing CEOs in the World in the Harvard Business Review in 2010, 2016 and 2017. In 2019, he was recognized by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario) as a Fellow, the highest honour bestowed upon a CPA within the accounting profession. Mr. Boyd also serves on the Board of Directors for The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation where he chairs the Granting, Impact and Stewardship Committee. He has also served on the Board of the World Gold Council and as a member of the St. Francis Xavier University Board of Governors. Prior to joining Agnico Eagle in 1985, he was a staff accountant with Clarkson Gordon (Ernst & Young). He is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA, CA) and a graduate of the University of Toronto (BComm).
