The University of Lethbridge Senate is pleased to announce the first of its honorary degree recipients to be recognized at Spring 2022 Convocation — naturalist and award-wining author Kevin Van Tighem.
“We’re so excited to once again host an in-person Convocation celebration and be able to properly recognize our honorary degree recipients,” says ULethbridge Chancellor Charles Weaselhead. “Our first honouree, Kevin Van Tighem, is an exceptional Albertan who has devoted his life to protecting the natural world around us by deepening the public’s understanding of and respect for our unique and valuable natural spaces. Environmental stewardship and sustainability are values we take very seriously at the University of Lethbridge, and we’re thrilled he has accepted our offer of an honorary degree.”
The U of L will present Kevin Van Tighem with the degree of Doctor of Science, honouris causa, at the Spring 2022 Convocation Ceremony III on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness.
Kevin Van Tighem
Kevin Van Tighem has woven a lifelong narrative that has deepened Albertans’ understanding of and respect for our unique and valuable natural spaces while promoting ecological literacy and a love for nature as essential underpinnings of a sustainable economy.
Van Tighem studied at the University of Calgary, earning a Bachelor of Science in Plant Sciences with Distinction that prepared him for a career as a wildlife biologist and parks interpreter. His various professional roles included work with the Canadian Wildlife Service and Parks Canada, with stations in almost every western Canadian national park, including Waterton Lakes, Prince Albert and ultimately Banff where he served as superintendent of Canada’s oldest and most-renowned federal park.
From the outset of his professional career, Van Tighem began to find his voice as a social scientist and respected communicator, engaging park visitors and the broader public with insightful discourse about ecology and conservation. An outstanding communicator, he went on to pen 14 books and numerous magazine articles, all while earning a reputation amongst the media as a principled and influential commentator on issues related to the natural environment.
His work is described as direct, informative, entertaining and inspiring, and it is readily apparent it comes from the heart. His approach embodies the liberal education approach of the University, combining breadth, critical thinking and a multi-disciplinary approach to significant issues and civic engagement.