Hanny Hassan Receives Honorary Degree from Vic U for Interfaith Work
By Leslie Shepherd
Hanny Hassan, CM, a longtime promoter of interfaith understanding and social justice, has received an honorary doctorate from Victoria University in the University of Toronto.
Chancellor Nick Saul, CM, Vic 9T0, conferred the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters on Dr. Hassan as part of the Victoria University Convocation and Emmanuel College Graduation on May 15. The degree is given to people whose outstanding contribution to society exemplifies the values Victoria University seeks to cultivate.
“To the graduates, because the world continues to change rapidly, you must never stop learning,” Dr. Hassan said in his convocation address. “Keep up with the latest developments and innovations. Seek new opportunities, explore new fields, and challenge yourself to grow.”
Dr. Hassan also spoke about the importance of seeking peace and fostering mutual respect among people of different backgrounds. He emphasized the need for graduates to remain open to serendipity—unexpected and beneficial experiences that can lead to new interests, relationships and opportunities. A strong sense of values and vision, he said, would guide them and make their lives fulfilling.
He praised the United Church of Canada and Emmanuel College for their longstanding leadership in interfaith collaboration and for creating space for Muslim chaplaincy training in Canada. This is the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Muslim focus on Emmanuel College’s Master of Psychospiritual Studies program, and the 10th anniversary of the Buddhist stream.
“I am thrilled to be receiving an honorary degree from Victoria University and Emmanuel College, the place that took up the challenge to offer a pastoral care program for those who had been excluded, for so many years, from formally providing recognized chaplaincy and spiritual care services, in Canada,” he said.
Dr. Hassan of London, Ont., is a former partner with Dillon Consulting, Inc., and president of Alef Consulting, Inc. He has been engaged in interfaith and community service for 60 years, supporting many organizations in their efforts to bring people of different religions and cultures together so that they may better understand each other and to remove the conditions that lead to poverty, violence against women and xenophobia.
He played an important role in launching the Muslim focus of the Master of Pastoral Studies program at Emmanuel College (now known as the Master of Psychospiritual Studies). He was director of the Canadian Dawn Foundation that gave Emmanuel College the seed money for the program as well as a Muslim prayer room and ablution facilities. He is the longest-serving member of the college’s Muslim Advisory Committee.
Dr. Hassan holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Engineering from Dalhousie University. While at Dalhousie in the 1960s, he became engaged with social justice issues, particularly in relation to Africville in Halifax.
He was named to the Order of Canada in 2011, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Western University in 2023, and is an honorary fellow of the University of St. Michael’s College for his work in Catholic-Muslim relations.
“You are the future leaders, thinkers, and creators of our society,” he told graduates in closing. “You have the power to shape the world according to your vision and values.”