Honorary degrees celebrate vision, creativity and community impact

As graduands cross the stage during Fall Convocation 2025, they will be joined by two honorary degree recipients whose inspiring careers and personal journeys are being recognized by the University of Manitoba.

An honorary degree is the highest honour UM can bestow upon an individual for achieving pre-eminence in science, culture, scholarship or public service. This fall’s recipients are business leader L. Kerry Vickar and theatre designer Mary Kerr.

A visionary leader

L. Kerry Vickar
LL.B. (Manitoba)
Wednesday, October 22 at 3pm
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 

L. Kerry Vickar is an accomplished business leader, philanthropist and mentor, recognized for his integrity, civic engagement and commitment to stronger communities.

After earning his law degree from UM in 1980, he transitioned from law to business, leading Gravure Graphics Ltd. to significant growth before founding CorrFlex Graphics, a North American leader in retail displays. His business ventures continued with the transformation of an insolvent equipment rental company into the largest Hyundai heavy equipment dealer in North America and the world’s largest Bell Truck dealer. He now serves as Executive Chairman of an injection mold manufacturing firm.

Mr. Vickar’s philanthropic legacy is equally profound. Through the Kerry and Simone Vickar Family Foundation, he supports health, education, and the arts, including endowed chairs at Cedars Sinai and the Levine Cancer Institute, and a Civic Centre in Melfort, Saskatchewan that bears his name. At UM, he established the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic, offering free legal services to underserved entrepreneurs while providing experiential learning for law students.

In recognition of his visionary leadership, philanthropy and enduring commitment to education and community, L. Kerry Vickar will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

An innovative designer

Mary Kerr
BFA (Hons) (Manitoba), DCL (honoris causa) (St. John’s College, Manitoba)
Thursday, October 23 at 3pm
Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) 

Dr. Mary Kerr is a visionary artist, designer and educator who has earned international acclaim as one of Canada’s pre-eminent theatre creators. For more than four decades, she has transformed the worlds of theatre, ballet, opera, film, television and special events with her conceptually inventive and striking designs. Born in Winnipeg, she earned a BFA (Hons) in sculpture and literature from UM before pursuing graduate studies at the University of Toronto’s Medieval Centre, where she realized the world of theatre was where she could combine all the arts she loved.

Her award-winning career includes credits at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet of Canada, the Danny Grossman Dance Company and the Paris Opera Ballet. Her work was showcased globally at Expo 67, Expo 86, and the 1994 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies.

Dr. Kerr is the only theatre designer elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. As a mentor and educator, she has inspired generations of designers and championed equity for women production designers in Canadian theatre art.

For her remarkable achievements in performance design, her leadership in advancing the art of Canadian scenography, and her enduring commitment to mentorship and collaboration, Dr. Mary Kerr will receive a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.

Other special honours and awards

During Fall Convocation, the university will also honour five faculty members:

• Warren Cariou, Lisa Lix and Joerg Stetefeld will be appointed Distinguished Professors.
• Jocelyn Thorpe will receive the Dr. and Mrs. H.H. Saunderson Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• Wan Wang will receive the Olive Beatrice Stanton Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Learn more about the recipients in the Convocation program.

UM Today Staff