外流影片

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon (鈥�82, 鈥�10) is a passionate advocate for the importance of higher education in driving discovery and innovation, finding solutions for the world鈥檚 greatest challenges, and fostering the talents of young women and men who will become our future leaders.

A proud alumna who earned two degrees at Acadia, Dr. Cannon鈥檚 commitment to the University has never wavered no matter where her enviable career has taken her 鈥� most notably her tenure as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calgary (2010-2018).

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, 外流影片 welcomed Dr. Cannon back to campus. She met with President Dr. Peter Ricketts, chatted with Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) students and faculty, and announced in the new McCain Commons an extraordinarily generous gift of $265,000 in support of Campaign for Acadia. A donor since 1989, Dr. Cannon鈥檚 latest gift will have a tremendous impact on Acadia, its students, faculty and staff for generations by establishing:

Elizabeth Cannon WISE Awards. These awards are granted, on the recommendation of the Dean of Science or designate, to female students majoring in science in recognition of academic excellence, financial need, and involvement in Acadia鈥檚 WISE program.   

Elizabeth Cannon Swimming Awards. These awards are granted, on the recommendation of the Director of Athletics and the coach of the varsity swim team, to female student-athletes who are members of the varsity swim team in recognition of academic and athletic excellence, and financial need.

Dr. Ricketts thanked Dr. Cannon for her commitment and said, 鈥淥n behalf of all members of the Acadia community, we are extremely grateful for this very kind and generous gift. We are also exceedingly proud of all you鈥檝e accomplished and know you鈥檒l continue to have tremendous influence in science and engineering. Your support for our WISE program and female student-athlete swimmers is a shining example for all of us to model, and I know that these awards will have major impact now and for years to come.鈥�

Dr. Cannon鈥檚 resume is both extensive and impressive, and she is indeed a titan in the post-secondary milieu. She is President Emerita and a professor of geomatics engineering at University of Calgary, and served as President and Vice-Chancellor from July 2010 to December 2018.  An expert in geomatics engineering, Dr. Cannon鈥檚 research has been on the frontier of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) since 1984 in both academia and industry, and she has commercialized technology to over 200 agencies worldwide.

She has a long history of working effectively with industry and the surrounding community, has served on numerous public鈥� and private鈥恠ector boards, with national advisory groups and community committees, including positions as: past-president of the U.S.鈥恇ased Institute of Navigation; board member and interim chair of the Canada Foundation for Innovation; and board member of the Royal Society of Canada, the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, and the TELUS SPARK World of Science. She is currently Chair of the Canadian Knowledge Research Network board of directors, member of the board of directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), and is Vice-Chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Universities.

Dr. Cannon is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the U.S. Institute of Navigation, and was inducted as a foreign associate into the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2011.

Throughout her career, Dr. Cannon has championed women in non鈥恡raditional areas and worked to ensure that women receive opportunities to excel, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

She is the recipient of many honours and awards, including the Johannes Kepler Award from the U.S. Institute of Navigation, the world鈥檚 most prestigious satellite navigation prize; NSERC鈥檚 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, one of Canada鈥檚 premier science and engineering prizes; the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers鈥� Young Engineer Achievement Award; and, in 2013, the Gold Medal Award from Engineers Canada.

In 1998, she was selected as one of Canada鈥檚 Top 40 Under 40; in 2006, she was named one of Canada鈥檚 Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women鈥檚 Executive Network; and in 2009 was recognized with the ASTech Outstanding Contribution to Alberta Science and Technology Community award.

Dr. Cannon holds a BSc in mathematics and CAS from 外流影片 and a BSc, MSc and PhD in geomatics engineering from the University of Calgary. She has received honorary doctorates from the University of Ottawa, 外流影片 and Universit茅 de Montreal, and was the Acadia Alumni Association鈥檚 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient in 2014. Born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Dr. Cannon was an active athlete who competed as a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) swimmer during her undergraduate studies. She is married to geomatics engineering professor G茅rard Lachapelle and has two children.

Campaign for Acadia is the most ambitious fundraising initiative in Acadia鈥檚 history, with a goal of $75 million. To learn more, please visit . To view more photos from the event, .