University of Saskatchewan to spotlight honorary degree recipients

During USask Spring Convocation ceremonies at Merlis Belsher Place from June 2-6, the university will award honorary degrees to Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter Jim Cuddy, university leader and sports icon Dr. Vera Pezer (PhD), and Saskatoon champions of community Greg and Olivia Yuel.

“We are honoured to have this opportunity to recognize each of these individuals for their achievements and accomplishments, and to celebrate the impact they have made to community, culture and the country,” said USask President and Vice-Chancellor Peter Stoicheff. “We are grateful to be able to formally express our admiration and appreciation, and to bestow upon them the University of Saskatchewan’s highest award – an honorary degree – during this year’s Spring Convocation celebration at Merlis Belsher Place.”

Here is a closer look at this year’s recipients:

A Juno Award-winning Canadian music icon with the band Blue Rodeo and a celebrated solo artist, Cuddy is also an active environmentalist and philanthropist, dedicated to community service. Cuddy has received a remarkable 15 Juno Awards, spanning four decades and 16 albums with Blue Rodeo as well as six critically acclaimed solo projects. Cuddy and Blue Rodeo have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, awarded a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, received the Governor General Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, and a National Achievement Award from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.

He was awarded one of his most prestigious honours in 2013 when Cuddy and Blue Rodeo bandmate Greg Keelor were made officers of the Order of Canada. The citation reads: “Beloved from coast to coast, they have been a force in Canadian music for over a quarter century, delighting audiences in metropolitan centres, rural towns and northern inlets. They are also models of giving back to the community, supporting Canadian Armed Forces personnel, amateur athletes and a variety of charitable causes.” In 2024, Cuddy was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and in April 2025, Blue Rodeo was honoured by Canada Post with the unveiling of a new commemorative stamp.

Cuddy has volunteered in support of numerous charities throughout his career, including participating in benefit concerts for the people of Fort McMurray who lost their homes in the devastating 2016 fire, and performing in Prince Albert National Park in 2023 in support of the Waskesiu Foundation. He also participates in the Gold Medal Plates and Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, which organize fundraising dinners and auctions to celebrate culture and ensure that young Canadians have equitable access to healthy food, sports opportunities and music education. He has donated his time and talent at more than 60 dinners, including 16 in Saskatchewan that helped to raise millions of dollars to fund music programs in the province.

In 2012, Cuddy was a special guest of the University of Saskatchewan as part of the Gail Appel Lecture Series. Cuddy’s lecture, titled Canadian Music: The Dawning of Independence, took place in Convocation Hall for an intimate crowd of 200, with Cuddy peppering his unique lecture with acoustic performances of some of his greatest hits before engaging USask music students in a question-and-answer session. Cuddy was also joined onstage by President Peter Stoicheff – at the time serving as the dean of the College of Arts and Science – to help perform his final song.

Born and raised in Toronto and a graduate of Queen’s University, Cuddy has been married to actress Rena Polley for more than 40 years and they have three children; Devin, Emma and Sam.

From scholar to staff member to senior leader and active alumna, Chancellor Emerita Dr. Vera Pezer (PhD) has had a remarkable association with USask spanning seven decades. After earning a Bachelor of Arts (English) in 1962 and master’s (psychology) in 1964, Pezer began a 35-year career in student counselling at USask in 1966, while also completing her third USask degree (PhD in sports psychology) in 1977. Pezer worked as a counsellor, part-time instructor, assistant professor, and interim assistant dean in the College of Arts and Science in 1978 and 1981, and was appointed associate vice-president of student affairs and services in 1991 until retirement in 2001. Pezer went on to serve as USask’s 13th chancellor from 2007 to 2013.

Pezer has continued to be an active member of USask’s alumni community as a volunteer, mentor and donor through sponsoring student scholarships, including support for Huskies student-athletes, serving as a patron member for the Greystone Circle, co-chairing the 2007 Campus Community Campaign, and volunteering with USask’s Great War Committee and the Huskie Athletics review task force. She earned a USask Alumni Achievement Award in 2002, a College of Arts and Science Alumni of Influence Award in 2007, the university’s Honoured Supporter Award in 2014, a USask Retirees Prime of Life Achievement award in 2019, and was named a Woman of Influence at the Huskies Breakfast in 2024. The USask Students’ Union Vera Pezer Awards for Student Enhancement are also named in her honour.

In addition to being a four-time Canadian women’s curling champion – sweeping three straight national titles from 1971-73 – Pezer is a former Canadian softball champion, a member of Saskatchewan’s senior women’s golf team, and served as a sports psychologist in the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics. She chaired the 1989 Jeux Canada Games Foundation, directed the 1991 Scott Tournament of Hearts, and was ceremonies chair of the 1989 Brier. Pezer has been inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, and Canadian Curling Hall of Fame, and earned the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, and Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Originally from Meskanaw, Sask., Pezer has remained busy in retirement volunteering on campus and in the community, as well as publishing four books including her latest, Saskatchewan Superwomen: Challengers and Champions, launched on March 7, 2025.

Champions of community, Greg and Olivia Yuel have turned business success into a passion for philanthropy, from generous donations to volunteer endeavours to help build a better society for all. Graduates of the University of Saskatchewan, Greg (BA’93) and Olivia (BA’95) were recognized and honoured for their remarkable dedication to community in enriching the lives of people throughout the city and across the province when they received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2024. The Yuels have donated millions of dollars to charities and community projects, supporting education, health care, athletics and the arts, as well as social programs to serve those in need and society’s most vulnerable populations. Among their major contributions are support for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Yuel Family Gallery at the Remai Modern, Rick Hansen Foundation, Wanuskewin Artist in Residence program, the YWCA, Friendship Inn, Salvation Army, Mosaic Stadium, Gordie Howe Sports Complex, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, and USask’s Edwards School of Business, College of Medicine, and the Huskies program.

The president of PIC Investment Group that contributes to the growth of the provincial economy, Greg was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022, presented with the Achievement of Business Excellence (ABEX) Award for Business Leader of the Year in 2020, and received an Honoured Supporter Award by the City of Saskatoon on National Philanthropy Day in 2014. A Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame member of the 1991 national champion Saskatoon Hilltops, he coached football for more than 20 years and serves on the Saskatchewan Roughriders Board of Directors and Canadian Football League’s Board of Governors. A longtime member of the Edwards Dean’s Advisory Board and volunteer with the Raj Manek Mentorship program, he served as board chair of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, capital campaign chair of the Friends of the Bowl and Gordie Howe Sports Complex, and was a board member of the Rick Hansen Foundation.

A member of the Huskies track and field team from 1988-1993, Olivia has continued her passion for sports and fitness and community health and wellness as a volunteer coach in cycling and running programs in the school system and the community, including the Hope Cancer learn-to-run program. She has served as a co-ordinator of the elementary school Start2Finish running program for inner-city youth, volunteered with the revitalization of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, and has been a driving force in supporting arts and cultural enrichment programs, Indigenous initiatives, and community engagement. An advocate for the YWCA and its importance in supporting women and children in the community, she has taught pre-natal and post-natal fitness classes and has been inspired to support a variety of artistic initiatives, from the Remai Modern and Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, to Wanuskewin Heritage Park programs, including the Thundering Ahead Capital Campaign to support Wanuskewin Heritage Park and Wanuskewin Galleries. Olivia also helped raise funds to provide 800 bikes for people in Africa to access health clinics and schools and to launch and expand businesses.

An honorary degree is the university’s most prestigious award, acknowledging worthy and unique contributions recipients have made to their community and to the world. USask recognizes individuals who have outstanding accomplishments in research, scholarly and artistic works; performed exceptional public service; contributed greatly through their professional or philanthropic activity; and demonstrated extraordinary athletic prowess. To view past recipients, visit: https://library.usask.ca/uasc/campus-history-databases/honorary-degrees

For more information about spring convocation, visit:
https://students.usask.ca/academics/graduation.php