Alumnus and Benefactor Tim Griffin Also Receives Honorary Degree
SHERBROOKE, QC, June 1, 2026 /CNW/ - Days after leading the Montréal Victoire to the Professional Women's Hockey League Walter Cup championship and being named playoff MVP, Marie-Philip Poulin will receive an honorary degree from Bishop's University at its annual Convocation on June 6, 2026.
Poulin, widely regarded as the greatest women's hockey player of her generation, will be honoured at the afternoon ceremony. Her recognition comes one year after the Bishop's Gaiters women's hockey team captured the U SPORTS national championship. Following the Convocation ceremony, Poulin will meet with members of the Bishop's Gaiters women's hockey team, in what promises to be a remarkable encounter between one of hockey's defining figures and a team of national champions in their own right. The honour marks Poulin's first honorary degree.
Known to fans as "Captain Clutch," Poulin is a five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medalist who scored the game-winning goal in three Olympic finals. She remains the only hockey player in history to score in four Olympic gold medal games. After winning silver at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, she led the Montréal Victoire to the Walter Cup championship. Named the PWHL's most valuable player and the International Ice Hockey Federation's Female Player of the Year in 2025, and a chevalière of the Ordre national du Québec, she arrives at Convocation with one of the most decorated careers in the history of women's hockey.
"Marie-Philip Poulin embodies values that are deeply aligned with the Bishop's experience: excellence, leadership, humility, and a deep commitment to community," said Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sébastien Lebel-Grenier. "She has defined an era of her sport with integrity and an unwavering dedication to her teammates and her community. That she will meet our own Gaiters women's hockey team following Convocation makes this a particularly meaningful moment for our university."
"I am truly honoured to receive this recognition from Bishop's University," said Poulin. "Hockey has given me opportunities I never could have imagined, but the most meaningful part of the journey has always been the people I've shared it with. I'm especially looking forward to meeting the Gaiters. To win a national championship in just their fourth season is an incredible accomplishment, and I know how much dedication, trust, and teamwork it takes to achieve something like that."
Tim Griffin, a Bishop's alumnus who graduated in 1971, will receive his honorary degree at the morning ceremony. Griffin spent four decades in finance, culminating as Chairman of Connor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital. He has remained among the university's most committed supporters, serving as a director of the Bishop's University Foundation for twenty-four years and co-chairing the Leading the Way capital campaign from 2012 to 2018, the most successful fundraising campaign in the university's history.
"Tim Griffin's relationship with Bishop's is a model of sustained leadership and generosity," said Chancellor Daniel Fournier. "When we co-chaired the Leading the Way campaign together, I saw firsthand how much he cared about the university, about getting it right, and about what Bishop's could become. Tim's leadership was central to a campaign that set out to raise $30 million and concluded at $44.5 million. That success has helped shape what Bishop's has been able to build ever since."
Bishop's University's 199th convocation ceremonies will be held in the Denver Gymnasium at the John H. Price Sports and Recreation Centre, 2600 College Street, Sherbrooke, Québec. The morning ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m.; the afternoon ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m.
ABOUT BISHOP'S UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1843 and located on the traditional territory of the Abenaki people (W8banakiak wdakiw8k), Bishop's University is an English-language institution in the Eastern Townships of Québec – one of Canada's most distinctive academic settings where studying in English while in French-speaking Canada is part of the education itself. Our 550-acre campus is home to a highly engaged community where students are challenged to grow beyond what they already know academically, personally, and experientially.
Research and creativity are central to Bishop's University's mission. We empower our faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students to contribute research, scholarly inquiry, innovation, and knowledge creation across diverse fields of study. Our researchers generate new knowledge with direct relevance to communities, partners, and end users, driven by collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange. Our researchers generate new knowledge driven by collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange that has direct relevance and measurable impact for communities, partners, and end users. Our students participate at every stage, from the first lines of inquiry to publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
Bishop's is home to five Canada Research Chairs, a Jarislowsky Chair, and robust external research funding, anchored by a research culture that pairs rigorous inquiry with close faculty-student mentorship. Innovative and impactful research takes place across Business, Education, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences. Graduate offerings include a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD), Master's programs in Physics, Computer Science, and Education, as well as an Individualized Master's program supporting interdisciplinary research.
SOURCE Bishop's University
MEDIA REQUESTS: Sonia Patenaude, Manager of Communications, Bishop's University, 819-342-2587, [email protected]
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