AUP confers honorary doctorate on AUN president, Ensign

President of American University of Nigeria (AUN) Dr. Margee Ensign, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the American University of Paris, France.

At the ceremony in Paris, she shared the stage with President of the American University of Cairo, Lisa Anderson, Director, Paris Opera Ballet, Benjamin Millepied.

The AUP, according to a statement from AUN, described the honorees as distinguished individuals whose accomplishments are consistent with the university’s mission and core values. The AUP also said the honour was to recognise the recipient’s contributions to a specific field or to society in general.

Ensign was cited for her leadership role in using education to promote peace, community development, and empowerment through a local platform, the Adamawa Peace Initiative (API), which she chairs.

The degree was presented to her in the French capital during the AUP Commencement on Tuesday, May 26.

Citing the AUN’s engagement with the refugees of North East Nigeria, Ensign used the occasion to urge the new graduates to find solutions to old, new, and unprecedented problems challenging the world today.

Ensign was particularly acknowledged for undertaking humanitarian relief work in North East Nigeria and for providing food aid to more than 270, 000 internally displaced people sheltering with family members in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

Dr. Ensign’s many laurels include the African Business Roundtable’s Distinguished Leadership Award for Educational Excellence in 2011; the African Leading University of the Year Award by African Leadership magazine in 2012; the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship in 2012; the Adamawa State Peace Ambassador Award also in 2012; the African Leadership Award from the World Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility in 2014. Earlier this year, the women’s wing of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam in Nigeria recognised her contributions to leadership, philanthropy, and the education of women and girls in North East Nigeria.