Sandra L. Irving
Spring 2019 Honorary Degree Recipient
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
Sandra Irving is a community leader and a champion of education and health care research.
Sandra was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and holds a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from the University of New Brunswick and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Together with her husband Arthur Irving, Chairman of Irving Oil they like to help students achieve their dreams and have endowed full undergraduate scholarships for students at UNB, Acadia, and Dartmouth, and David Naylor Graduate Fellowships for Atlantic Canadian students at the University of Toronto.
Sandra has served on the UNB Board and on advisory boards of Dartmouth College and the Royal Society of Canada where she helped create the Atlantic Canada Chapter. She is a strong proponent of research and together with Arthur, and her daughter Sarah, they recently endowed a Chair in Cancer Research, with a focus on Immunotherapy. Previous Chairs were established in Cardiac Care at MGH and a Chair in Neurology at Lahey, and a Fellowship in Surgery. A lover of dogs, Sandra and her family have contributed to the welcome and reception area and to health care at the Atlantic Vet College of UPEI.
Sandra Irving is an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Member of the Order of Canada, and has received Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. In 2014, the Rotary Club of Saint John awarded her the Paul Harris Fellowship for exemplifying the Rotary motto of “service above self.â€