BU Homecoming to welcome Dr. Samantha Nutt, War Child Canada founder, for public keynote

A renowned humanitarian, physician and best-selling author will headline Brandon University’s annual Homecoming this fall.

Dr. Samantha Nutt will present the public Homecoming keynote on Thursday evening, Oct. 17, as Homecoming weekend kicks off.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Samantha Nutt to Brandon and to the BU Homecoming,” said Carla Eisler, BU’s Director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs, who is coordinating Homecoming. “Building on our experience last year with Col. Chris Hadfield, we are once again proud to present a world-leading expert and inspiring speaker who will have much to share with a southwestern Manitoba audience.”

A leading authority on current affairs, war, international aid, and foreign policy, Dr. Nutt, a medical doctor and founder of the international humanitarian organizations War Child Canada and War Child USA, is one of the most recognized voices in the humanitarian arena. For more than 20 years, she has been on the front line of many of the world’s major crises – from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan. These experiences have given her unique insights into the brutality of modern conflict: why it begins, what sustains it, and what must be done to prevent children from being held in its terrifying grip.

“Samantha Nutt is a perfect fit for Brandon University, with our long and distinguished history on peace research,” said BU President David Docherty. “As conflict continues to simmer around the world, and as we all realize the fragility of our global connections, it is more vital than ever to consider the worldwide impacts we can have through our actions here at home.”

In her presentation, “When Local is Global,” Dr. Nutt will examine our obligations to the wider world: How do we impact on it, and how does it impact on us? What do we know, and what do we need to learn?

Our world is accelerating, and our communities are colliding, not always for the better. Whether it is the terrible garment factory fires in Bangladesh, the diamonds on our fingers, the components in our cell phones, the profits in our pensions, or the environmental wreckage – such as the Gulf oil spill – associated with our energy needs, our interdependence means that we need to frame the questions differently. How do I get it cheaper, and faster and better, must also be accompanied by questions of how do we get it right? And answering that question is a lifelong pursuit.

The Homecoming keynote in Brandon will be held at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium and will be open to the public. Tickets will be $30.50, including all taxes and fees, and will go on sale after the August long weekend.

Brandon University Homecoming 2019 is both a reunion for BU alumni and a community celebration of the university’s history in Brandon and in Manitoba. Everyone is welcome to take part in a weekend of friendship and festivities from Oct. 17–20.

The weekend will include a special Homecoming concert, class reunions, a Bobcat volleyball reunion, family activities, and much more. Special anniversary celebrations are planned for class years marking significant milestones as well as the 20th anniversary of the Winnipeg campus and the 80th anniversary of science at BU. As well, the university will be celebrating the achievements of this year’s outstanding Alumni Award recipients. A highlight this year will be the Bobcat volleyball home opener.

Dr. Nutt’s keynote will kick off the opening evening of Homecoming weekend.

Named one of Canada’s “25 most influential figures” by The Globe and Mail and one of “Canada’s Five Leading Activists” by Time Magazine, and recognized as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum, Dr. Nutt was awarded the “Order of Ontario” in 2010, and appointed to the Order of Canada in 2011.

In addition to overseeing War Child Canada, Dr. Nutt is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is also the author of the critically-acclaimed book Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid which was a #1 national bestseller.

Dr. Nutt is also a respected authority for many of North America’s leading media outlets. She is a regular foreign affairs panelist on the acclaimed news program, CBC’s The National, and her written work has been published by The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Maclean’s magazine, Reuters, The Ottawa Citizen, The Huffington Post, and many others. She has also been featured in Time, Chatelaine, and More magazines, and on CTV National News, Global TV News, NBC Nightly News, and BBC World News, to name just a few.

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