Frank Graves will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9 a.m. ceremony on Friday, June 21, in recognition of a distinguished career in public opinion and policy research and outstanding contributions to research-based policymaking.
As the Founder and President of EKOS Research Associates Inc., Graves is one of the country’s leading applied social researchers, directing some of the largest and most challenging social research assignments conducted in Canada. For more than three decades, the firm has held a reputation for creative and rigorous research in the areas of public policy, social policy, and program evaluation, and as a leader in innovative survey techniques and methodology.
His analysis and advice have been sought by senior decision-makers in both the private and public sectors, including CEOs of the top 100 Canadian companies, the Prime Minister’s Office, the federal cabinet, the Clerk of the Privy Council, federal Deputy Ministers, the United States Ambassador to Canada, as well as the Canadian Ambassador to the United States.
Graves has been published widely and is a frequent commentator in Canadian and American media. He has directed numerous public opinion research projects on behalf of CBC, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and La Presse.
Graves is a Carleton alumnus having completed an honours degree in social anthropology (first class honours) and an MA in sociology. He serves on the advisory board of Carleton’s Sprott School of Business and is an adjunct research professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. He has lectured at the Rotman School of Business, Harvard Kennedy School, University of Ottawa and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Graves is a founding Board Member and Fellow of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI), a Canada Council Doctoral Fellow and an Honorary Fellow with the School of Public Policy (University of Calgary).