Economist Jeffrey Sachs is renowned for his efforts to heighten awareness about environmental sustainability and engage citizens in the battle against global hunger and poverty. Professor Sachs was be awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, November 13, “in recognition of his outstanding work dedicated to global economic development, environmental sustainability and ending extreme poverty.”
Through his work as director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, professor at Columbia University’s Department of International and Public Affairs and School of Public Health, and founder of the Millennium Promise, Professor Sachs has been able to mobilize communities worldwide to take action.
In particular, his Millennium Promise’s Millennium Villages Project, which provides villages in Africa with the tools they need to overcome poverty, has sparked university students globally including at Carleton – to take up the cause. He is also Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the author of several books, including The End of Poverty. Professor Sachs has twice been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.