H. Sanford Riley

CM, BA, LLB

H. Sanford Riley has served The University of Winnipeg in numerous capacities and with great distinction. He served as the institution’s sixth Chancellor, for three full terms (2000 to 2009), during which time UWinnipeg underwent remarkable growth and development.

Riley was the founding Chairperson of The University of Winnipeg Foundation Board of Directors, which launched and oversaw the most ambitious capital campaign in UWinnipeg’s history; it raised an unprecedented $135 million and allowed for a campus renaissance.

Riley's commitment to UWinnipeg has also been personal. His generous donation established the H. Sanford Riley Fellowships in Canadian History, and in June 2009, the H. Sanford Riley Centre for Canadian History opened, bringing together associations and organizations committed to researching the history of Canada from Indigenous and colonial times to the present. In May 2013, the important Oral History Centre took root within this location.

For his ongoing and dedicated support to UWinnipeg and the broader community, Riley was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws in 2009.