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Shelagh Rogers O.C. - 16^th Chancellor of Queen’s University

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Shelagh Rogers is a veteran broadcast-journalist who made a home at CBC Radio for 43 years. For the last 15 of those, she was host and co-producer of The Next Chapter, an award-winning program devoted to writing in Canada. In June of 2023, she stepped down from CBC Radio to pursue other adventures of her own devising.

Shelagh grew up in the territory of the Algonquin and Anishnaabe, Ottawa, Ontario. She attended Queen’s University to study Art History and graduated in 1977. While in Kingston, she made close friends and launched a long career in broadcasting that has its beginnings at CFRC, the ���˴�Ƭ community radio station.

In 1980, she joined CBC Radio in Ottawa to host local current affairs shows and national classical music programs. In 1984, she moved to CBC Toronto and hosted such programs as Metro Morning, The Arts Tonight and On Stage at Glenn Gould Studio. Over the years as a journalist on such flagship daily programs as Morningside, Sounds Like Canada and This Morning, Shelagh traveled the length and breadth of this country, interviewing thousands of people and collecting their stories. That's her passion because, she fully believes, sharing our stories enlarges our understanding of, and empathy for, each other.

Shelagh left the daily radio in 2008 to develop other projects and to be able to speak freely about issues that concern her. She became an ardent activist for better mental health care for all, but especially youth. That year, she received a Transforming Lives Award from CAM-H.

In September 2011, Shelagh was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour, for her volunteer work in adult literacy, for fighting against the stigma of mental illness, and for advocating for truth, healing and reconciliation. She is honoured and humbled to have been inducted as an Honorary Witness to the testimonies of residential school Survivors and their families, shared at the national gatherings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

In 2014, Queen’s University recognized her advocacy by presenting her with their Alumni Humanitarian Award. She was named the inaugural recipient of the Margaret Trudeau Award for Mental Health Advocacy in 2016. In 2019, Library and Archives Canada acknowledged Shelagh’s contribution to the literary life of this country by selecting her as one of the inaugural Library and Archives Canada Scholars.

Shelagh holds eight honorary doctorates from Canadian universities, including Queen’s University and is Chancellor Emerita of the University of Victoria, a position she held (and loved) for seven years. UVic Library named Shelagh an Honorary Librarian. In 2022, Shelagh was named the Symons Medallist, which recognizes an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to Canadian life. 

As Shelley Ambrose, former publisher of The Walrus Magazine says: “Think of her as Canada's ear. Then add a brain, a heart...and a very recognizable voice. That's Shelagh Rogers.”

Articles

Shelagh Rogers named Queen's next Chancellor - Queen's Gazette (April 26, 2024)

Created at Queen's - From the Heart and Soul - Queen's Alumni Review (July 7, 2022)

CBC broadcaster and alumna honoured for her exceptional contributions to Canada - Alumni Profiles, News Stories (May 17, 2022)