The Alumni Association is honoured to present this year’s Alumni Awards to three King’s grads to celebrate their significant accomplishments and contributions to the King’s community and beyond.
The awards will be presented at Alumni Day on May 31.
Bernard Hibbitts
Judge J. Elliot Hudson Distinguished Alumni Award
In recognition of the outstanding contributions Judge J. Elliott Hudson made to the University of King’s College, to his profession as Family Court Judge and to his volunteer commitment, the Alumni Association established the Judge J. Elliott Hudson Distinguished Alumni Award. It recognizes King’s alumni who, like Judge Hudson, have made significant contributions to their discipline, community, charitable or volunteer work.
Professor Bernard Hibbitts, BA(Hons)’80, is Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Publisher Emeritus of JURIST, the legal news service he created in 1996.
Born in Halifax, N.S., Hibbitts began his academic career at King’s, graduating in 1980 as a recipient of the Gold Governor General’s Academic Medal. He studied international relations for his master’s degree at Carleton University in Ottawa and then attended law school at England’s Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He was named the MVP for the Oxford Blues, Oxford University’s ice hockey team, in 1983. Hibbitts continued to study law at Dalhousie University (1983–84), University of Toronto (1985–86) and Harvard Law School (1987–88), where he was Associate Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal.
Hibbitts enjoyed a distinguished career in legal education as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he was also the founding publisher and editor-in-chief of the award-winning non-profit news organization JURIST.
With the tagline “Law students reporting the rule of law in crisis,” JURIST uses plain language to make legal news accessible. During the pandemic, when more people were turning to this online resource, JURIST expanded its reach from its Pittsburgh base to engage staff at 50 law schools around the globe. Its readership now exceeds 2 million.
Hibbitts retired from teaching and JURIST in December 2024.
For the past few months, the publication has run tributes to him alongside its latest dispatches.
“What truly sets Professor Hibbitts apart is … his genuine desire to inspire future generations of legal professionals,” wrote David Crane, chief prosecutor of the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, in a piece titled “Honoring JURIST’s Publisher Emeritus: Bernard Hibbitts as a Beacon of Legal Insight and Community Engagement.”
“He stands as a beloved professor who educates with passion, encouraging students to conceptualize their place within the intricate tapestry of the legal field. Those who have taken his classes are often struck by how he transcends traditional teaching methods. Instead of merely lecturing, Bernard engages students in discussions that challenge them to think critically and ethically.”
Hibbitts dedicated much of his career to advancing the understanding of the role of law in society, with a particular focus on how technological advancements have shaped legal practice. His work in Canadian and American legal history, has earned him wide acclaim, and his pioneering efforts in legal journalism paved the way for future generations of legal professionals around the globe to engage in meaningful conversations.
Mohamed Hashem
Meraki Kudos Young Alumni Achievement Award
The purpose of the Meraki Kudos Young Alumni Achievement Award is to recognize young alumni of the University of King’s College who have achieved significant accomplishments via their professions, volunteer work or other endeavours. All alumni of the university under the age of 35 are eligible for this award.
Mohamed Hashem, BJ(Hons)’15, is the host and producer of Real Talk, an interview series on Middle East Eye, a digital news organization based in London, U.K., covering stories from the Middle East and North Africa.
Hashem’s career took off before graduation, with a call from Al Jazeera to offer an internship while he was still writing exams in his final year at King’s. Hashem began the internship as an online journalist in Doha, Qatar, which transformed into a position at Al Jazeera English and later at Al Jazeera Arabic as a producer on its flagship interview program. Then, he moved to Istanbul for a job with the Turkish public broadcaster TRT, where he helped create an Arabic digital division.
“My passion comes out when I sit down to interview someone,” said Hashem in a recent alumni profile. “That is what I love to do, to hear their take on a story. It’s about keeping the story going, developing the ideas and getting others to think about it.”
Hashem has been with Middle East Eye since September 2020. As the host of Real Talk, he explores unique stories and experiences and delves into critical current affairs discussions with insightful guests. Recent segments have featured guests such as celebrated author Ta-Nehisi Coates, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and actress Cherien Dabis, and Columbia professor Bruce Robbins.
Terra Duncan
Order of the Ancient Commoner
The Order of the Ancient Commoner recognizes an alum or friend of the college who has given significant support to King’s or to the Alumni Association above and beyond his or her position or affiliation.
Terra Duncan, BJ(Hons)’06, MFA’15, was the first member of her family to attend university and found the transition from high school to university daunting and confusing. However, by her second year, she had figured out the student aid system, had read the course calendar cover to cover and realized she was acting as an unofficial advisor to her friends.
“I realized I wasn’t alone and that everyone kind of struggled,” she says. “This is when my advising days really began.”
Two decades later, she thinks back to her younger self and tries to be the person she needed back then— someone with a listening ear, a friendly smile and answers to queries such as how to transfer credits, declare a major or a combination major, and apply for bursaries and scholarships.
Duncan was the first person in King’s history to complete a combined honours degree in journalism and early modern studies. Her contributions to governance and student life during her undergraduate years earned her the Margaret J. Marriner Award for most outstanding residence student in 2005, the Warrena Power Award for most outstanding graduating female student in 2006, a Gold and Silver K, and a Distinction Award in 2006—the KSU’s highest honour, awarded to graduating students who have contributed deeply to life at the college.
Of all her student achievements, working with Inglis Professor Dr. William Barker and Dean Leslie Davis on the Presidential Advisory Committee to change the residence structure to coed had the most significant impact on the future of the college, ensuring all genders have equal access to housing options.
While working in the Registrar’s office, Duncan’s contributions to the college were profound. She inspired thousands of students to apply to King’s and under her leadership, enrollment and retention numbers achieved record heights. In the spring of 2013, former President George Cooper announced that King’s would welcome the largest incoming FYP class in the history of the college, in part because of Duncan’s strategic vision and leadership.
Duncan was instrumental in overseeing the admission and administrative processes needed to get the MFA in Creative Nonfiction operational and ready for the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission’s approval. Going above and beyond the scope of her duties, she even designed the gown worn by MFA graduates during Encaenia. Then, she enrolled as a member of the inaugural MFA class, lending extra administrative support during the program’s infancy while pursuing her love of writing. She’s a poet and author of the memoir The Robin’s Egg.
As a Student Success Advisor at Dalhousie’s Bissett Student Success Centre, Duncan helps prepare students for careers in STEM fields. She keeps a King’s sweater in her office to wear whenever she advises King’s students to make them feel welcome and at home. She is a go-to for those declaring minors in King’s subjects, and for helping faculty, staff and students alike understand the special relationship between Dalhousie and King’s.
