The UBC Emeritus College has named Dr. David Ley and Dr. Carl Walters as recipients of this year's Award for Excellence in Innovative and Creative Endeavours and Dr. R. Kenneth Carty as the recipient of the President’s Award for Distinguished Service.  

The Award for Excellence in Innovative and Creative Endeavours recognizes those who, since attaining emeritus status, have demonstrated outstanding achievement in research or artistic creation. The President’s Award for Distinguished Service honours those who show exceptional leadership in volunteer community services.   

Dr. Ley, a Professor Emeritus of Geography, retired in 2017, but has not slowed his research output. His 2023 book, Housing Booms in Gateway Cities, provides a definitive forensic examination of how global capital flows reshape local housing markets. This work offers a transformative synthesis of political economy and urban science that remains at the absolute frontier of the discipline. Dr. Ley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2022 and has leveraged his national prestige to advocate for evidence-based housing policy, ensuring academic rigour remains central to Canada’s most urgent socioeconomic debates. 

“I have always felt I wanted to do research that mattered to people in communities outside the university—that addressed problems people faced or economic challenges,” Dr. Ley said. “This award is a lovely milestone towards the end of an academic career. I am grateful to the people who nominated me and to the committee.”  

Dr. Walters, a Professor Emeritus of Fisheries, retired in 2013. However, his research career continues to flourish. He published over 115 journal articles and co-wrote an updated version of the Ecosystem Modelling with EwE textbook with colleague, Dr. Villy Christensen, that will be used in graduate level and UBC Extended Learning courses. He also continues to mentor graduate students and doctoral scholars at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries—still taking regular walking meetings with those who seek his guidance. 

“Work has been my life for the last 60 years. It is also my pleasure,” Dr. Walters said. “It is an honour to be chosen for such an award. It means a lot to know there are people who care about me and my work.”   

Dr. Carty, a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, has served UBC for 52 years and is known as one of Canada’s foremost political strategists. In fact, countries around the world still seek out his expertise 15 years into retirement. He continues to write books, publish papers, consult in Canada and abroad and, for the past 13 years, has served as a trustee and then chair of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan Board.  

In addition to his service to UBC, Dr. Carty contributes to public life through repeated appointments to Electoral Boundaries Commissions, both federally and provincially. Through this work, he helped shape fair and representative electoral maps—an essential component of democratic legitimacy. His ongoing work and publications shape scholarly and public understanding of electoral systems and party politics and extend UBC’s intellectual influence globally. 

“I love my work. It’s always been an opportunity to make a difference,” said Dr. Carty. “It’s an honour to receive this award.” 

These awardees exemplify the university’s stated purpose: “Pursuing excellence in research, learning and engagement to foster global citizenship and advance a sustainable and just society across British Columbia, Canada and the world.”  

“This year we honour three accomplished emeriti who extend UBC’s intellectual influence around the world after retiring,” said Sandra Bressler, Principal of the Emeritus College. “I would like to thank all nominators for putting forward so many worthy candidates and the nominating committee for their hard work in assessing applications.”