Honorary degree for Schweig

Actor Eric Schweig to Receive Honorary DoctorateEric Schweig will be bestowed an honorary Doctor of Education and will deliver the convocation address to the graduates of Nipissing's Faculty of Education, Junior/Intermediate division. Schweig is an award winning Canadian actor whose acting resumé includes a long list of credits, awards and award nominations including the recent HBO production of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Schweig is known for his portrayal of "Uncas" in Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans; as well as "Injun Joe" in Disney's Tom and Huck; and, in his critically acclaimed role as "Chiden," a psychopathic killer in Ron Howard's The Missing. His performance as "Pike Dexter" in The Big Eden earned him the Grande Jury Prize for Outstanding Actor at the Outfest Film Festival in July 2000.

Schweig is also an accomplished artist who carves traditional Spirit Masks of the Inuit. In addition to his work as an actor, musician and artist, Schweig is an active volunteer at a street-level youth outreach agency and speaks to Indigenous, Native American and First Nation youth about suicide prevention, alcohol abuse, adoption and homelessness. In 2009, he will be traveling throughout the United states and Canada speaking at health and wellness conferences to adults and the youth on such topics as child theft, adoption, physical abuse, alcohol abuse and recovery, goals and overcoming adversity.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.