Fourteen distinguished individuals will receive their honorary degrees when Western University hosts its 299th Convocation this June.
The ceremonies, featuring convocation addresses by the honorary degree recipients, are scheduled for the following days:
Margaret MacMillan
Tuesday, June 12, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Margaret MacMillan became the fifth Warden of St Antony’s College in July 2007. Prior to taking on the Wardenship, MacMillan was Provost of Trinity College and a history professor at the University of Toronto. A leading expert on history and international relations, she comments frequently in the media. MacMillan’s most recent book is The Uses and Abuses of History.
Paul Hill
Tuesday, June 12, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Paul Hill is recognized as one of the country’s foremost business executives having led The Hill Companies as President and CEO through its exponential growth since 1978. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, The Hill Companies now operate in the areas of real estate, insurance, broadcasting, oil and gas, manufacturing and technology. Hill also founded One Life Makes a Difference, a charitable foundation that focuses on assisting disadvantaged youth.
Nancy Stokey
Wednesday, June 13, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Currently serving as The Frederick Henry Prince Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, Nancy Stokey is an expert on economic growth and development. She is co-author of the influential monograph Recursive Methods in Economic Dynamics (1989), which has provided the mathematical basis for much of modern macroeconomics. Stokey is also the co-developer of the No-Trade theorem, a result that presents a fundamental puzzle about information, stock market prices, and the volume of trading.
The Honourable John Manley
Wednesday, June 13, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
The Honourable John Manley is the President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, a non-partisan research and advocacy organization composed of the CEOs of Canada’s leading enterprises. A former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Manley was first elected to Parliament in 1988, and re-elected three times. From 1993 to 2003 he was a Minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien, serving in the portfolios of Industry, Foreign Affairs and Finance.
Dr. Barry Pless
Thursday, June 14, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D. Sc.)
Dr. Barry Pless is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University. A Western alumnus, Dr. Pless joined the staff of Montreal Children’s Hospital in 1975. In 1976 he received a coveted National Health Scientist Award, which he held until 1997. Dr. Pless was the Director of Clinical Research at the Montreal Children’s Hospital Research Institute and is the founder of the highly acclaimed Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP).
Arthur Carty
Thursday, June 14, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D. Sc.)
Arthur Carty is executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo, special advisor to the President on international science and technology collaboration and a research professor in the Department of Chemistry. From 2004 to 2008, Carty served as Canada’s first national science advisor to the prime minister and the Government of Canada. For the 10 years prior, he was president of the National Research Council, Canada’s National Laboratory.
Constance Backhouse
Friday, June 15, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Constance Backhouse holds the positions of Distinguished University Professor and University Research Chair at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa. She is internationally known for her feminist research and publications on sex discrimination and the legal history of gender and race in Canada. A legal scholar who uses a narrative style of writing, her most recent books and articles profile the fascinating ways in which women and racialized communities have struggled to obtain justice within the legal system.
The Honourable Mr. Justice Ian Binnie
Friday, June 15, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Civil Law, honoris causa (D.C.L.)
Justice Ian Binnie was appointed Queen’s Counsel (Ontario) in 1979 and was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1998. A well known constitutional expert and former Associate Deputy Minister of Justice for Canada, Justice Binnie acted as legal counsel to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the Meech Lake Accord, and was retained by the federal government to defend the constitutional validity of the Free Trade Agreement. He joined Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP, Canada’s leading litigation firm, as counsel in April 2012.
Packianathan Chelladurai
Monday, June 18, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
One of the preeminent scholars in sport management, specializing in organizational theory and organizational behavior in the context of sport, Packianathan Chelladurai currently teaches courses at The Ohio State University. A Western alumnus, Chelladurai is the first recipient of the Earle F. Zeigler Award from the North American Society for Sport Management. Chella, as he is most widely and affectionately known, is also a professor emeritus of sport management at Western, having retired from the former Faculty of Physical Education in 1992.
Joan Francolini
Monday, June 18, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
An alumna of Brescia University College and Past Chair of Brescia University College Foundation, Joan Francolini is also Past Chair of the Grants Committee with the London Community Foundation, the Governance Committee with the Robarts Research Institute and the St. Joseph’s Health Centre. She served as the first Executive Director of The Lawson Foundation for nine years and is also Past Chair of Foundation Western.
Joan Barfoot
Tuesday, June 19, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (D.Litt.)
Joan Barfoot is an award-winning novelist whose work has been compared internationally with that of Anne Tyler, Carol Shields, Margaret Drabble and Margaret Atwood. She has published 11 novels over her storied career, including Critical Injuries, which was longlisted for the 2002 Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the 2001 Trillium Book Award and Luck, which was nominated for the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Her latest novel, Exit Lines, was published in 2008.
George Cope
Tuesday, June 19, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
George Cope, President and Chief Executive Officer of BCE and Bell Canada, is a seasoned Canadian telecommunications executive who had served in public-company CEO roles in the industry for more than 15 years prior to joining Bell in 2005. He has earned a reputation as an innovative telecom strategist and builder of high-performance teams, successfully launching three next-generation Canadian digital networks during his career. A Western alumnus, Cope serves on the Advisory Board of the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
Wednesday, June 20, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Often referred to as “The Gaza Doctor” in foreign media, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian medical doctor and infertility specialist who has dedicated his life to peace in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The founder of Daughters for Life, a charity that provides young women the opportunity to play an influential role in improving the quality of life throughout the Middle East, currently serves as an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
David Patchell-Evans
Wednesday, June 20, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
As the founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness, David Patchell-Evans leads one of the largest, most successful fitness companies in the world with its 300 clubs and more than 750,000 members. A five-time Canadian rowing champion, “Patch” is past chair of International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the world’s leading health and fitness association representing 71 countries. During his award-winning professional career, he has donated more than $4 million to The Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group at Western.
Tags
