Western University’s landmark 300th convocation features the installation of Joseph Rotman as the new chancellor as well as honorary degrees being bestowed upon four exceptional Canadians. Current chancellor John Thompson will also be granted chancellor emeritus status during the convocation ceremony on Friday, October 26 at 10 a.m.
The ceremonies are scheduled for the following days:
Arthur & Sonia Labatt
Thursday, October 25, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Arthur Labatt, co-founder and former president of Trimark Financial, is a past chancellor of Western. The Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing and the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building are named in honour of the community-minded philanthropist and his wife Sonia, a tireless volunteer who is recognized as a pioneer in the field of corporate environmental management in her role as a faculty member at the University of Toronto.
Joseph Rotman
Thursday, October 25, 3 p.m.
Installation of new chancellor
Renowned Canadian businessman and philanthropist Joseph Rotman is Chair of Roy-L Capital Corporation, a private family investment company. Appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1995 and inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame as a Companion in May 2009, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy is named in his honour.
Adrianne Pieczonka
Friday, October 26, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Music, honoris causa (D.Mus.)
Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is one of the most renowned opera singers of her generation and has sung in the world’s major opera houses from La Scala to Covent Garden, from the Metropolitan to the Vienna State Opera. The Western alumna won the 2010 Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year.
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C.
Friday, October 26, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Civil Law, honoris causa (D.C.L.)
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin is the 17th and current Chief Justice of Canada. The first woman to hold this position, she also serves as Deputy of the Governor General of Canada and chairs the Canadian Judicial Council, the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada and the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute.
