Sixteen distinguished individuals will receive honorary degrees when Western hosts its 305th Convocation this spring. The ceremonies, featuring addresses by the honorary degree recipients, are scheduled for the following days:
Edward Byrne
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Doctor of Medicine Convocation
Friday, May 15, 9:30 a.m.
Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.)
Edward Byrne currently serves as the President and Principal of King’s College London. Previously, he was President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, the largest university in Australia. An award-wining neuroscientist, Byrne has held many prestigious clinical and research positions in Australia and the UK, as well as advisory roles for a number of charitable bodies relating to his clinical and scientific expertise. Byrne has received Australia’s highest civic honours, being made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2006 and a Companion in 2014.
Alvin J. Silk
Ivey Business School Master of Business Administration (MBA) Convocation
Friday, June 5, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
An influential scholar and educator in the field of marketing, Western alumnus Alvin J. Silk is internationally recognized for his research on models and measurement systems to support marketing decision making and the economics of the advertising and marketing services industry. Silk is the Lincoln Filene Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Business School (HBS). As the former head of the HBS marketing unit, Silk introduced “Brand Marketing” as an elective in the MBA program and taught “Research Design and Measurement” in the doctoral program.
Michael Goodchild
Tuesday, June 9, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.)
Recognized as a global leader in the ever-evolving field of geographic information systems, Michael Goodchild is Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The former chair of Western’s Department of Geography, Goodchild won the Lauréat Prix International de Géographie Vautrin Lud, considered the Nobel Prize for Geography, in 2007.
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell
Tuesday, June 9, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, jure dignitatis (LL.D.)
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell is the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Ms. Dowdeswell is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Member of the Order of Ontario. Her accomplished career in both public service and the private sector included serving as an Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations.
Donna Soble Kaufman
Wednesday, June 10, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Past Chair of the Board of the Institute of Corporate Directors and the former Chair of TransAlta Corporation, Donna Soble Kaufman launched her career as a broadcast executive with CHCH-TV. A former partner of Stikeman Elliott, she served as a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service of Canada.
David Mulroney
Wednesday, June 10, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
David Mulroney is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. A career Foreign Service officer, he served as Ambassador of Canada to the People’s Republic of China from 2009 to 2012. Prior to his appointment to Beijing, Mulroney was assigned to the Privy Council Office in Ottawa as the Deputy Minister responsible for the Afghanistan Task Force.
Keith L. Moore
Thursday, June 11, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.)
A distinguished researcher for more than 60 years, Keith L. Moore is an award-winning teacher of medical and dental students. Moore is an alumnus of Western and a Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Anatomy in the division of anatomy and Associate Dean of Basic Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Moore has lectured around the world on topics relating to clinically-oriented embryology and anatomy and has authored 14 medical textbooks, including four international standards.
Robert Birgeneau
Thursday, June 11, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Previously serving as Chancellor of UC Berkeley, Robert Birgeneau is now the Arnold and Barbara Silverman Distinguished Professor of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, and Public Policy at the top-ranked public university in the United States. The Past President of the University of Toronto, Birgeneau’s research is primarily concerned with the phases and phase transition behavior of novel states of matter.
Bonnie Patterson
Friday, June 12, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Bonnie Patterson has served as President and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities since 2009. A Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario for her contributions to postsecondary education, she previously held the post from 1995 to 1998 before becoming the President and Vice-Chancellor of Trent University, a position that she held for 11 years. The Western alumna is also the former Dean of Business at Ryerson University.
Pierre Lassonde
Friday, June 12, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Considered a superstar of the resource sector, Pierre Lassonde is co-founder and Chair of the world-class gold royalty and streaming company Franco-Nevada. A member of the Order of Canada, Lassonde is Chair of Le Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, past Chair of the World Gold Council and author of The Gold Book. A $5-million gift from the Lassonde Family Foundation, the largest gift ever to Western Engineering, supported the construction of the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion.
Berthold Carrière
Monday, June 15, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Music, honoris causa (D.Mus.)
Currently serving as co-music director of the Stratford Symphony Orchestra, Berthold Carrière was previously the Director of Music of the Stratford Festival for more than 38 years. Carrière was Musical Director of the Theatre Department at the Banff School of Fine Arts from 1968 to 1970 and studied composition with Arsenio Giron and music history with Philip Downs at Western from 1971 to 1973.
Amartya Sen
Monday, June 15, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics, Amartya Sen is the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. From 1998 to 2004, he was the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has served as President of the American Economic Association, the Econometric Society, the Indian Economic Association, and the International Economic Association.
David Cornhill
Tuesday, June 16, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
David Cornhill is the Chairman and CEO of AltaGas, a company he founded in 1994. Under his leadership, AltaGas has grown from one of Canada’s first midstream energy companies into a $10 billion enterprise. With Cornhill emphasizing the importance of creating social value in the communities where the Calgary-based company operates, AltaGas has created lasting, sustainable, community partnerships across Canada from sea-to-sea-to-sea over the past 21 years.
Joy Kogawa
Tuesday, June 16, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Letters, honoris causa (D.Litt.)
Joy Kogawa is the author of Obasan, a Canadian novel that has become essential reading for a nation. A Member of the Order of Canada and a Member of the Order of the Rising Sun in Japan, Kogawa has worked tirelessly to educate Canadians about the history of the internment camps, and was active in the fight for government redress. A book of her selected poems, A Garden of Anchors, was published in 2003.
Judy Erola
Wednesday, June 17, 10 a.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
The Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt from 1980 to 1984, Judy Erola was named to Pierre Trudeau’s final Federal Cabinet. A former radio and television personality, Erola was the first woman ever appointed to the Cabinet’s Priorities and Planning Committee and served as Minister responsible for the Status of Women during the negotiations of the equality clause in the Canadian Constitution.
Constance Sugiyama
Wednesday, June 17, 3 p.m.
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.)
Constance Sugiyama is the President of ConMark Strategy Inc., providing high level advice and solutions to the public and private sectors. She is also a corporate director and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Ryerson University. She retired from the practice of law in 2012 after a 35-year career on Bay Street where she was recognized as a trailblazer and leading Canadian corporate and mergers and acquisitions lawyer.
