Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
June 03, 2003
U of G summer convocation honours BBC broadcaster, scientists, historian
The world's leading natural history broadcaster will be one of four honorary degree recipients during the university's summer convocation June 10 to 14 in Gryphon Dome. Some 2,300 students will receive degrees during seven ceremonies.
Sir David Attenborough, a renowed BBC broadcaster who has created natural history television series for 50 years, including the 13-part Life on Earth (1979) series that has been watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide, will received an honorary doctorate of science June 12 at 10 a.m. during the ceremony for the College of Biological Science. Trained as a biologist, Attenborough has raised the standard of natural history broadcasting to new levels by proving that diverse audiences can absorb scholarly content when it is packaged in a meaningful and attractive way. In 1965, he became controller of BBC2 and was responsible for the introduction of colour television into Britain. In 1985, Attenborough was knighted. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including Fellowship of The Royal Society, is president of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, and is a trustee of the British Museum and of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Convocation begins June 10 with ceremonies for the College of Arts at 10 a.m. and ceremonies for the College of Physical and Engineering Science and the Faculty of Environmental Science at 2:30 p.m. J. M. Beattie, one of Canada's foremost historians, will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters during the morning ceremony. In his work in the history of the law, crime and punishment, Beattie has developed new analytic methods and has brought historians, lawyers, sociologists, policy makers, literary critics, and demographers together in conversation. Best known for his 1986 book, Crime and the Courts in England: 1660-1800, Beattie studied the changing ideas and practices in the areas of policing, prosecution, trial and punishment. AUniversity of Toronto professor emeritus, Beattie has educated two generations of historians and although retired, he continues to indulge his passion for teaching by giving a course every year at the Centre of Criminology.
The president of the Mac-FACS Alumni Association, Patsy Marshall will address College of Social and Applied Human Sciences graduands June 11 at the 10 a.m. ceremony. Marshall completed her bachelor of arts and master of science degrees at Guelph before teaching in the division of continuing educations and the department of training and development.
President Mordechai Rozanski, who has seen thousands of U of G students graduate during his 10 years as president, will address the students attending the 2:30 p.m. College of Social and Applied Human Sciences ceremony.
At the June 12 2:30 p.m. ceremony, Joan Hunt, a leading researcher in the immunology aspects of pregnancy, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree and will address the College of Biological Science and Ontario Veterinary College graduands. The results of Hunt's research have shown beneficial effects of the maternal immune system on fertility and maintenance of pregnancy. She is a professor of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center where she received the University Distinguished Professor and Medical Student Voice Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000 and the 1999 Chancellor's Club Research Award.
Michel Georges, a pioneer in the field of domestic animal genomics, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree June 13 during the 2:30 p.m. ceremony for the Ontario Agricultural College. Georges, a professor of genetics in the faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liege, Belgium, has devoted his career to initiating and applying genomic strategies to identity genes of significance in livestock breeding and human health. He is a member of the editorial boards of all major journals in the animal genomics field and is a featured speaker at most international meetings in the discipline.
Guelph will also bestow university professor emeritus status on retired faculty members Bill James, Engineering; Mary Rubio, English and Theatre Studies; and George Thurtell, Land Resource Science.
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