Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
February 11, 2005
Three to Receive Honorary Degrees at U of G Winter Convocation
The University of Guelph will award more than 800 degrees and diplomas during four convocation ceremonies Feb. 23 and 24 in the Gryphon Dome. The university will also present three honourary degrees, including one to a man who contributed significantly to the culture and shape of the U of G — former president and vice-chancellor Bill Winegard.
The other honorary degree recipients are philosopher Lorraine Code and social scientist Gerald Helleiner. In addition, retired professor of theoretical physics, Chris Gray, and retired economics professor Louis Christofides will be named university professors emeriti.
Convocation begins Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. with the College of Arts ceremony. Graduates will be addressed by Code, the most well-known feminist philosopher and feminist scholar in Canada and the first woman to hold the position of Distinguished Research Professor at York University. A highly esteemed graduate of the Guelph-McMaster (now Guelph-McMaster-Wilfrid Laurier) PhD program, she will be presented with a doctor of letters degree.
Gray will address the College of Physical and Engineering Science, the Ontario Agricultural College and the Faculty of Environmental Science at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1990 for his work on the theory of liquids and wrote a paper that was deemed one of the most memorable contributions in the 60-year history of the American Journal of Physics. He retired in 2003.
Convocation will continue Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. for the College of Biological Science and the Ontario Veterinary College with an address by Winegard. During his tenure at Guelph from 1967 to 1975, Winegard oversaw expansion in the areas of humanities, social sciences and basic science, gave students an official voice on governing policy, opened Senate meetings to the public and was instrumental in helping to create the Arboretum. He also served as Member of Parliament for Guelph from 1984-1993. U of G’s Winegard Medal, Winegard Alumni Visiting Professorship Series and Winegard Walk are all named in his honour. He will be presented with a doctor of laws degree.
At 2:30 p.m., Helleiner, one of Canada’s most influential living social scientists, will address graduates of the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences and a receive doctor of laws degree. His work spans more than 40 years and he has acted as senior adviser to numerous international organizations, including UNICEF, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In 1994, he gave the Hopper lecture at the U of G and in 2003 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for lifetime achievement.
Although unable to attend, Christofides will also be honoured during this ceremony. A former chair of the Department of Economics, he retired in 2001 and is currently a professor of economics at the University of Cyprus.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rebecca Kendall, Ext. 56982.
