A fall celebration of success

More than 1,300 students received their diplomas at the University of Ottawa’s 2006 fall convocation, held on October 22nd. Graduates heard words of advice and encouragement from Gérald Savoie, president and CEO of Montfort Hospital, as well as from Françoise Héritier, internationally renowned anthropologist and honorary professor at the Collège de France. Both received an honorary doctorate from the University.

For nearly 10 years, alumnus Gérald Savoie has worked tirelessly to transform Montfort Hospital into a modern medical complex offering a host of special services. The Montfort Hospital is a bilingual institution, created in 1953 to serve the needs of the Franco-Ontarian community.

Françoise Héritier’s most notable accomplishments include five years of groundbreaking field studies in Burkina Faso and in Mali. She has published 10 books in her field, on everything from the anthropology of incest to the struggle against hierarchies.

As part of the event, two Governor General’s Gold Medals were awarded to students from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: Loren A. Matheson (sciences) and Kimberly Margaret Berry (humanities). During the fall convocation, 410 master’s degrees and 49 doctoral degrees were granted.