Before students finally reach graduation day, they’ve probably climbed many academic mountains. For some 1,370 students, summit day finally arrived at this fall’s convocation, on October 21, at the National Arts Centre.
The University also conferred honorary doctorates to two eminent personalities in the fields of business and of the performing arts: Stephen A. Jarislowsky and Christopher Plummer.
The University recognized Christopher Plummer, CC, as one of the most distinguished and acclaimed actors in the world. In a celebrated career that started in Ottawa in 1948, Plummer thrilled audiences with his performances on stage and screen, appearing in numerous plays and more than 100 feature films, including The Sound of Music and A Beautiful Mind, and television productions. He has conquered Hollywood, Broadway and the London stage, and was instrumental in making Canada’s Stratford Festival the respected institution it is today.
By conferring an honorary doctorate to legendary investment counselor, Stephen A. Jarislowsky, OC, the University was highlighting an exceptional career by this good governance advocate and philanthropist. For more than 50 years, Jarislowsky has improved the financial, social and cultural lives of his fellow Canadians. The Jarislowsky Foundation funds literacy, the fine arts and the endowment of numerous university research chairs across Canada.
Some exceptional students were also honored at convocation, including the recipients of the Governor General’s Gold Medal for doctoral thesis from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: Karim Mekhail, Faculty of Medicine, in the Sciences, and Tracey Lindberg, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, in the Humanities. Anna Lepine, Faculty of Arts, and Tajiro Sato, Faculty of Engineering, received the Pierre Laberge Prize for Doctoral Thesis.
During the fall convocation, 424 master’s and 47 doctoral degrees were granted.
