April 25, 2006 Source: :
http://www.smu.ca/newsreleases/2006/04-25-2006.html Spring 2006 Honorary Degree Recipients Announced Six outstanding individuals, representing a wide field of endeavors, will be granted Honorary Degrees by Saint Mary’s University at its spring 2006 Convocation. They are Robert Belliveau (QC), Patrick Connolly, Justice Joseph Kennedy, M.A (Jan) MacDonald, Senator Douglas Roche (OC), and Dr. Mary Sun. These notable professional achievers, each in their own respect, will join well over 1,000 students in the Faculties of Arts, Commerce, Science and Graduate Studies and Research – many of whom will cross the stage at the Halifax Metro Centre (5284 Duke Street) on Friday, May 19, 2006 to receive their parchments from one of Canada’s oldest and leading institutions of higher learning that was founded in 1802. The ceremony for the Faculties of Arts and Graduate Studies and Research will commence at 9:30 AM, and the ceremony for the Faculties of Commerce and Science will take place at 3:00 PM. Dr. Sun will give the convocation address at the morning ceremony, while Kennedy will provide graduates with the afternoon address. Jeffrey Hoover (Bachelor of Arts Graduate) is the Valedictorian for the morning ceremony, and Nathaniel Smith (Bachelor of Arts Graduate) is the Hooding recipient. Jasmine Riviere (Bachelor of Science Graduate) is the Valedictorian for the afternoon ceremony, and John Vo (Bachelor of Commerce Graduate) is the Hooding recipient. Belliveau will receive an Honorary Doctor of Law during the morning ceremony. He has practiced since his admission to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1972, appearing before the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has extensive experience with McInnes Cooper – a well known law firm in Canada - as a litigator, primarily in the areas of corporate and commercial, banking, environmental and insurance litigation. He graduated from Saint Mary’s with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1967, and then went on to receive his Law Degree from Dalhousie Law School. In 1971 he graduated with his Master of Laws from the University of London. He was commissioned as Queen’s Council (QC) in 1987. He has lectured on litigation practice, ethics and techniques at seminars sponsored by the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Continuing Legal Education Society of Nova Scotia. He is a Past Chair of the Bar Society's Administration of Justice Committee and a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. He was also Chair of the Board of Governors at Saint Mary's University from 1997 to 2002. Connolly, who is considered the "Dean of Sports," will be awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law at the morning ceremony. His career spans six decades in the media world. He began his journalism career with The Halifax Chronicle-Herald in 1943, which is Canada’s oldest newspaper. During the late 1940s he moved to Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to work as a Reporter with The Sydney-Post Record and as a Reporter/Announcer with CJCH Radio. During the 1950s he returned to Halifax to work with CJCH Radio, and from 1955 to 1962 he worked as Sports Director and Sport Commentator with CBH Radio. From 1967 to 1982 he was a Sports Reporter/Announcer with CFDR in Halifax. Over the years he has written sports features for magazines and newspapers, and covered the American Hockey League (AHL) action in several U.S. cities. He has played a significant role in the development of sport heritage, notably in the establishing and nurturing of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. For two decades he served as Chairperson of the Selection Committee of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall in 1999 as a Builder. He served on the Saint Mary’s Board of Governors from 1978 to 1981 as a Provincial Government Representative, and since 1995 he has been an important and dedicated member of the Saint Mary’s Sport Hall of Fame and Heritage Centre. He is currently a popular sports columnist with The Halifax Daily News, and is also an Announcer for the Halifax Mooseheads Hockey Team. Kennedy will be awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Law at the afternoon ceremony. He graduated from Saint Mary’s with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1965, and then went on to earn a Law Degree from Dalhousie University. He was called to the Bar on January 3, 1969. He has served Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and in 1998 was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court of Nova, he had been Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia since 1996 and was Associate Chief Judge of that Court from 1993 to 1996. Prior to his appointment as a judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia in 1978, he practiced general law with the firm Kenney, Theakson, Kennedy & Allen in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Kennedy is a strong supporter of his alma mater, Saint Mary’s. He has been a speaker at various campus events, including the University’s annual Alumni Dinner in 2003. Additionally, he is known as a staunch supporter of reforms to the justice system and recently established one of the first media-court advisory groups in Canada, and is a strong advocate for TV cameras in the courtroom for sentencing some individuals. MacDonald, who is a well-known historian, journalist and author, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters during the afternoon ceremony. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from McMaster University in 1938, and two years later earned her Master of Science Degree from Northwestern University. Her studies in history and journalism led to work with newspapers in Chicago, Illinois, Saint John, New Brunswick and magazines in the Maritimes and Toronto, Ontario where she wrote for Chatelaine as Jan Forster. In 1974, she was given a Canada Council Explorations Grant to conduct research in France and New England on Acadian 17th Century history. There followed publication of three books and numerous articles, signed M. A. MacDonald, which examine the early history of northeastern Canada and New England. She has gained much acclaim as a lecturer and speaker and has often been featured on the CBC (radio and TV). In 1985, she joined the Humanities Staff of the New Brunswick Museum to do research and curatorial work. In 1987 she established the Amelia Hall Award at the University of New Brunswick, which is awarded annually to a student in Dramatic Literature/Theatre Arts. She has worked with the Canadian War Museum on first hand accounts of WWII battles, Normandy to Germany, recorded on the spot by Maritime participants. Several excerpts have already appeared in the journal of Canadian Military History. She has also worked on the Fort La Tour Development Authority. Roche will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law during the afternoon ceremony. Author, parliamentarian and diplomat, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada on September 17, 1998. He was Canada 's Ambassador for Disarmament from 1984 to 1989. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee, the main U.N. body dealing with political and security issues at the 43rd General Assembly in 1988. He was elected to the Canadian Parliament four times, serving from 1972 to 1984 and specializing in the subjects of development and disarmament. In 1989, he was appointed Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta. In 1997, he was chosen by the Students’ Union at the University of Alberta to receive a SALUTE Award for "outstanding contributions to students." Roche is an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC), Chairman of Canadian Pugwash and Chairman, Middle Powers Initiative, a network of nine international non-governmental organizations specializing in nuclear disarmament. He is the author of sixteen books, and has contributed chapters to nine more. His most recent book is "Bread Not Bombs: A Political Agenda for Social Justice." He has served as President of the United Nations Association in Canada and was elected in 1985 as Honorary President of the World Federation of the United Nations Association, the first Canadian to receive this honour. He was named Chairman of the Canadian Committee for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations in 1995. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from St. Stephen's College, Edmonton, in 1977. He has also received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Simon Fraser University (1985) and the University of Alberta (1986), and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Peter's College, Jersey City, for his work at the United Nations. In 1995, Pope John Paul II presented him with the Papal Medal for his service as Special Adviser on disarmament and security matters. Sun will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law during the morning ceremony. Born in Shanghai, she left China to escape the Civil War that led to the creation of the People’s Republic of China. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours) and Master of Arts Degree from the University of Hong Kong. In 1965 she earned a PhD in Chinese relations during the Chinese Revolution of 1911 from the University of London. She joined the Department of History at Saint Mary’s as an Assistant Professor in 1969, and she was the visionary for the creation of the Asian Studies Program at the University in 1971. She was promoted Associate Professor in the fall of 1974. During her time at Saint Mary’s, she served as Chair for the Committee on Asian Studies and was also an instrumental member of the International Development Studies (IDS) Committee. In 1979 she was recruited by the Canadian Department of External Affairs for the position of Sinologist at the Embassy in Beijing. She became the resident expert on China for two years while serving at the Embassy. She returned to Saint Mary’s in the early 1980s and was invited by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada to sit on the China/Japan Fellowship Committee. She left the University in 1985 to join the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and subsequently the Diplomatic Corps. During her time with CIDA, she formed the first Canadian aid program for China including the creation of the Canadian-Chinese Language and Cultural Centre (CCLCC), which Saint Mary’s was lead institution on this project. Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. -30- For More Information: Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
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