Former Supreme Court Justice Peter Cory to become York’s 11^th Chancellor

TORONTO, May 31, 2004 -- York University will confer honorary degrees on eight distinguished individuals during its spring 2004 convocation ceremonies, which run from June 12 to 18. This year’s honorees include high achievers in fields as diverse as immunology, jazz music, international law, Holocaust education, welfare economics, publishing, the furniture industry and investment banking.

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York University Honorary Degree Recipients

Spring Convocation 2004

 

Amartya Sen, honorary Doctor of Laws degree

(Faculty of Arts Ceremony I) June 14, 11a.m.

 

A world-renowned economist, theorist and academic, Amartya Sen is best known for his work in welfare economics and improving the lives of the most impoverished members of society. A recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998, his research over the past 25 years has redefined the concepts of well-being, poverty, equity, and development. He has written extensively on famine including the Bangladesh famine of 1974 and other catastrophes in India, Bangladesh and the countries of the Sahara. Drawing extensively from philosophy and economic theory, Sen has created close links between ethics and economics. His ideas have greatly influenced development economics and, more widely, the use of development as a concept of global scale, not just for Third World countries. His work is truly multidisciplinary, crossing from economics, philosophy and mathematics to lived experiences and policy analysis.  Born in India and educated in Calcutta and Cambridge, England, Sen was the master of Trinity College, Cambridge, until January, 2004, and remains a fellow. At Harvard University, he is the Lamont University Professor Emeritus and an adjunct professor at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.

 

Avie Bennett, honorary Doctor of Letters degree

(Faculty of Arts Ceremony II) June 14, 7p.m.

 

Well respected for his contributions to Canada’s publishing industry and dedication to higher education in Canada, Avie J. Bennett was first appointed as chancellor of York University in 1998 and reappointed to a second three-year term in May 2001. Bennett was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1997 and recently promoted to Companion. In 1985, Bennett purchased McClelland & Stewart publishing. In June 2000, Bennett made a gift of the company to the University of Toronto. In 1991, Bennett purchased Hurtig Publishers of Edmonton, publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia. In December of 2003, after being appointed Chair of the Historica Foundation of Canada (a charitable organization dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of Canadian history), Bennett donated The Canadian Encyclopedia to the foundation. Through his stewardship, Historica establish two endowed research chairs in York’s Faculty of Arts, one each in Canadian History and Canadian Literature. Bennett  is a member of  the Board of Directors of the York University Foundation and has agreed to stay on in this capacity after he steps down as Chancellor.

 

Fumiko Ishioka, Doctor of Laws

(Faculty of Education Ceremony) June 15, 10 a.m.

 

Since 1998, Fumiko Ishioka has been the director of the Holocaust Education Resource Centre in Tokyo. With a passion for making history meaningful to children, she has dedicated her life to educating others about the issues of racism and anti-Semitism. In 1995, Ishioka decided to create an exhibit of artifacts in the centre to educate children about the Holocaust. She received a number of items from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland, including a brown leather suitcase with a painted inscription: “Hana Brady, May 16, 1931, Waisenkind [orphan]”. Ishioka spent the next year searching for the story behind the suitcase. Her quest finally led her to Toronto and to George Brady, Hana’s surviving brother. That resulted in the book Hana’s Suitcase (2002), written by Canadian author and radio producer Karen Levine. The book, which tells the story of the short life of Hana Brady and the life of her brother, who survived the Holocaust, also shows the impact the suitcase has had on the children of Japan and how it has been used to teach tolerance, respect and compassion. Available in 26 countries, it has sold more than 250,000 copies.

 

Saul Feldberg, Doctor of Laws

(Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies Ceremony) June 15, 7p.m.

 

The Downsview-based Global Group of Companies is a world leader in contract office furniture. Its founder, Saul Feldberg, has imbued the corporation with warmth, style, and entrepreneurial spirit which is reflected in the exemplary working environment his employees enjoy. Feldberg started making office furniture in 1966. The key company controlled by Global, the Teknion Corporation, has pioneered the development of ergonomic furniture and has won over 50 design awards. Teknion is now the fifth-largest furniture manufacturer in North America, with annual sales of more than $1.5 billion and is a pioneer in environmental awareness and quality assurance. The Global Group also controls the OBUS FORME company. At age 4, the Polish-born Feldberg experienced the tragedy of the Holocaust. It shaped his life and values. In addition to being a highly ethical entrepreneur, Feldberg is also a philanthropist. Remembering the hardship he endured during the Holocaust, he shares his wealth with more than 30 different charities. His community involvements in Canada and Israel include the Hospital for Sick Children, Mount Sinai Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital, United Jewish Appeal, and the Jerusalem College of Technology.

 

Dr. Tak Wah Mak, Doctor of Science

(Faculty of Pure and Applied Science & Faculty of Environmental Studies Ceremony) June 16, 10 a.m.

 

A pioneer in immunology and cancer research, Dr. Tak Wah Mak, Canada Research Chair in Inflammation Responses and Traumatic Injury at the University of Toronto, has made world-renowned contributions to medicine and the life sciences. His work has demonstrated that when the balance of human regulatory systems is interrupted, cells multiply uncontrollably without dying. As a result, they are violating a process called apoptosis, the important regulatory system that programs cells to die at certain times. Mak has shed new light on why apoptosis goes astray and his research has created a new understanding of T cells, the essential warrior cells that lie at the heart of the body’s immune system response. His research has lead to critical discoveries in determining which genes are responsible for the function of T cells and their role in cancer. Director of the Advanced Medical Discovery Institute (Toronto’s University Health Network), Mak is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.

 

Dave Brubeck, Doctor of Letters

(Faculty of Fine Arts Ceremony) June 17, 2:30 p.m.

 

One of the best-known jazz pianists of all time and a seminal figure in the development of 20^th century popular music, Dave Brubeck has been making beautiful music for nearly six decades. His famous quartet produced the hit “Take Five”, a classic jazz tune that hit the charts in the late 1950s and became the theme for countless television and radio shows. Over his long career, Brubeck has performed with such greats as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan. He has recorded with Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Rushing and Carmen McRae. He entertained world leaders at the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit in Moscow in 1988 and has performed for eight US presidents, as well as princes, kings, heads of state and Pope John Paul II. As well as jazz, his compositions include symphonic and choral works, two ballets, a musical and a mass. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra.  At 84, Brubeck continues to compose and perform. His discography features over 180 albums. He has received many honours for his music, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Through his performances and recordings, he has brought jazz into the mainstream of North American music and made it a subject worthy of study at colleges and universities across North America. The University of the Pacific (at Stockton, California) established The Brubeck Institute in 2000 to preserve, promote, and pass on Brubeck’s rich legacy to future generations.

 

John Hunkin, Doctor of Laws

(Schulich School of Business Ceremony) June 18, 10 a.m.

 

A leading advocate for corporate social responsibility, John Hunkin presides over one of North America’s largest financial services institutions as president and CEO of the CIBC group of companies. Hunkin joined CIBC in 1969 and held various positions before moving over to investment banking subsidiary Wood Gundy as president in 1988. He was named Wood Gundy’s deputy chairman and chief executive officer in 1990. In 1992, he was appointed president of CIBC’s investment and corporate banking operations and the following year was elected to the board of directors. He assumed the role of chairman and chief executive officer in 1999. In June 2003, the roles of chairman and CEO were separated and he assumed the title of President and CEO. Hunkin is Chair of the Advisory Council of York University’s Schulich School of Business (where he played a leading role in launching the joint Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA program); a former member of the York University Board of Governors (having served on its Finance, Property and Staff Resources Committees); and a director of the York University Foundation. He is also on the board of trustees for the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation and the board of directors of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He holds an MBA from York.

 

Richard Falk, Doctor of Laws

(Osgoode Hall Law School Ceremony) June 18, 2:30 p.m

 

An eminent professor of international law who has committed his life to the pursuit of equity and social justice, Richard Falk is considered by many to be one of the great legal minds of the 21st century. An accomplished author of more than 20 books, his most recent effort, The Great Terror War (2003), examines the American response to September 11, including its relationship to the patriotic duties of American citizens. A prolific writer, speaker and activist in world affairs, he has been highly critical of Israeli policies and U.S. involvement in Iraq. In 2001, Falk served on a three-person Human Rights Inquiry Commission for the Palestinian Territories that was appointed by the United Nations. Previously he served on the UN Independent Commission on Kosovo. Falk is the Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and a visiting Distinguished Professor in Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He serves as the Chair of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s board of directors and as honorary vice-president of the American Society of International Law. Falk holds a BSc from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an LLB from Yale Law School and a JSD from Harvard University.