TORONTO, February 6, 2006 -- York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna Marsden has been named to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour for lifetime achievement.

Marsden is renowned as a pioneering educator, administrator and community leader who has guided York University since 1997. This recognition of her accomplishments represents a York tradition, as all five of the University’s past presidents have also been honoured by the Order of Canada.

Marsden was among the 56 new appointments to the Order of Canada made by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on Friday. Recipients will be invited to accept their insignia at Ottawa’s Rideau Hall on a date yet to be determined.

“I am honoured to be named to the Order of Canada,” Marsden says. “It is a testament to the quality of York University that all of its past presidents have received this honour, and I feel privileged to be counted among these accomplished individuals and other Canadians from across the nation. I believe that this honour also realizes the vitality and contributions of York University as a whole on the national stage.”

Marsden’s career is diverse, ground-breaking and multi-faceted. A former Canadian Senator, she also served as President of the National Action Committee (NAC) on the Status of Women, and was President of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo before coming to York University nine years ago.

She has always worked to connect her academic and public life to the community. A sociologist, academic and former politician, she was the third president of the NAC when equal pay and benefits issues were developed. She was a founder of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and worked with its research council and program on economic growth for many years. Marsden has been recognized as one of Canada’s most powerful women and was named a YWCA Woman of Distinction in 2003. She was honoured in November as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN), a leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of executive-minded women in the workplace. Marsden was given special recognition by WXN as the top public sector leader, from among the ten women awarded in the public sector and broader public sector categories. More recently, she serves in a variety of organizations where research and action meet in the service of students, the Canadian and international communities.

Marsden is among 38 members (C.M.), 15 officers (O.C.), two companions (C.C.) and 1 honorary member to be named on Feb. 3. For more details on the Order of Canada, visit www.gg.ca.

 

For more details on Lorna Marsden’s biography, visit www.yorku.ca/president/biography/html

 

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