TORONTO, October 28, 2013 – The Jay and Barbara Hennick Centre for Business and Law at York University will present the 2013 Hennick Medal for Career Achievement to long-time Ontario Liberal politician Gregory “Greg” Sorbara on Thursday, October 31 at 3:30 pm in the Helliwell Centre of Osgoode Hall Law School (Room 1014). The presentation will be followed by a lecture by Sorbara on “Law, Politics and the Art of the Possible” and a question-and-answer session.
Sorbara (BA ‘78, LLB ’81, LLD ‘13) served in the Ontario Legislature for 21 years as a Liberal MPP and held a series of senior posts in previous Liberal governments, including Minister of Colleges and Universities, Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, and Minister of Finance. He also served as the Ontario Liberal Party’s campaign chair for three successful elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He resigned from the Legislature in the summer of 2012.
“Greg has had an exemplary career at the intersection of business, law and public policy, and truly deserves to receive the Hennick Medal,” said Edward J. Waitzer, Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance at Osgoode and the Schulich School of Business, and director of the Hennick Centre. “He is a person of many accomplishments who brings passion and commitment to everything he does.”
Sorbara has also served in a number of leadership roles at York University, including as a board member of the Alumni Association and as a member of the Advisory Council of the York Circle.
His dedication to York has been manifested in many ways, including his passionate advocacy for a subway extension to York and for many of the ambitious new buildings transforming the Keele campus. Last June, Sorbara received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from York at the annual spring convocation ceremony.
The Hennick Medal is presented annually to a distinguished leader who has earned international recognition in the business and legal communities. Previous recipients of the Hennick Medal are Kathleen Taylor, former President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, in 2010; Tye Burt, former President and CEO of Kinross Gold Corporation, in 2011; and Moya Greene, CEO of Royal Mail Group, in 2012.
Launched in 2009, the Jay and Barbara Hennick Centre for Business and Law – an initiative of Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business – is the first Canadian centre to promote and develop joint business and law scholarship and education. Made possible by a gift from Jay and Barbara Hennick, the Hennick Centre’s flagship is the joint JD/MBA program. The Hennick Centre also draws together the teaching and research strengths of the Davies Fund for Business Law and other endowed chairs including the Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance.
York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 28 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York U's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.
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Media Contact:
Virginia Corner, Communications Manager, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca
