Social sciences scholars celebrate convocation
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/rae_quinn.jpg” caption=”Honorary degree recipients Bob Rae and Pat Quinn.”]Today 1047 Social Sciences will walk the stage in the Great Hall at Hamilton Place to receive a McMaster degree.
The Faculty of Social Sciences will confer degrees at two ceremonies, the first at 9:30 a.m. and the second at 2:30 p.m. Both ceremonies will be held at Hamilton Place. The morning will include Anthropology, Communication Studies, Economics, Geography & Geology, Indigenous Studies, Labour Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies and Work & Society, the afternoon, Communication Studies, Gerontology, Health Studies, Human Bio Dynamics, Indigenous Studies, Kinesiology, Social Welfare Policy, Social Work Practice and Sociology.
Honorary degrees will be presented to former Ontario premier Bob Rae and NHL hockey coach Pat Quinn, who will deliver Convocation addresses at their respective ceremonies.
Honorary degree recipients
Bob Rae, Doctor of Laws (DLL) (morning ceremony)
Elected eight times to provincial and federal parliaments, The Honourable Bob Rae led the Ontario New Democratic Party to a majority government in 1990 and served as the province's twenty-first Premier. He was appointed to Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada in 1998, appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000, and an Officer of the Order of Ontario in 2004.
Currently a partner at Goodmans LLP, Rae has authored two books, From Protest to Power and The Three Questions. In 2004, he began a provincially mandated review of the design and funding of Ontario's postsecondary education system. His review articulated a vision for Ontario that provides a higher-quality, affordable and accountable postsecondary education system. Rae was also a special advisor to the Canadian Minister of Public Safety on the Air India bombing of 1985.
Rae is chairman of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, the national spokesperson for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, and he has served as a member of both the Canada Transportation Act Review and the Security and Intelligence Review Committee for Canada.
In April, Rae announced his intention to seek the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Pat Quinn, Doctor of Laws (DLL) (afternoon ceremony)
Pat Quinn is a Canadian hockey icon and one of the NHLs most beloved and winningest head coaches. He has an ability to manage and motivate both veterans and rookies, and his plain speaking and no-nonsense style have made him a favourite of fans, players and the media.
As head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs he transformed the team into a force to be reckoned with in the NHL. Under his leadership the team set club records for wins, points, and consecutive seasons with a winning record.
As an NHL coach, Quinn is fourth all-time in career wins and third in games coached. Perhaps his greatest hockey accomplishment though came in 2002, as head coach of the Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Team. Under his tutelage the team won the gold medal – Canada's first in 50 years.
Quinn's hockey smarts and coaching prowess are matched only by his business acumen. In 1992, he was named Coach of The Year by The Sporting News and Executive of the Year by The Hockey News. In 1995, Quinn received the Jack Diamond Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Off the ice, his hugely successful Pat Quinn and Friends golf tournament raises money every year for Kids Help Phone and the RCMP Drugs and Sport awareness program. Born in Hamilton, he has a law degree from Widener University at the Delaware School of Law.
