Five outstanding leaders from the world of arts, business and government will be honored with about 800 McMaster University students at Fall Convocation ceremonies on Friday, Nov. 14.

Investment entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Lee-Chin will speak at the 9:30 a.m. morning convocation for graduates from the Faculties of Business, Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts & Science Program. Lee-Chin will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws. Hamilton-area music and teaching mentors Glenn Mallory and Russ Weil will receive Doctor of Letters degrees at the convocation.

Patrick Guong-Ching Tan, permanent secretary of the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs, will receive a Doctor of Laws degree when he speaks to graduates from the Faculties of Engineering, Science and Health Sciences at afternoon convocation at 2:30 p.m.. Fellow engineer Joe Ng will also be honoured with a Doctor of Laws honorary degree.

Honorary degree recipients at morning convocation are:

Michael Lee-Chin

Michael Lee-Chin is chairman and chief executive officer of AIC Ltd. He has gone from enterprising student in McMaster's Faculty of Engineering to become one of Canada's wealthiest and most successful businessmen. AIC Funds commenced operation in 1985 and has grown to become Canada's largest privately held mutual fund company. Lee-Chin is known for his generous philanthropy, including a $5 million gift to McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Business to establish the AIC Institute of Strategic Business Studies. He has also been a generous contributor to numerous health and educational institutions in Canada and abroad. He was named 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2002 he was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Award  Business Leader of the Decade.

Glenn Mallory

Hamilton native Glenn Alan Mallory attended McMaster University, University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Education before embarking on a successful career as a teacher, mentor and music maestro. Mallory's passion for music led him to establish the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which today boasts 55 members between the ages of nine and 22. For nearly four decades, the orchestra has performed more than 25 Canadian or world premieres of new orchestral works. Mallory has conducted nearly 30 shows in Hamilton and has volunteered with a number of community and professional organizations. He has been honoured with the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, the Hamilton Excellence in the Arts Award and was recently inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction.

Russ Weil

Russ Weil has been sharing his passion for jazz with youth for decades. A McMaster graduate, he spent 32 years as a teacher, consultant and coordinator of music with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. He carried his passion for music into his teaching career when, in 1984, he founded the Hamilton All-Star Jazz Bands, an organization that has developed into one of the premier amateur big band organizations in Canada. Weil is a past recipient of the Hamilton Arts Award, the Spectator Award for Community Service in the Arts and a Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Honorary degrees recipients at afternoon convocation are:

Joe Ng

Born in Canton, Joe Ng moved to Hong Kong as a teenager. He studied electrical engineering at the University of New Brunswick and eventually settled in Hamilton as a permanent resident of Canada, where he founded JNE Consulting Ltd. The firm, which has partnered with major companies on local and international projects, now has a staff of 300 engineers, technologists, designers, construction managers and support personnel. Ng is involved in the community by supporting the United Way, Junior Achievement, children's sports programs, and community hospitals and has been a major benefactor for McMaster's Faculty of Engineering. He was also actively involved in the development of the Chinese Cultural Association to retain the culture of the Hamilton Chinese community.

Patrick Tan

Patrick Tan left his home in Singapore to study at McMaster where he earned an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and a master's of engineering degree in environmental pollution. He returned to Singapore and began an extensive career in the Singapore civil service. In his role as the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, he has overseen the implementation of stricter security measures to counter terrorist threats to Singapore and led the country's executive group in its work dealing with the SARS outbreak last winter. Tan was a speaker at the World Conference on Model Cities in 1999. He is the former vice president of the Singapore Scout Guild and he is a member of a government committee to meet the challenges of the aging population.