Introducing Dal's honorary degree recipients for Fall Convocation 2014

When Dal’s next class of graduates crosses the stage of the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium this October, its members will be joined by a former Prime Minister, one of Canada’s most beloved authors and a world pioneer in neuroscience.

This year’s Fall Convocation takes place October 6 and 7, with four ceremonies over the two days. Alongside Dal’s graduates, the university will present honorary degrees to Paul Martin, Lawrence Hill and Albert Aguayo, recognizing each of them for their outstanding achievements.

Learn more about Fall Convocation at the Convocation website.

Dr. Albert J. Aguayo (October 6, afternoon ceremony)

Albert Aguayo has had an unparalleled influence on the development of neuroscience in Canada and around the world. A pioneer in neural regeneration, his innovative research showed that nerve fibres and neural function in the central nervous system could be restored after injury.

A determined advocate for science education, Dr. Aguayo teaches around the world. He was born in Buenos Aires, earned an MD in 1959 from the University of Cordoba, and trained at the University of Toronto and McGill. A member of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill since 1967, he was Director of the Centre for Research in Neuroscience at McGill for 15 years. He was named Emeritus Professor in 2010. Dr. Aguayo’s many awards include the prestigious Gairdner International Prize, Wilder-Penfield Prize, Killam Prize, Christopher Reeve Medal and Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and elected to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. He served as both Secretary General and President of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO).

Albert Aguayo sits on the advisory board of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the IBRO committee for the Rita Levi-Montalcini Fellowships for African Young Women Neuroscientists, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the External Advisory Board of the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. He is also the Director of the Canada-IBRO International School of Neuroscience and a member of the Brain@McGill International Collaboration Program.

The Right Honourable Paul Martin (October 7, morning ceremony)

A global diplomat, the Right Honourable Paul Martin’s lifelong commitment to public service is evident in Canada and around the world. Mr. Martin’s dedication to social and economic equality for First Nations people in Canada is paramount. As Canada’s 21st Prime Minister, he led the government to work with provinces, territories and Aboriginal leaders to sign the Kelowna Accord, intended to eliminate gaps in health, education, housing and economic opportunity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. After retiring from politics in 2006, he founded the Martin Aboriginal Initiative, which focuses on education and business opportunities for Aboriginal people.

Paul Martin holds an honours Philosophy and History degree, and a Law degree, from the University of Toronto, and honorary degrees from more than a dozen universities. Before entering politics, he was Chairman and CEO and, later, owner of Montreal-headquartered CSL Group. As Minister of Finance and as Prime Minister, Mr. Martin improved Canada’s financial stability and eliminated the deficit, increased support for education, research and social programs, and introduced the Civil Marriage Act, redefining marriage to include same-sex couples.

Today, Paul Martin sits on the advisory council of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa, chairs the British-Norwegian-Canadian poverty alleviation and sustainable development fund for the 10-nation Congo Basin Rainforest, is a commissioner for the Global Ocean Commission and sits on the Advisory Board of Incentives for Global Health.

Lawrence Hill (October 7, afternoon ceremony)

When Lawrence Hill visited Dalhousie in 2010, he left our community spellbound by both The Book of Negroes, his historical novel of an African woman sold into slavery as a child, and his ability to use literature to move people to action. The book brought the history of African Nova Scotians into the public consciousness through its portrayal of 3,000 Black Loyalists and their migration to the Birchtown/Shelburne area of Nova Scotia.

Lawrence Hill grew up in Don Mills, Ontario, the son of a black father and white mother who were American immigrants and civil rights activists. He has written nine books; his latest, Blood: The Stuff of Life, was the basis for his 2013 Massey Lectures. A champion of liberal arts and social sciences education, Mr. Hill earned a BA in Economics from Laval and an MA in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins. His honorary doctorate from Dalhousie is the first awarded to him in Atlantic Canada.

Lawrence Hill has received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Freedom to Read Award from the Writers Union of Canada, the Award of Excellence from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Canadian Booksellers’ Association Libris Award, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and won CBC Radio’s Canada Reads in 2009. He recently co-wrote the adaptation for The Book of Negroes to a TV series. Mr. Hill is an honorary patron of Crossroads International and a member of the Council of Patrons of the Shelburne, Nova Scotia-based Black Loyalist Heritage Society.