University to confer two honorary degrees at Fall Convocation

York University will confer honorary doctorates on two distinguished individuals during its fall 2006 convocation ceremonies, taking place on Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21.


“Our honorary doctorates are individuals whose achievements set the bar that much higher for all of us,” said Lorna R. Marsden, York president and vice-chancellor. “We’re proud to formally welcome them to the York University community.”


The recipients are Maria Livanos Cattaui, distinguished international corporate leader, and Alison Richard, university administrator and internationally-renowned scholar.



Maria Livanos Cattaui
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Friday, Oct. 20, 2006, 10am
Schulich EMBA ceremony



Maria Livanos Cattaui served as secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) from July 1996 to June 2005, where she championed the global economy as a force for economic growth, job creation and prosperity. She was previously managing director of the World Economic Forum from 1977 to 1996, where the success of the annual Davos Forum is credited in large part to her strategic planning, diplomacy and understanding of global issues. Cattaui has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Schulich School of Business since 1997, providing the school with invaluable counsel in its push to become a global business school.



Alison Richard
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006, 3pm
Faculty of Graduate Studies ceremony



Professor Aliosn Richard is the 344th vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, UK, and the first woman to hold this title full-time in the university’s almost 800-year history. Prior to joining Cambridge, she was at Yale for many years, including a term as provost where she made the recruitment of senior faculty a priority and worked to increase the number of women and under-represented minorities on faculty. Richard is also widely-known academically for her research and writings on the evolution of complex social systems among primates.



York University’s Fall Convocation ceremonies will be streamed live over the internet. The live stream of Friday and Saturday’s ceremonies will be available on the York University Convocation Web site. 


All convocation ceremonies will be held at York’s Keele campus.