University of Montreal to present honorary doctorates to Brian Mulroney, Elizabeth Cannon, and Calvin Carl Gotlieb

MONTREAL, June 1, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Three renowned personalities will receive honorary PhDs from the University of Montreal during doctoral convocation: the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney; Elizabeth Cannon; and the computer science professor Calvin Carl Gotlieb, all who have marked Canadian society in lasting ways. The honours will be awarded by university Rector, Dr. Guy Breton and Chancellor Louise Roy, at a ceremony marking the graduation of 510 new doctoral graduates.

"These three great Canadians all participated in building the world we live in," said Breton. "Their innovations still have profound resonance today. They helped make Canada a country particularly well suited to the 21^st century. For all these reasons, the University of Montreal is awarding them this distinction."

The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney was prime minister of Canada for almost 10 years, from 1984 to 1993. Among his notable achievements are the economic integration of the Americas through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, which he led by becoming the first Commonwealth leader to impose economic sanctions on the country; and the Acid Rain Treaty with the United States, which is still considered a model for environmental protection.

The geomatics engineer Elizabeth Cannon, Rector of the University of Calgary, invented technologies that have improved the accuracy of global positioning systems (GPS). By the early 80s, she was able to see the enormous potential of this young technology in the development of sectors such as aviation, the automobile industry, and agriculture, which currently benefit from her research.

Professor Calvin Carl Gotlieb is one of the great pioneers of computing. In 1948, he helped design Canada's first computer. As a visionary, he saw the crucial importance computers would have in our lives and the need to train highly skilled computer scientists. He founded the first department of computer science in Canada at the University of Toronto.

Reminder:
What: University of Montreal doctoral convocation
When: Friday, June 3, 2016, from 2 p.m.
Where: Ernest-Cormier Amphitheatre, Roger-Gaudry Pavilion, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit Blvd.
Note: major road construction is underway around the campus; please allow for extra travelling time

About the University of Montreal
Deeply rooted in Montreal and dedicated to its international mission, the University of Montreal (UdeM) is one of the top 100 universities in the world. It was found in 1878, and together with its two affiliated schools, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal, constitutes the largest centre of higher education and research in Quebec and one of the major centres in North America. The University of Montreal brings together 2,600 professors and researchers and welcomes more than 66,000 students. umontreal.ca

SOURCE Université de Montréal

Geneviève O'Meara, Senior Advisor, Media Relations, University of Montreal, 514 343-7704