University of Waterloo to award honorary degrees at fall convocation

WATERLOO, Ont. (Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012) – The president of Stanford University, whose groundbreaking work has had a considerable impact on modern computer architecture, is among the four recipients of honorary doctorates to be presented at the University of Waterloo's fall convocation ceremonies October 19 and 20.

Professor John L. Hennessy will receive the doctor of mathematics degree at the ceremony for the faculties of Environment and Mathematics on Friday, October 19 at 2:30 p.m. Hennessy will also address convocation at that time, and will deliver a public lecture earlier that day. He joined Stanford University in 1977 as an associate professor of electrical engineering. Hennessy is considered a pioneer in his field and a leader in the development of Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC), which has had an undeniable effect on the design of computer processors. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards.

Other honorary doctorates, along with awards for retired faculty and staff members, will be given at the following ceremonies:

Applied Health Sciences and Science – Friday, October 19 at 10 a.m.

Professor John Smol will receive an honorary doctor of science and address convocation.

Smol is a professor at Queen's University and the Canada Research Chair in environmental change. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. A professor in the Department of Biology, with a cross-appointment to the School of Environmental Studies, Smol is widely considered the world leader in the development of biological indicators for the study of environmental change over the long term. His research has influenced policy in several areas including water pollution and the protection of the Arctic. He has received several teaching awards.

Arts – Saturday, October 20 at 10 a.m.

Professor Claire Kramsch will receive an honorary doctor of literature and address convocation.

Kramsch is a professor of German and foreign language acquisition at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an expert scholar in the relationship between culture and language acquisition. Kramsch was the founding director of the Berkeley Language Center, where she oversaw one of the most important language research units in the Americas. She has written numerous books and received several awards, including the Goethe medal, the ACTFL Nelson Brooks Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Culture, and the MLA Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize for outstanding research in the study of foreign languages and literatures.

Engineering – Saturday, October 20 at 2:30 p.m.

Professor Hira Ahuja will receive an honorary doctor of engineering degree and address convocation.

Ahuja has devoted his life to continuing education for engineers and underserviced immigrant populations. He became a full professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1975. In partnership with the University of Toronto, he founded the Educational Program Innovations Centre (EPIC) in 1992. It includes a program to help immigrant engineers prepare for technical licensure exams. Ahuja is a generous donor to graduate and undergraduate scholarships in engineering faculties at four Canadian universities, including Waterloo.

During convocation ceremonies, Waterloo will present distinguished professor emeritus titles to retired professors Susan Shaw, Alan George and William Cunningham. The university will also award the title Honorary Member of the University to Gail Cuthbert-Brandt and Chris Redmond.

About the University of Waterloo

In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 34,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, visit www.uwaterloo.ca.

- 30 -