Roderick Macdonald to receive honorary doctorate from Université de Montréal
Professor Roderick Macdonald will be receiving an honorary doctorate from Université de Montréal during its fall convocation ceremony to be held on October 7, 2010.
In granting him this degree, Université de Montréal wishes to underscore Professor Macdonald's distinguished and spirited legal career both as a scholar and a teacher, his myriad contributions to the legal community, his passion for democracy and social justice, and his close ties with that institution's own Faculty of Law.
"This convocation ceremony will be a most welcome moment of joy and celebration for Rod, his family, and for his dear friends here at McGill's Faculty of Law," declared Dean Daniel Jutras. "I'm delighted that l'Université de Montréal has chosen to celebrate Roderick Macdonald's phenomenal contribution to the intellectual, legal and social communities of Quebec and beyond."
About Professor Roderick A. Macdonald
Named F.R. Scott Professor of Constitutional and Public Law in 1995, Professor Roderick A. Macdonald teaches and publishes in the areas of civil law, commercial law, constitutional law, jurisprudence and access to justice.
He was dean of McGill's Faculty of Law from 1984 to 1989. He chaired a Task Force on Access to Justice of the Minister of Justice of Quebec (1989-91), as well as a Task Force on SLAPP Lawsuits (2007-2008). He was the principal consultant for the drafting of the revised law on secured transactions in Ukraine (2002-2003).
In April 2007, Professor Macdonald was awarded a Killam Prize, Canada's most distinguished annual award for outstanding career achievement in research. In September 2007, he was honoured with the University of Ottawa Section de droit civil's Ordre du mérite and in November 2007 was awarded the Sir William Dawson Medal for the Social Sciences by the Royal Society of Canada.
In November 2008, Professor Macdonald was elected the 111th president of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). He is the first law professor ever to have been elected president of the RSC.
In August 2010, Professor Macdonald received the Canadian Bar Association's Hnatyshyn Award in recognition of his contributions to the law.
UPDATE 22 OCTOBER 2010: See photos from the ceremony.
PHOTO: Rachel Granofsky.