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Hon doc recipients  

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Dr. Frederick Lowy, President Emeritus, Concordia University

An outstanding teacher and researcher and highly regarded psychiatrist, Lowy came to Concordia from the University of Toronto in 1995.

Under his stewardship, Concordia experienced tremendous growth in programs, initiatives, buildings, enrolment and faculty — all while improving its finances and balancing its budget. His visionary leadership and team approach enhanced the university’s academic and research profile and credibility. Lowy led the formation of a modern academic plan and inspired the participation of key business and community leaders in the university’s development.

He is widely known for his engagement in the community and contribution to society across Canada.

Laura Mulvey, Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of London, Birkbeck College

A fearless scholar who has stimulated debate in academe and the art world for more than 30 years, Mulvey is widely admired around the world, and was named to the British Academy in 2000.

She came to prominence in the early 1970s as a film theorist, writing for periodicals such as Spare Rib and Seven Days. Much of her early critical work investigated questions of spectatorial identification and its relationship to the male gaze. Her 1975 essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” helped establish feminist film theory as a legitimate field of study.

She has had a profound influence on the way we look at art, film, gender and national perspectives.

Robert Louis Papineau, Conseiller au Président of École Polytechnique Montréal

Director-General of École Polytechnique Montreal from 2002 to 2007 and now Conseiller au Président, Papineau has devoted his career to building and leading institutions dedicated to the education of engineers. In fact, he helped shape the future of engineering education in Quebec as the director general of two of its major institutions, the École de technologie supérieure from 1988 to 2002 and then École Polytechnique.

Papineau has played a leading role in transforming engineering education in Quebec and shaping major national issues concerning the education of engineers in Canada. His achievements have helped shape and adapt the engineering profession to future challenges.

Robert Ritchie, Retired CEO, Canadian Pacific Railway

Ritchie joined Canadian Pacific Ltd., the railway's former parent company, in 1970 as a research analyst, and moved up the ranks to become CPR President and Chief Executive Officer in 1995.

He orchestrated the successful move of CPR headquarters to Calgary, the largest Canadian corporate relocation in history, and has led the railway through the complex spin-off from Canadian Pacific Ltd.

Under his leadership, the CPR was able to rebuild its track network, increase its capacity, renew its locomotive fleet, revitalize its rolling stock, modernize its IT systems, and evolve into one of the safest railways in North America.