Honorary graduands profiled

Each year, U of T honours people who have made outstanding contributions in their fields by presenting them with honorary degrees. This year’s honorary graduands include:

ROBERT BATEMAN
Robert Bateman, an artist recognized globally for paintings of Canadian wildlife and landscapes and a graduate of the University of Toronto, will return in June to his alma mater to receive an honorary degree. Bateman’s paintings of the natural world feature his own distinct and unmistakable style of realism,
a style that has earned him an international reputation. His work has been shown in galleries and exhibitions throughout the world and a 1987 exhibition by Bateman at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., drew record-breaking crowds. Bateman graduated from U of T in 1954 with a geography degree and spent 20 years teaching high school art and geography. In 1976 he left teaching to devote himself to painting and his artistic work reflects his strong commitment to environmental causes and to habitat
and wildlife conservation. Bateman receives an honourary degree (doctor of laws) at the June 15 convocation for the School of Graduate Studies.

JACK DIAMOND
World-renowned architect Jack Diamond won't have any trouble finding his way to Convocation Hall when he comes to U of T to receive an honourary
degree. Diamond, principal designer of Toronto’s magnificent new opera house (the recently completed Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts), has a long history with U of T. After studying in South Africa, England and the United States, Diamond moved to Canada in 1964 to serve as the founding director of U of T’s master of architecture program, a position he held until 1970. Diamond founded his own firm in 1975, today known as Diamond and Schmitt Architects and still headquartered in Toronto. The company has designed a number of buildings on the St. George campus: the new Varsity Centre, the award-winning Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Innis College, Gerstein Science Information Centre and the Lash Miller Chemical Laboratory. Buildings designed by Diamond and his firm are landmarks in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Both he and his firm have won numerous regional, national and international architectural awards. Diamond receives an honourary degree (doctor of laws) at the June 15 convocation for the School of Graduate Studies.

TOMSON HIGHWAY
Tomson Highway is one of Canada's leading aboriginal playwrights and authors whose artistic work explores the challenges faced by First Nations communities in contemporary and historical Canadian life. Highway joined the Native Earth Performing Arts Company in Toronto in 1984 and served as the organization’s
artistic director from 1986 to 1992. His first published play, The Rez Sisters, was both an artistic and commercial success. The play won the 1987 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play and has been performed in theatres across the country. Highway’s second play, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, is regarded as a milestone of artistic achievement in Canadian theatre history. It was the first Canadian play given a commercial production at
Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre and won the 1989 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play. In 1994, Highway became the first aboriginal writer
to be inducted into the Order of Canada. His first novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen, was published in 1998. Highway receives an honourary degree (doctor of
letters) at the June 8 convocation for Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of U of T graduate students.

JUDEA PEARL
Professor Judea Pearl's contributions to humankind extend far beyond his accomplishments as a leading international authority in the fields of artificial intelligence, human reasoning and the philosophy of science. Pearl is a professor of computer science and director of the Cognitive Systems Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of more than 300 scientific papers, has authored three books and is a recipient of many scientific awards.
Pearl and his wife, Ruth, are also the parents of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in early 2002. Since this tragedy the Pearl family has worked tirelessly to promote dialogue and understanding among different faiths, cultures and countries.
Pearl is the co-founder of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization that sponsors journalism fellowships to promote understanding between East and West, organizes events worldwide promoting intercultural respect and sponsors public dialogues between Jews and Muslims. Pearl and Professor Akbar Ahmed from American University in Washington, D.C., are co-founders of the
Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding. Pearl receives an honorary degree (doctor of science) at the June 21 convocation for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.

U of T will also bestow honorary degrees upon:
David Campbell, Michael Lee-Chin, Wallace McCain, Sandra Rotman, Lee Shulman, Bette Stephenson, Lap-Chee Tsui, Barbara Turnbull