Monday, April 26, 2004

DENYS ARCAND, Ph.D (McGill 2004, honourary)

McGill University has announced the recipients of honourary doctorates for the spring 2004 convocation. The list of seventeen includes filmaker Denys Arcand, lawyer and Chretien politico Eddie Goldenberg, and human rights lawyer and activist Mary Robinson. All the recipients are incredibly accomplished, talented and intelligent individuals as would be expected from the best school in the country.

McGill 2004 B.A graduands who are also readers of this blog may be interested to know that the honourary degree recipients for the Faculty of Arts undergraduate convocation are the above mentioned Denys Arcand and author Clark Blaise.

Arcand is well known for his many excellent films perhaps most notably Le Declin de l'empire Americain and most recently Les Invasions Barbares which won this year's Academy Award for best foreign film. Author Clark Blaise's many novels, short stories and non-fiction have received critical and popular acclaim. He has also been very active in the Montreal literary community.

McGill readers will already know that this year's convocations will be held outside on the lower field. This is a welcome change from previous years when convocations have been held at indoor locations such as the gymnasium. Any self-respecting school with any sense of tradtion should hold convocation outside. I am still perturbed however that the school decided to hold the event under a massive tent. A proper outdoor convocation should be actually outside. What of rain? You deel with it. You come prepared, it builds character and its part of the charm. Oh well, at least Drs. Arcand and Blaise wont be sitting under a basketball net.

Addendum, Same Day 9:18 p.m.- To my knowledge the valedictorian for the Arts convocation has not yet been selected but the decision should be made soon.

Posted by Matthew @ 8:42 p.m.