UOIT Chancellor to receive honorary doctorate

University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Chancellor Perrin Beatty will be awarded a Doctor of Laws degree (honoris causa) by his alma mater Western University in London, Ontario on October 31.

“Throughout his tenure as Chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Perrin Beatty has been an exemplary academic leader and provided outstanding guidance and support to the Board of Governors,” said UOIT President and Vice-Chancellor Tim McTiernan. “Perrin has been a tireless advocate for UOIT working to raise our profile and advance our interests nationally and internationally. Our university community is proud to acknowledge this well-deserved prestigious honour bestowed on Chancellor Beatty.”

Perrin Beatty was named UOIT’s second Chancellor in August 2008. He has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce since 2007 and has successfully advanced the interests of Canadian businesses. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Canadian International Council; the Advisory Council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute; and Mitsui Canada.

Beatty graduated from Western with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971, and a year later he was elected as a Member of Parliament at the age of 22. He served in Ottawa for 21 years and in 1979 became Canada’s youngest-ever federal minister, in the cabinet of Joe Clark. He held six other senior portfolios in subsequent Progressive Conservative governments.

Beatty was President of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1995 to 1999, and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters President from 1999 to 2007.