York University Convocation to Bestow 1,800 Degrees, Honour Business Ethics Advocate Bill Dimma, Acclaimed Artist, Refus Global Signatory FranĮoise Sullivan

TORONTO, November 4, 1998 -- York University's Fall Convocation will take place this weekend, conferring 1,800 graduate and undergraduate degrees and honouring a champion of ethical business practices, an artistic and cultural pioneer instrumental in the famous Refus global, and an internationally renowned scholar of medieval Latin studies.

Fall convocation ceremonies, all held at the Tait McKenzie Main Auditorium, will span two days (November 6 and 7). During the ceremonies, York University will confer honorary degrees on William (Bill) Dimma and FranĮoise Sullivan, and will designate York Professor Michael Herren a Distinguished Research Professor.

"One of the great pleasures of convocation is recognizing the achievements of not only our newest graduates, but also of citizens whose whole lives represent enormous contributions to their communities, their culture and to human understanding," said York University President Dr. Lorna Marsden.

William (Bill) Andrew Dimma, who will be granted the degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) on Friday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m., has been described by his peers as "a keeper of corporate consciences." Through his writing and public speaking, he has become widely known across the country for his advocacy of higher standards of ethical and social conduct in the Canadian business world.

Dimma's contributions to the York University community cover a broad spectrum of activity over more than three decades: as a graduate student, professor, and eventually as dean of the Faculty of Administrative Studies (now the Schulich School of Business). Dimma spent 21 years on York's Board of Governors, including almost six years as Chair. He has contributed to a remarkable array of cultural, philanthropic and business organizations, including his tireless work for the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and his leadership on the Toronto Star's Board of Directors.

Dimma earned An Order of Canada in 1996, and was awarded an honorary degree from St. Mary's University in 1992. He won the Gold Medal in the Doctoral Program from Harvard University's Graduate School of Business, and received the York University Business School Alumni Award for Outstanding Corporate Leadership.

FranĮoise Sullivan, who will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m., is acknowledged to be one of Canada's leading figures in dance and visual art. Her influence spans half a century, starting with her experience in Montreal in the mid-1940s to mid -1950s with a group of painters, dancers and writers known as Les Automatistes.

She was a signatory to their now-famous manifesto, Refus global, which planted the seeds for the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Refus global, which has been called "the single most important social document in Quebec history and the most important aesthetic statement a Canadian has ever made."

Sullivan studied dance and visual arts at the Šcole des beaux-arts in Montreal. Examples of paintings she did in her teens are now in the collection of the National Gallery in Ottawa. She also choreographed and performed some of the earliest free-form dance in Canada, and was one of the pioneers of televised dance in this country.

As a visual artist in the early 1960s, Sullivan produced some monumental pieces of sculpture, found in the collections of the National Gallery, the MusČe d'Art Contemporain in Montreal, and the University of Regina. She was awarded the Prix Paul-Šmile Borduas, Quebec's most prestigious prize for the life accomplishment of a visual artist. Sullivan has been hailed by her peers as "a rare and astonishing cross-disciplinary talent, recognized as one of Canada's leading figures in both dance and visual art."

Sullivan is being honoured during the 50th anniversary year of Refus global. To celebrate this anniversary, York University is hosting a symposium, exhibition and performance event, "Montreal Automatism: 1948 and Onwards" on Nov. 13 and 14.

Professor Michael Herren, who will receive the designation of Distinguished Research Professor on Friday, Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m., is an unsurpassed scholar of philology, a branch of language studies that deals with the structure, historical development and relationships of a language. He has made an outstanding contribution to scholarship during a distinguished teaching career at York University for 30 years. As an internationally recognized leader in classical studies, he has brought enormous credit to the University.

His colleagues cite Herren as a brilliant linguist and a first-rate editor of texts. Not only is he the world's foremost authority in the field of early Hiberno-Latin literature, he is one of the world's outstanding Medieval Latinists. Herren is founder and editor of the international Journal of Medieval Latin, based at York, and has organized several important international conferences. As the culmination of his scholarship, Herren is currently engaged in a project concerning the appropriation of classical myth in the early Middle Ages.

His published works include a series of editions of Latin texts with translations and commentaries, and numerous journal articles and other pieces, all of which represent significant contributions to our understanding of early-medieval culture, especially in Britain and Ireland.

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For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
YU/077/98