A leader in children's health will be the University of Windsor's eighth chancellor and the first woman to hold the post in the institution's history.
Dr. Mary Jo Haddad is a Windsor-native. She earned national and international acclaim as the president and CEO of the Hospital for Sick Children before her retirement in 2014 and is also a member of the Order of Canada after she was inducted in 2010. Two years later she received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her achievements and is a recipient of the Premier's Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Haddad, who also received a 2005 honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor, will be installed during the Tuesday, May 28 session of Convocation.
The session starts at 10 a.m.
She will serve as the titular head of the University and confer all degrees and diplomas on behalf of the Senate. She will also represent the University in an official capacity at all external functions.
Haddad will replace the Honourable Ed Lumley who is stepping down as chancellor. The former MP and cabinet minister held the position since 2006 and has conferred degrees on nearly 55,000 graduates.
The new engineering building was also named after Lumley; the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation. The building, which was constructed in 2013, was the largest capital investment in campus history costing $112 million.
Lumley is among six people who will receive an honourary Doctor of Laws degree during this spring convocation. The other five recipients are biology researcher and professor emeritus Dr. Datta Pillary, economist and writer Dr. Sherry Cooper, award-winning Canadian actor Tom McCamus, CEO of the Ontario Securities Commission Maureen Jensen, and women's leadership advocate Agnes Di Leonardi. All six recipients are being honoured for their contributions to politics, science, business, the arts, law, and public service.
Convocation ceremonies take place between May 28 and 31 with two sessions daily at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Nearly 3,900 graduates will receive degrees.