Honorary Degrees In conferring honorary degrees, the University seeks to honour individuals whose accomplishments demonstrate a standard of excellence that U of G hopes will inspire its graduates. The committee considers candidates from a broad range of categories, including the arts and sciences, business, public service, professions, and the voluntary sector, including long-standing or exceptional service to the University. The committee, from time to time, may recommend those whose outstanding contributions to their fields or to society have not yet been widely recognized.
Bina Agarwal – Called one of the most important scholars of rural women’s lives of her generation, Dr. Bina Agarwal is a leading development economist who has dedicated her career to women’s empowerment. Her pioneering work on gender and land rights, the centrality of women’s independent land and property ownership to their well-being, and the importance of farming in groups as a strategy to empower them is indispensable to understanding and tackling gender inequality anywhere in the world, including Canada. Dr. Agarwal’s work has influenced international organizations and NGOs globally and was reflected in the landmark amendment of the Hindu Succession Act (1956) in 2005 that ensures, for the first time, equal rights for daughters to ancestral property in India. Her work with grassroots women’s groups nationally and internationally has earned her many honours including being named as an Officer of the Order of Agricultural Merit from the government of France.
Robert J. Burnside – After completing two degrees at the University of Guelph in the mid-1960s, Mr. Robert (Bob) Burnside founded the prominent consulting engineering firm R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd. The employee-owned firm has grown into an international leader, with nearly 400 employees based at offices across Canada. In 1999, he founded Neegan Burnside Ltd., a majority Indigenous-owned engineering and environmental services firm. This subsidiary is committed to helping Indigenous communities meet development and economic goals while remaining sensitive to culture, values and beliefs. Among numerous awards for volunteerism, including longtime service with Rotary International and Headwaters Hospital Foundation, Mr. Burnside received a 125th Anniversary of Confederation Commemorative Medal honouring Canadians’ significant contributions to fellow citizens, community and Canada. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medals. In 2015, U of G and its School of Engineering recognized Mr. Burnside’s mentorship of generations of engineers with the Engineering Medal of Achievement.
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