Billionaire and oil baron Clayton Riddell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Carleton on Nov. 15 at the university’s fall convocation.
Riddell is a graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Bachelor of Science program and is now the CEO of Calgary-based oil and gas company Paramount Resources. With a net-worth of $2.8 billion, he is the 13th wealthiest person in Canada, according to Forbes Magazine.
Carleton’s graduate program in political management was founded in 2010 with the financial assistance of Riddell. His donation of $15 million to the school was the largest private donation in Carleton’s history.
According to the program’s website, it is “designed to provide a professional foundation for students who will go on to leadership roles in the political offices and parties of the nation, and intended to contribute to a more constructive politics and well-informed policy decisions.”
In 2013, the program came under fire after it was revealed the donor agreement between Riddell and the university gave Riddell’s representatives a place on the program’s steering committee.This committee originally had the power to approve adjunct faculty and staff.
The agreement was later revised to allow the committee to only give advice on staffing, after the Canadian Association of University Teachers threatened Carleton with a rare censure.
“Carleton is grateful to Mr. Riddell for his ongoing support of this unique, cross-partisan master’s program,” Chris Cline, Carleton’s media relations officer, said in an email.
Cline said he didn’t have any information as to whether it was common for university donors to be awarded honorary degrees.
Also honoured at the Fall Convocation was Shona Brown, a Carleton bachelor of computer systems engineering graduate who has been a member of Google’s executive team since 2003.
At the convocation ceremony, Carleton president Roseann Runte said “thoughtful leadership and creativity characterize our honorary degree recipients.”
A news release published by the university said Riddell was honoured with the degree “in recognition of his brilliant career in business and his thoughtful contributions to higher education, as well as to good governance in Canada.”
Honorary degree recipients at Carleton are chosen by the Senate Honorary Degrees Committee.
According to the Senate website, an honorary degree recipient may be someone who “is a scholar of notable significance,” someone who “has made a significant contribution to the University . . . the community, nation, or the world,” or someone who “brings honour to Canada on the world stage.”
Others who have been awarded honorary degrees by the university include former Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean; Craig and Marc Kielburger, the founders of Free the Children; Aung San Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy activist in Myanmar; and Peter Mansbridge, chief correspondent of CBC.
Related Articles:
