Andrée Lortie, founding president of La Cité collégiale, the first French language College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario, will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 930 a.m. ceremony on Friday, June 11, “in recognition of her dynamic leadership and unflagging enthusiasm for French education and the development of productive partnerships within the Ottawa region.”
Lortie has dedicated her professional career to advancing Faith language education in the Ottawa region and Ontario, particularly in the college system. As treasurer and member of the executive committee of the Réseau des cégeps et des colleges francophones du Canada for over 10 years, her work was instrumental in developing francophone college education across the country. Ms. Lortie was also co-president of the Consortium national de formation en santé, composed of 11 Canadian post-secondary institutions, where she worked to increase the number of francophone health professionals outside of Quebec.
Within the Ottawa community, Ms. Lortie has served on the board of the Ottawa Partnership, the board of directors of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCR) and as a member of the executive committee organizing the CEO breakfasts in Ottawa.
Her many honours and awards include the Order of Ontario, the Ordre du Mérite de la République franaise and the Ordre de Ia Pléiade. In 2001. She received the Award of Excellence for the Executive of the Year in the public sector from the Regroupement des gens d’affaires (RGA). Last March, she was awarded the Ordre de la Francophonie Prescott et Russell for her commitment to French language and culture. In 1994, she received an honorary degree from the University of Ottawa.