Giles G. Patry was be awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 2:00 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 12, “in recognition of his leadership in fostering co-operation and innovation in the post-secondary education sector in the Ottawa region and Canada.”
Patry was honoured during Carleton’s Spring Convocation, where about 3,500 students are receiving degrees over the course of four days. In his address, Patry spoke to the nature and importance of innovation, as well as Canadian scientists’ contributions to making the world a better place.
“As scientists, I encourage you to be innovators, to explore new ways of doing things,” he said. “The enemy of innovation is complacency and it is something to fear. “
“We often hear: ‘Ah, that’s good enough. Things are pretty good as they stand, so why change it?’ Well, if you don’t, somebody else will.” Patry is executive director of the U15-Group of Canadian Research Universities, an organization that develops education and research policy in Canada and across the globe.
He holds a BASc and MASc in civil engineering from the University of Ottawa and a PhD from the University of California-Davis. Patry was an environmental engineering consultant before teaching civil engineering at École Poly-technique and McMaster University. Patry returned to the University of Ottawa in 1993 as dean of engineering. In 1997, he took on the role of vice-president (Academic) and served as president and vice-chancellor from 2001 to 2008. In 2010, he was appointed head of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), a position he held until 2017.
He is a member of the Order of Canada, recipient of the Order of Ontario and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Patry has been recognized with honorary doctorates from several universities.