Chinese University Confers Honorary Doctorate on McMaster University Professor

Tania Hakim | Hamilton, ON | August 24, 2011

Dr. Luke Chan

On June 28, an honorary doctorate degree (LL.D.) was conferred upon Dr. Luke Chan, professor of finance at the Degroote School of Business, who is also an Associate Vice President of International Affairs at McMaster University. The honorary degree was granted by the Chinese State Council and awarded by the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). This was far from just another ordinary event, both for Dr. Chan and for BLCU. For BLCU, this was the first ever Doctoral Degree that they had ever conferred upon anyone in the 49 years of the university's history.

In China, the decision to grant an Honorary Degree is not an internal or simple matter within the institution but requires the approval of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and is subject to some very rigid and stringent criteria. An honorary doctorate from a university is a very special distinction, usually reserved for those who have a long record of service and progressive values for higher education, research, promoting cultural understanding and bringing communities of different people together.

BLCU was first established in 1962 and was later designated as Beijing Language Institute in 2002 to become the Beijing Language and Cultural University. BLCU is affectionately called the "Little United Nations" as it is the only university of its kind in China that promotes Chinese culture and language all over the world and receives over 14,000 international students. In December 2008, the Confucius Institute was established at McMaster University with BLCU. The Confucius Institute provides instruction and support to academic interests in the areas of Chinese language, history, cultural diversity, artistic traditions, business practices, and social and business environments.

As for Dr. Luke Chan, he said, "This for me is a great honor and symbolizes what I have been able to achieve in promoting Canada-China relationships". The award ceremony was followed by dinner at the Summer Palace at Yun-Ming Yuun Park and at the Beijing Fenghelou Cultural Development Center restaurant. There were approximately 60 high profile invited guests including Dr. Lingtan Kong from the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) who is the 76th descendant of Confucius. Dr. Chan was further honored by an oil portrait of himself by the artist Xhang Yum, known for the famous painting of Mao in Tiananmen Square. The portrait was presented to him at the reception by the artist's family.

Honorary degrees are symbolic moments of institution building and honor both the grantee and the spirit of the institution. When well chosen, they serve to bring the university community together through the celebration of shared goals and values.