UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
HONORARY CONFERRING
Tuesday, 4 September 2018 at 2.30 pm
TEXT OF THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR JOHN COTTER, UCD School of Business on 4 September 2018, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa on JOHN J MCCONNELL
President, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my privilege to read the citation for the awarding of an Honorary Doctorate to Professor John McConnell from Purdue University.
It is a fitting tribute that UCD is awarding the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa for all his contributions in financial economics. We are delighted that John is here today with Karen and family to accept this Honorary Doctorate.
John McConnell is a leading financial economist. He is the Burton D. Morgan Distinguished Chair of Private Enterprise (in Finance) at the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University where he has spent much of his career. John has also been at Stanford University, Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota. John received a B.A. in Economics from Denison University, an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in Finance from Purdue University.
Professor McConnell has made important contributions and given stellar leadership in the Finance discipline. He has published many important articles in his areas of research expertise, and especially in corporate finance where he has much repute. John has published more than 100 articles in leading peer-reviewed finance, economics and management journals and edited books on such topics as stock and bond valuation and returns, portfolio management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, derivative securities, asset leasing, and related topics. He has been recognized for his scholarly achievements as the Distinguished Scholar of the Eastern Finance Association and as a Fellow of the Financial Management Association. John has shown leadership to his profession in his many editorial roles at leading research journals. These include being on the editorial boards of the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Corporate Finance, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis amongst many others. John is also a leading teacher. He has taught courses in corporate finance, investments, and capital markets in graduate and undergraduate programs, winning many teaching awards throughout his career.
John has been a friend of UCD for a long time. His friendship with us in Ireland may well be due to his background. Given his surname it is not surprising to hear that he is of Irish heritage. Here are some details of his Irish ancestry that go back a long way. His forefather Hugh McConnell was born in County Antrim in the mid-1700s. He went to the US and in 1777 he enlisted in the Continental US army and served in The Revolutionary army as a private. Following the war, he was granted land in Western Pennsylvania near the Ohio border. He prospered and was involved in the development of several towns in Pennsylvania. His entrepreneurial, can-do spirit certainly filtered through to John who we honour here today.
UCD is proud to be Ireland’s Global University. We are global in terms of our student body, our faculty, and our many collaborators. It is about linking people and developing relationships over a long period of time. We have over 30,000 students drawn from over 120 countries. We are the number one 'university of destination' for international students coming to Ireland with 6,500 international students that make up 25% of the student body. UCD faculty engage in international research collaborations, sharing and contributing to a global bank of knowledge that aims to impact on society. Developing global relations with people of the pedigree of John McConnell ensures success in our pursuit of our global brand.
John McConnell builds links with people. John McConnell has a strong relationship with UCD and has contributed much for a long time. |He has visited us many times over the years. John has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Science Foundation Ireland funded Financial Mathematics and Computation (FMC) Cluster, and having UCD as the lead institution. Prior to this he was a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Finance Academy at UCD. John has been very supportive of the activities of UCD and especially Banking and Finance at the School of Business. He has provided astute career and research advise to our faculty which have given rise to many opportunities for self-improvement.
I am privileged to present John McConnell for the award of an honorary degree.
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Praehonorabilis Praeses, totaque Universitas,
Praesento vobis hunc meum filium, quem scio tam moribus quam doctrina habilem et idoneum esse qui admittatur, honoris causa, ad Gradum Doctoratus in utroque Jure, tam Civili quam Canonico; idque tibi fide mea testor ac spondeo, totique Academiae.