Murray George Ross, (April 12, 1910 – July 20, 2000) was a Canadian sociologist, author, and academic administrator. He was the founding president of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

and served in that role from 1959 to 1970. Born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, the son of James Alway Ross and Sarah Agnes Kay, Ross received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly Undergraduate education, undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some Postgraduate education, graduate programs at the master's level and one at the Doctorate, doctor ...

in 1936. He received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in sociology from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1938. He did post-graduate work in sociology at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1939 and in

Social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1949. He received a

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from the University of Toronto in 1971. In 1951, Ross was appointed an associate professor of Social Work at the University of Toronto. He became a professor in 1955. From 1956 to 1957, he was an Executive Assistant to the President and was a vice-president from 1957 to 1959. In 1959, he was appointed President of York University and served until 1970 when he became a professor of Social Science. He retired in 1972.

Honours

In 1979, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

"in recognition of his innovative leadership in the field of higher education". He was awarded the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

in 1988. He was awarded the

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal () is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were recommended by government, professional, ...

and the

125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal () is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada and was awarded to Canadians who were deemed to have made ...

. The Murray Ross Parkway, the Ross Building, and the Murray G. Ross (Valedictorian) Award at York University are named after him.

Selected works

* ''Religious Beliefs of Youth: A Study and Analysis of the Structure and Function of the Religious Beliefs of Young Adults, Based on a Questionnaire Sample of 1,935 Youth and Intensive Interviews with 100 Young People'' (Association Press, 1950) * ''The Y.M.C.A. in Canada: The Chronicle of a Century'' (Ryerson Press, 1951) * ''New Understandings of Leadership: A Survey and Application of Research'' with Charles E. Hendry (Association Press, 1957) * ''Case Histories in Community Organization'' (Harper, 1958) * ''The new university'' (University of Toronto Press, 1961) * ''New Universities in the Modern World'' (St. Martin's Press, 1966) * ''Community Organization; Theory, Principles, and Practice'' with B. W. Lappin (Harper & Row, 1967) * ''The University: The Anatomy of Academe'' (McGraw-Hill, 1976) * ''Canadian Corporate Directors on the Firing Line: On the Firing Line'' (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1980) * ''The Way Must be Tried: Memoirs of a University Man'' (Stoddart, 1992)

References

External links

*
Murray Ross

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Murray 1910 births 2000 deaths Acadia University alumni Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian social work academics Columbia University alumni Members of the Order of Ontario Officers of the Order of Canada People from Sydney, Nova Scotia Presidents of York University University of Chicago alumni University of Toronto alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Writers from Toronto Academic staff of York University 20th-century non-fiction writers