• Participated on the U of A track team as a sprinter, long jumper, and 400m relay team member.
• Held or shared 12 Alberta records in sprints and the long jump.
• Served as a special assistant and emissary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (1970-78).
• President of the International Development Research Centre (1978-91).
• Has honorary doctorate degrees from seven universities and is an Officer of the Order of Canada (1990).

Ivan Head was born and raised in Calgary, where his academic excellence was matched by an outstanding career in track. While in high school and later at the University of Alberta in Arts (BA, '51) and Law (LLB., '52, awarded the Chief Justice's Silver Medal on Graduation), he held or shared 12 Alberta records in the 75-, 100-, and 220-yard sprints, the long jump, and as a member of the senior men's 400-metre relay team. In 1949 he captained the Golden Bear track team and earned the Block A. Later he served as the president of the Block A Club.

From 1953 to 1959 he practiced law in Calgary before moving on to Harvard Law School with a Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship. His L.L.M. thesis (‘60) entitled “Canadian Claims to Territorial Sovereignty in the Arctic” provided the basis for his subsequent leadership in gaining international recognition of Canadian jurisdiction in that area. A stint as a foreign service officer in Ottawa and Kuala Lumpur from 1960 to 1963 ended when he was appointed to the Law Faculty of this university. Promoted to full professor in 1966, he took a leave of absence the next year to become Associate Counsel (Constitution) to the Federal Minister of Justice. In 1968 he became legislative Assistant to Prime Minister Trudeau and from 1970 to 1978 served as Special Assistant with responsibility for foreign policy and international relations. The decade from 1968 to 1978 saw Ivan Head act as Special Emissary of the Prime Munster in consultations with the Presidents or Prime Ministers of more than 30 countries, and as a Senior Advisor during numerous official visits with his chief to the U.N., Britain, the USA, and 24 other countries. His legacy in foreign affairs includes influential roles in the concept of Arctic maritime environmental protection (since adopted as a model for oceanic protection by much of the world), in the denuclearization of Canadian forces in Europe, in the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and in the entry of Canada into the Western Summit (G-7). At least equally important, he raised world awareness to the growing dangers of the widening economic disparity between the northern hemisphere and the poverty stricken countries of the south. It was to put his energies into addressing this dangerous imbalance that led him in 1978 to the presidency of the International Development Research Center in Ottawa, a post he held until 1991 when he accepted a professorship in law and political science at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on international law and international relations.

Recognition for outstanding service to his profession, to Canada, and to the international community includes honorary doctorates from this university and five others in Canada, Notre Dame in the USA, the West Indies, and Beijing, China. Among other honours are: Officer, Order of Canada, 1990; Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, INA The Global KO Honour Roll of the UN., 1988; and the Grand Cross, Order of the Sun, Peru, 1989. Ivan Head has established a truly exemplary record as an athlete, student, lawyer, professor and visionary servant of Canada both at home and in the international community.