Achievements:

- Elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1957)
- Companion of the Order of Canada (1957)
- Honorary Doctor of Letters from University of Leeds (1976)
- President of Carlton University (1956-58)
- President of University of Toronto (1958-1971)
- Instructor in English at Cornell University and University of Toronto
- Chairing the Canada Council and Canadian Universities Federation
- President of the National Conference of Canadian Universities and Colleges
- First Professor of Canadian Studies at Harvard University