Nepean, Ontario and San Jose, California - June 8, 2000 - JDS Uniphase Corporation (Nasdaq: JDSU and TSE: JDU) today announced that Jozef Straus, Co-Chairman and CEO, has received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Alberta at its Spring 2000 Convocation in Edmonton.
Dr. Straus arrived in Alberta from Czechoslovakia in 1968, at which time he entered the University of Alberta. In 1969 he entered the Ph.D. program in the Department of Physics and studied the quantum tunneling effects in normal metals. He graduated in 1974 and joined Bell-Northern Research, and subsequently NorthernTelecom where he held various research and management positions related to fiberoptic technology. In 1981, Dr. Straus co-founded JDS FITEL Inc, which merged with Uniphase Corporation in 1999 to form JDS Uniphase Corp.
The University of Alberta announcement added the following about Dr. Straus, "He is one of those rare scientists who have gone into business and been able to continue their personal growth and emerge as an effective and respected senior executive as their enterprise becomes a major global corporation."
Dr. Straus is one of six individuals, representing a wide field of endeavors, being granted Honorary Degrees by the University. The others are Dr. Thomas Brzustowski, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; hockey great Wayne Gretzky; University of Alberta Chancellor-Emeritus Louis Hyndman; James Stanford, Chairman of Petro-Canada; and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
JDS Uniphase is a high-technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and distributes a comprehensive range of products for the growing fiberoptic communications market. These products are deployed by system manufacturers worldwide to develop advanced optical networks for the telecommunications and cable television industries. JDS Uniphase Corporation is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol JDSU and the exchangeable shares of JDS Uniphase Canada Ltd. are traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol JDU. More information on JDS Uniphase is available at http://www.jdsunph.com/