Syracuse University to present six honorary degrees at Commencement

Syracuse University to present six honorary degrees at CommencementMay 05, 2001Cynthia J. Moritzcjmoritz@syr.edu

Six prominent individuals have been selected to receive honorary degrees appropriate to their fields of study at Syracuse University’s 147th Commencement May 13. They are an astronaut, a mayor, a businesswoman, an opera director, a represntative in Congress and an educator. Col. Eileen Collins Astronaut, U.S. Air Force colonel and Syracuse University alumna Eileen Collins ’78 will be the keynote speaker and will receive an honorary doctor of science degree. “We are very pleased to welcome Eileen back to campus,” says SU Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw. “Her distinguished career is a stellar example for all students, particularly young women who aspire to careers in science, of the heights you can reach when you are really determined.” Collins made history in February 1995 as the first female space shuttle pilot. On that mission, the first of the joint Russian-American Space Program, Collins guided the shuttle Discovery within 37 feet of the Russian space lab Mir. On that flight, Collins took an SU pennant that she had requested from the University specifically for the mission. She later gave the pennant back to the University, along with NASA patches and photos from the mission.  On her second shuttle mission, in May 1997, she piloted the shuttle Atlantis. Collins made history again in July 1999 as the first woman to command a shuttle mission. That mission, aboard the shuttle Columbia, included the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. A native of Elmira, N.Y., Collins received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from The College of Arts and Sciences in 1978. She was awarded the George Arents Pioneer Medal, the highest alumni honor the University bestows, in 1996. Collins has received the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the NASA Space Flight Medal. 

Collins was chosen as Commencement speaker by a selection committee composed of two students from each of the undergraduate schools and colleges and two graduate students–all members of the Class of 2001.  “Syracuse University is a breeding ground for encouragement of creativity, goal setting and making the impossible possible,” says Colleen Locke, a graduating senior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a member of the selection committee. “Therefore, I could not think of a better candidate to speak at this year’s Commencement.”  Collins graduated from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma in 1979 and continued there as a T-38 instructor pilot until 1982. From 1983 to 1985, she was a C-141 aircraft commander and instructor pilot at Travis Air Force Base in California. She spent the following year as a student with the Air Force Institute of Technology. From 1986 to 1989, she was assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, where she was an assistant professor of mathematics and a T-41 instructor pilot. She was selected for the astronaut program while attending the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California, from which she graduated in 1990. Collins became an astronaut in July 1991. She was initially assigned to orbiter engineering support, and also served on the astronaut support team responsible for prelaunch checkout, final launch configuration, crew ingress/egress and landing/recovery. Collins has logged more than 5,000 hours in 30 different types of aircraft, as well as 537 hours in space.  In addition to her bachelor’s degree from SU, Collins holds an associate’s degree in mathematics and science from Corning Community College (1976), a master’s degree in operations research from Stanford University (1986), and a master’s degree in space systems management from Webster University (1989). Mayor Goh, Kun Mayor Goh, Kun rides the public subway several times a week in Seoul, South Korea. It gives him a chance to see how his city’s subways are working and to talk to ordinary citizens about their concerns.  This is just one example of Goh’s “bottom-up” approach to public service, a stark contrast to the traditional “top-down” model favored by many Korean officials. His lifelong commitment to the needs of the common people is one reason Goh will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from Syracuse University during SU’s 147th Commencement and the 104th Commencement of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry May 13 in the Carrier Dome. Goh will speak at a symposium, “Transparency Through Information Technology, Seoul’s OPEN System,” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. May 11 in The Maxwell School’s Global Collaboratory, 062 Eggers Hall. 

Goh, who served as prime minister of South Korea from 1997 to 1998, has won international acclaim for his fight to reduce corruption in public service in South Korea. His commitment cost him his appointed mayorship of Seoul in 1990, when he refused to  yield to political pressure and approve a questionable development proposal. In 1998, when the office became an elected one, he won his job back and continued his war on corruption in new and innovative ways.  Among Goh’s efforts to decrease corruption are the Online Procedures Enhancement for Civil Applications (OPEN), a system for public monitoring of citizen applications to city government–zoning and permit requests, for example–which reduces opportunities for city employees to demand payoffs. Goh’s system has been adopted by other South Korean government units and has received positive recognition from international monitoring bodies. As a result, he was named by the Fordham Institute for Ethics and Economic Policy as one of the world’s eight leading anti-corruption public officials. Early in Goh’s 33-year career in public service, he led the Saemaul (New Village) Movement, a rural development and modernization program that encouraged local leadership and self-direction and has since been copied throughout Asia. During his tenure as minister of home affairs in the 1980s, he led the development of Korea’s reforestation policy and later served as president of the Coalition of Environmental Movements. As mayor, he initiated a “10 Million Trees of Life” program in Seoul City and more aggressive emissions standards–projects that have led to a significant greening of the city.  In addition to serving twice as mayor of Seoul, Goh was president of Myong Ji University from 1994 to 1997, a member of the Korean National Assembly from 1985 to 1988, and governor of Jeonnam Province from 1975 to 1979. He has also held several high ministry positions in the national government, including transportation and agriculture and marine affairs.  Goh earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in urban planning at Seoul National University in 1960 and 1971, respectively. He was a research fellow at Harvard University in 1983 and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984.  In 1992, he received an honorary doctorate of law degree from Wonkwang University.  Catherine Liggins Hughes Hughes, founder and chair of Radio One Inc., the largest African American-owned and -operated broadcast company in the nation, will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree.  Radio One owns or operates more than 62 broadcast facilities in 22 major U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. While in Syracuse, Hughes will be a guest host on the Power 106.9 “Old School Sunday” show, hosted by Rick Wright, associate professor in SU’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and Kevin Hicks. Prior to the 6 p.m. May 13 broadcast, Hughes will be honored at a reception hosted by Clear Channel Communications, which owns seven radio stations in the city, including Power 106.9.

In 1999, Hughes became the first African American woman to head a publicly traded company. Ebony magazine, which named Hughes one of the “10 Most Powerful Women in Black America,” hailed Hughes for her pioneering efforts and legendary passion for radio.  “At the beginning of her career, she not only owned the station, she lived in the station, literally,” according to an article in the March 2001 issue of Ebony. “She sold advertising, hired talent, answered telephones, and hosted her own popular talk show.”  Radio Ink lists Hughes as one of the “20 Most Influential Women in Radio;” Essence named her one of “100 Who Have Changed the World,” and Regardies and the Washingtonian named her one of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Persons in the Nation’s Capital.”  Radio One is the first African American company in the history of radio to dominate several major markets simultaneously and is the first female-owned radio station to rank number one in any major market. The company’s value is currently in excess of $2 billion. Last year, Radio One was named “Company of the Year” by Black Enterprise, and Fortune magazine rated the company as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For.” The company was also inducted into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame.  The Washington Post describes Hughes as “the voice of the black community.” Her stations now reach more than 15 million black listeners daily. She is committed to keeping black broadcast ownership alive, and her goal of building a broadcast empire with a solid foundation in the African American community has come to fruition. The result has been an increase in revenue and opportunities for minorities and women. Hughes currently has more than 1,500 black broadcasters on staff at Radio One.  Born in Omaha, Neb., Hughes moved to Washington, D.C., in 1971 and became a lecturer in the newly established School of Communications at Howard University. She entered radio in 1973 as general sales manager for WHUR, Howard University Radio, and increased station revenue from $250,000 to $3 million during her first year.  In 1975, Hughes became the first female vice president and general manager of a station in the nation’s capital and created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” the most listened-to nighttime radio format heard in more than 50 markets nationally. She bought her first station, WOL-AM, in 1980 in Washington, D.C., and pioneered the innovative format “24-Hour Talk From a Black Perspective.” WOL is now the most listened-to talk radio station in its market.  Hughes serves on the boards of the Baltimore Development Corp., the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, the Broadcasters Foundation, the National Urban League and the Piney Woods School in Mississippi, which was founded by her grandfather in 1909.  Paul Kellogg Kellogg, general and artistic director of the New York City Opera and artistic director of Glimmerglas Opera in Cooperstown, N.Y., will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree. He will also be the keynote speaker at the convocation ceremony for SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts at 2:45 p.m. May 12 in the Carrier Dome.  Kellogg began his career as an arts administrator in 1979, when he was appointed general manager and later general director of the fledgling Glimmerglas Opera Festival. During the course of his 21 years at Glimmerglas, the company grew from two productions and eight performances annually to four productions and 45 performances annually, and attendance increased from 2,840 to some 32,000. The annual operating budget grew from $71,000 to $5.5 million. In 1987, the company opened the Alice Busch Opera Theater, a 900-seat theater designed by Hugh Hardy, on the picturesque shores of Otsego Lake.  He joined the New York City Opera in 1996. In the period since, the company’s annual budget has increased by $6 million and has seen a 50 percent increase in fund raising. Since the 1997-98 season, City Opera has offered eight new productions per season (in a repertory schedule of 16 productions and 115 performances).  Kellogg’s dual role at City Opera and Glimmerglas has enabled him to establish a mutually beneficial co-producing partnership between the two companies that is unusual in the opera world. Each year, some of the new productions that are developed at Glimmerglas are also showcased as part of City Opera’s Director’s Choice subscription series.  A native of Hollywood, Kellogg earned a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Texas. He spent the following years studying at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Columbia University. He taught French at the Allen-Stevenson School in New York, where, in 1967, he was appointed assistant headmaster and then head of the Lower School. He moved to Cooperstown in 1975 to write and manage his farm. He became involved with Glimmerglas almost from its inception.  Kellogg has served on the Board of Opera America and various panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, and is a frequent adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.  U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel  Rangel, who is serving his 16th term as the representative from New York’s 15th Congressional District, will make a trip upstate to receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.  Rangel–whose district is composed of East and Central Harlem, the Upper West Side and Washington Heights/Inwood–is the ranking member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, deputy Democratic whip of the House of Representatives, a co-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and dean of the New York State Congressional Delegation. Rangel is a member of the trade subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over all international trade agreements. He pays particular attention to trade with countries in the Caribbean and Africa, and the development of international trade in Upper Manhattan. The senior Democratic member of the Committee on Ways and Means, Rangel is also a member of the Joint Committee on Taxation for the 106th Congress. This panel is responsible for advising Congress on the Internal Revenue Code and the implications of proposed tax legislation. As a congressional advisor to the U.S. trade representative, he is also involved in international conferences and negotiating sessions on trade issues. Rangel is also a member of the President’s Export Council, working to build consensus on international trade matters among its membership of business, agriculture, labor and congressional leaders and Cabinet officials.

Rangel is the principal author of the $5 billion Federal Empowerment Zone demonstration project to revitalize urban neighborhoods throughout the country. He is  also author of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which is responsible for financing 90 percent of the affordable housing built in the United States in the last 10 years. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which Rangel also championed, has provided thousands of jobs for underprivileged young people, veterans and ex-offenders. As the former chairman of the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, Rangel continues to lead the nation’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking. In his efforts to reduce the flow of drugs into the United States and to solve the nation’s continuing drug abuse crisis, Rangel serves as chairman of the Congressional Narcotics Abuse and Control Caucus. A founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rangel was also chairman of the New York State Council of Black Elected Democrats and was a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the hearings on the articles of impeachment of President Richard Nixon. Rangel served in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1948 to 1952 and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He has authored several pieces of legislation to benefit minority and women veterans, including a successful bill that established the Office of Minority Affairs within the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1987, at the height of the battle against apartheid, Rangel led the effort to include in the Internal Revenue Code one of the most effective anti-apartheid measures–denial of tax credits for taxes paid to South Africa. This measure resulted in several Fortune 500 companies leaving South Africa. In addition, Rangel played a vital role in restoring the democratic government in Haiti. Rangel is a graduate of New York University and St. John’s University School of Law. He has spent his entire career in public service, first as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and later in the New York State Assembly. He was elected to the 92nd Congress on Nov. 3, 1970, and has been re-elected to each succeeding Congress. Florence Schorske Wald Wald credits her parents with passing on to her the ideals of social democracy. She believes that nurses should work in the community–in soup kitchens as well as hospitals. She herself started her nursing career at the Henry Street Settlement in New York.  Wald was dean of Yale’s School of Nursing when she left Yale in 1967 to study the care of the terminally ill in Great Britain. She wanted to determine whether the hospice movement in that country could be integrated into the U.S. health care system. In 1971, she and an interdisciplinary group from Yale and the New Haven, Conn., community established the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, the first hospice in the United States.  Three decades later, through more than 3,100 programs in the United States, dying patients and their families can choose compassionate palliative care that aims to ease their suffering when aggressive medical measures are no longer appropriate. More than 540,000 people received hospice care in 1998 alone. 

In recogniton of her major role in creating this movement, Wald will be presented with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. She will also speak at the the College of Nursing convocation at 10 a.m. May 12 in Hendricks Chapel.  “In the hospice arena, Florence Wald is credited with being the ‘mother’ of the hospice movement in this country,” says Mary Lerner, president of the Hospice Foundation of Central New York. “She was so instrumental in implementing the first hospice in the early years. She is an important voice in health care.” A 1938 graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Wald received a master’s degree in nursing from Yale University in 1941 and a master’s degree from Yale University Graduate School in 1956.  She held staff nursing and research positions in Boston and New York, and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. She then taught psychiatric nursing at Rutgers University and Yale. For nine years, she was acting dean and then dean of the Yale School of Nursing, where she fostered a change in orientation toward research into nursing practice.  Wald was named a Distinguished Woman of Connecticut by Gov. Ella Grasso in 1976. In 1980, the Connecticut Nurses Association established the Florence Wald Award for Contributions to Nursing Practice. She received the Founders Award from the National Hospice Organization in 1987 and the Contributions to Hospice Award from the National Association of Home Care in 1990, and was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1998. She has received honorary doctorates from Mount Holyoke, the University of Bridgeport and Yale. In 2000, an anonymous donor fully endowed a chair at Yale in her honor.  She continues to work in the hospice movement. Currently, she is striving to set up hospice units in American prisons.