USU to Confer Five Honorary Degrees

Influential Utah Senator Robert Bennett, long-time champion for Utah’s agricultural community and for higher education, has been named commencement speaker for Utah State University’s 121st graduation ceremony. He will join a group of four other prominent individuals who will receive honorary doctorates during the event May 2 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan.

Others receiving honorary doctorates are: Marc C. Bingham, entrepreneur and Utah businessman; Huey D. Johnson, pioneering conservationist and environmental policymaker; Bonnie D. Parkin, former Relief Society President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Bertrand D. Tanner, eminent micrometeorologist and scientific entrepreneur, who will be honored posthumously.

 

“Honorary degrees are one of the most important ways we have to recognize people for the commitment and the sacrifices they have made to make this world a better place,” said USU President Stan L. Albrecht. “These individuals have made their marks in a number of ways and in a number of fields, but all of them deserve honor for their passion and determination to serve others.

 

“We are truly honored that Senator Bennett has accepted our offer to give the commencement address,” Albrecht said. “He has worked tirelessly throughout a long public-service career to better the lives of his constituents, including those of us at Utah State University.”

Bob Bennett has been serving the citizens of Utah with distinction since elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992. Bennett has a reputation of being a legislator who offers creative and common-sense solutions to issues important to Utahns and the nation.

 

He has been at the forefront of health care reform and is the leading Republican cosponsor of the Healthy Americans Act, the first major bipartisan health care reform legislation in more than a decade. As a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee and a member of the distinguished Joint Economic Committee, he is at the center of national economic policy discussions. From his seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Bennett works to balance fiscal discipline in government while also representing the needs of Utah in the distribution of federal funds.

 

Energy and public lands issues are among the top concerns of Utahns because of the state’s unique wilderness, vast amounts of federal land and rich energy resources. A leader in energy and public lands issues, Bennett has earned a seat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is the ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water.

 

Named an “Emerging Leader in a Post-September 11 Senate” by Congressional Quarterly Magazine, Bennett has received numerous awards for his contributions in the U.S. Senate. Prior to his election to the Senate in 1992, Bennett earned distinction in entrepreneurial and government activities. His success as chief executive officer of the Franklin International Institute earned Bennett recognition as Inc. Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” for the Rocky Mountain region.

 

Marc C. Bingham, a native and resident of Vernal, has been instrumental in developing the community and economy of eastern Utah, and his efforts have made lasting contributions to the lives of people throughout the state. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to start PDC, Phone Directory Company, which has been recognized for excellence by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week and Utah Business magazines. He and his wife, Debbie, donated $15 million to USU to fund construction of the Bingham Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center at the university’s Uintah Basin Campus. At the time, the gift was the largest private gift in USU’s history. In addition to his skill as an uncanny business leader, his work as a humanitarian is equally compelling. He has impacted many lives both through his business efforts and through his own personal resources. He received a bachelor’s degree from USU in Wildlife Management.

 

Huey D. Johnson is an environmental and practical visionary, widely recognized throughout a career that spans the globe. He is founder and president of the Resource Renewal Institute, an incubator for transformational ideas about how natural resources should be managed. He is founder of many organizations, including the Aldo Leopold Society, the Grand Canyon Trust, the Trust for Public Land and the Green Belt Movement International. He served as president of The Nature Conservancy and was its Western Regional Director for nine years. He is active in environmental affairs worldwide, serving on boards, advising political leaders, writing and lecturing. Johnson received numerous awards, including the President’s Award for Sustainable Development in 1996 and the Sasakawa Prize, awarded by the United Nations in 2001 to honor his outstanding contributions to the environment. He received a master’s degree in Wildlife Management from USU.

 

Bonnie D. Parkin has had an impact on the lives of untold numbers of women and families around the world. She was General President of the Relief Society Presidency for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for five years, during which she impacted the spiritual and educational development of more than five million LDS women in 165 countries. But she also reached out to non-LDS women and families as well, working in partnership with the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the American Red Cross to help people in need. She received a bachelor’s degree from USU in Early Childhood Development and Elementary Education. She served as a member of the LDS Church Board of Education and as a member of the boards of trustees at Brigham Young University, BYU Idaho, BYU Hawaii and LDS Business College. She has devoted most of her adult life to the service of her family, her church and various civic and charitable organizations.

 

Bertrand D. Tanner made important contributions to the scientific community in a number of scientific fields throughout his career at Campbell Scientific. He will receive the honorary degree posthumously. Tanner joined Campbell Scientific in 1978 as the 14th employee to begin his 30-year career as vice president of Marketing and Customer Service. He played a significant role in the growth, development and diversity of Campbell Scientific, contributing to the company’s international recognition for innovative instrumentation. He had a sincere interest in the careers of young scientists and a keen eye for talent at its early stages. Scores of the best environmental scientists worldwide acknowledge his influence in their careers. His honors include an Honorary Ph.D. in Meteorology from the American Meteorological Society, American Society of Agronomy Fellow and he was a Certified Consulting Meteorologist with American Meteorological Society. He passed away peacefully in September 2008 following a four-month battle with esophageal cancer.