Five distinguished alumni to receive honorary degrees on May 14
Five alumni will receive honorary degrees from UW–Madison during spring commencement.
Ned W. Bechthold, chair of Payne & Dolan Inc., a Waukesha, Wis.-based paving company, will be awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Science; Robert G. Bush, chair emeritus of Schreiber Foods, located in Green Bay, Wis., will be awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Science; Judith R. Faulkner, founder and CEO of Verona, Wis.-based Epic Systems Corporation, will be awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Science; Wade Fetzer III, independent director of the Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc., will receive the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters; and Milton Friend, emeritus scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, will be awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Science.
The university will bestow the honorary degrees during its Ph.D. and professional degrees ceremony on Friday, May 14, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center. That ceremony is the first of five spring commencement ceremonies scheduled for the weekend.
Honorary degrees are awarded in recognition of extraordinary accomplishment and achievement. A Wisconsin connection beyond receiving a degree from the university is not a prerequisite to an honorary degree, but many recipients are connected in some significant way to the state or the university.
The process for awarding the degrees begins with nominations from academic departments to the institution’s 28-member Committee on Honorary Degrees. Nominees who receive the approval of that committee are then recommended to the UW–Madison chancellor, UW System Board of Regents and the UW–Madison Faculty Senate for approval.
Bechthold received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in civil engineering. After serving in the Army, he began a career with Payne & Dolan, his father’s road construction business. Over the years, he grew the company and the industry by advancing innovation in the field. He helped create a center at Auburn University that was devoted to helping to improve the asphalt industry, with developments that made products more durable, economical, safer and better for the environment.
His greatest contributions, though, have less to do with asphalt than they do with his devotion to his community. He recruited, trained and nurtured minority and female workers in his company, an action that improved the lives for many Milwaukee families. He has played active roles in many community organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Junior Achievement, the Next Door Foundation, Boy Scouts, the Minority Business Enterprise Development Program and the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
Bush received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in food science and spent his professional career with Schreiber Foods, ultimately serving as chairman of the board. The company is the world’s second-largest cheese company, trailing only Kraft Foods. During Bush’s time with the company, Schreiber grew from having one plant and fewer than 50 employees in Green Bay, to 19 plants throughout Wisconsin and in Mexico, Germany and Brazil. He invented machines that revolutionized the company and the industry; they are now sold on the international market. Throughout the years, he fostered a company ethic of food quality, food safety and worker safety.
Bush has served on the boards of many community organizations, assuming leadership roles and giving his time and energy to their causes. This includes 20 years on the board of the Bellin Hospital, where he underwrote its new orthopedic unit; leading a fundraising drive for a free clinic in Northeast Wisconsin; and significant service to the YMCA, United Way, and his county water and library boards. He is also involved with an organization that provides childcare and early education services. Bush has also served on boards for UW–Madison, UW–Green Bay, UW–Oshkosh and St. Norbert College. He has contributed time and business expertise to a number of corporate boards.
Faulkner received her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in computer science and founded Epic Systems in 1979. The company’s software systems help health care institutions become safer, more patient-centered, efficient and quality-conscious. Epic currently employs more than 3,300 people, and 175 health care organizations use the company’s electronic medical record and application software. President Obama has advocated for improved health care information technology and has praised facilities that are using Epic’s systems. Epic’s leadership in health care information technology can be seen in the first-place awards it has received from an independent monitoring organization in the areas of overall vendor, acute care and ambulatory electronic medical records. Faulkner is also one of 13 representatives selected to serve on the U.S. Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which makes policy recommendations to Congress.
Faulkner and Epic have made an enormous economic impact on the Madison and Verona communities. As one of the area’s larger employers, its many employees and visitors have contributed to the well-being of both communities. Local schools and community groups use Epic’s facilities, and Faulkner has supported area groups and organizations. Faulkner has been involved with UW–Madison’s computer science department by serving on its board of visitors and supporting a new program for first-year computer science graduate students.
Fetzer received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in economics and went on to build a distinguished career in investment banking and diversified international business. He retired after 20 years with the Goldman Sachs Investment Foundation and continues to serve on a number of boards.
Fetzer has been generous to the university that started him on his successful professional career by participating in many programs and initiatives. He has served as chairman of the board of the University of Wisconsin Foundation and chaired its last capital campaign, raising $1.7 billion for the university. He also applied his business experience by serving the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the Advisory Council for Athletics and the Wisconsin China Initiative. He has been the driving force behind the Posse Program, which brings gifted minority students from challenged backgrounds to universities, and has been a mentor for the students. He has also dedicated his time and helped nurture student learning in engineering, business, human ecology and student athletes from all disciplines.
Friend received his Ph.D. degree from UW–Madison in veterinary science/wildlife ecology and became a leader and innovator in the area of wildlife disease, conservation and management. In 1973, a waterfowl disease in South Dakota killed thousands of ducks and no organization was able to respond to the emergency or prevent another outbreak. Friend saw that federal action was needed to address national wildlife disease issues. In response, he developed the concept for and created the National Wildlife Health Center in the face of difficult economic and political challenges. His idea eventually grew to become a unit of the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geologic Survey, which is today a critical part of preserving wildlife, human and ecosystem health. The impact of his work can be felt throughout the country and in many parts of the world for his many contributions to wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship.
He has served as member of and technical adviser to many scientific organizations and has received many honors and awards from governmental, educational and civic organizations for his work as a scholar, author, scientist, educator and public servant. He developed wildlife disease biology curricula at universities and schools around the world and has also worked to recruit and retain minority scientists and professionals in the field.
All graduation candidates, guests welcome for Duncan address
UW–Madison’s spring commencement will feature U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as a guest speaker for one of the five commencement ceremonies.
Regardless of which ceremony graduates are scheduled to attend for the conferral of their degree, they and their guests are also invited to attend this special address on Saturday, May 15, at 10 a.m.
Seating for those who wish to hear Duncan will be available in the upper levels of the Kohl Center; seating on the floor and first level will be reserved for those graduating at the 10 a.m. ceremony and their guests.
Graduates will still need to attend their regularly scheduled ceremony to have their name announced and walk across the stage, but are welcome to attend the 10 a.m. session Saturday to hear Duncan.
James Kass, the inspirational founder of Youth Speaks, will address the graduates and their guests at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15; and at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 16. The ceremony on Friday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m. will feature honorary degree recipients.