At the 39th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 3, 248 degrees will be conferred on students who have worked for years to prepare themselves for careers in science and medicine, and who have along the way exemplified the values of UMass Chan by embracing innovation in learning, practicing interdisciplinary collaboration and serving others. The three individuals who will be receiving honorary degrees at this year’s Commencement also exemplify values held by UMass Chan: they include a peace activist who is helping to rebuild the health care infrastructure in a war-torn country; a businessman who was motivated by personal loss to find a way to help others; and a public servant who rose to prominence because of her dedication to serving where she was most needed. Each of them is committed to improving health outcomes by increasing access to care and advancing science through research.
Honorary degrees will be given to Liberian President and Commencement speaker Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Joey Fund founder Joseph O’Donnell and U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the 24th president of Liberia, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the first elected female head of state in Africa. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated passionate commitment to hard work, integrity and good governance, advocating for the rights of women and the importance of education to provide a better future for her country and its people.
Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Johnson Sirleaf attended high school there at the College of West Africa before traveling to the United States to pursue her college studies. She earned a degree in accounting from Madison Business College in Madison, Wis., and continued her studies at the Economics Institute at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She studied economics and public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, earning a master of public administration degree in 1971.
Her entry into politics came in 1972 when she delivered her now-famous commencement address to her high school alma mater in which she sharply criticized the government, showing her determination to speak truth unto power. This was the start of a distinguished professional and political career spanning nearly four decades.
She was named Liberia’s minister of finance in 1979 by then-President William Tolbert and introduced several measures to curb the mismanagement of government finances. After the 1980 military coup d’état, she briefly served as president of the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment before fleeing the country and the increasingly oppressive military government.
Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated at Liberia’s 24th president in January 2006. As president, she has worked tirelessly to rebuild the country by focusing on developing infrastructure, maintaining peace and eradicating corruption, and improving the health care and educational systems of the country. In 2011, Johnson Sirleaf successfully ran for re-election to a second term as president.
Joseph J. O’Donnell
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A prominent Boston entrepreneur who is engaged in a num
