(SitNews) - Known by the Latin phrases honoris causa ("for the sake of the honour") or ad honorem ("to the honour"), an honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university has waived all of the usual requirements. The degree is typically a doctorate and conferred as a way of honouring a distinguished person's contributions to a specific field or to society in general. The practice dates back to the Middle Ages, when for various reasons a university might be persuaded, or otherwise see fit, to grant exemption from some or all of the usual statutory requirements for the award of a degree. The earliest honorary degree on record was awarded to Lionel Woodvill in the late 1470s by the University of Oxford. He later became Bishop of Salisbury.

University of Alaska institutions have recently awarded honorary degrees to persons around the state during their 2022 Commencement Ceremonies.

University of Alaska Southeast (UAS)

Two individuals received honorary degrees from the University of Alaska Southeast. David Kiffer received an Honorary of Doctor of Humane Letters and Beth Kerttula received an Honorary Doctor of Laws.

Ketchikan: David Kiffer Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

David (Dave) Kiffer is a community leader in Ketchikan and an important figure in the arts and letters of Southeast Alaska. He has worn many hats in his lifetime including journalist, regional historian, teacher, poet, musician, and mayor.

He is currently the education coordinator at the Ketchikan Correctional Center and previously was the long-time executive director of Historic Ketchikan, a non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation and sustainable historic tourism in Southeast Alaska. A noted columnist for local newspapers and websites such as the Ketchikan Daily News and SitNews, he has written hundreds of articles on regional history, exploring a wide range of topics and providing unparalleled documentation of many forgotten aspects of our history. He has also written and published hundreds of poems.

Kiffer is a leading figure on Ketchikan’s music scene and leads his own popular jazz band as well as performing with numerous other groups in the area. He also taught private woodwind lessons to Ketchikan youth and adults for more than 20 years. He has been an adjunct professor at UAS-Ketchikan for 25 years, most recently teaching a very successful course in music appreciation for UAS.

He is currently the City of Ketchikan Mayor and has served on the City Council for the past eight years. He previously served as Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor and as a member of the Ketchikan borough assembly. He has served statewide on the Alaska Humanities Forum, the Alaska Center for the Book and on the executive boards of the Alaska Municipal League and the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

Kiffer has worked as a journalist in Alaska, Los Angeles, Boston and Wyoming and has written articles that appeard on the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Seattle Times, and the Anchorage Daily News among many others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism from Northeastern University in Boston and a Master’s Degree in poetry and Irish Studies from Poets’ House at Lancaster University in Donegal, Ireland.

UAS Chancellor Karen Carey remarked, “Mr. Kiffer is truly deserving of this award. Honorary doctorates recognize people in our communities who have gone above and beyond to contribute to the state of Alaska and beyond. From journalist to musician, Mr. Kiffer has done it all and this recognition exemplifies his concern for all Alaskans.”

Roy and Tina McPherson of McPherson Music note, “We can think of no one during our many years in Ketchikan who has made such a widespread contribution to the historical awareness, political growth and adaptation, and cultural well- being of our community. Dave continues to interact with our citizens and neighbors in a consistently positive, intelligent, and respectful way. His sense of humor and goodwill are always apparent and welcome to those around him.”

Juneau: Beth Kerttula, Honorary Doctor of Laws

Kerttula has lived in Alaska most of her life. Her family’s roots go back to 1935 and the settling of the Matanuska Valley. Her father, Jalmar (Jay) Kerttula served 34 years in the Alaska State Legislature, holding the distinguished positions of both House Speaker and Senate President.  Beth grew up between the cities of Juneau (during the legislative session) and Palmer (when session was out), graduating from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1974. 

Kerttula went on to Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, then to Santa Clara University School of Law for her Juris Doctor degree. Kerttula returned to Alaska as a young lawyer, beginning as a law clerk in the Alaska Court System. She was a public defender, counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and served eight years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Alaska Department of Law specializing in natural resource issues, including oil and gas. Beth eventually followed in her father’s footsteps and successfully ran for political office, representing Juneau in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1998 to 2014. She was House Minority Leader from 2007 to 2014.

In 2014, Kerttula left her legislative seat to accept a position at Stanford University as a Visiting Fellow with the Center for Ocean Solutions. A few months later she was appointed by the Obama Administration to run the newly created National Ocean Council Office, representing 27 federal agencies, state and tribal governments, as well as a host of other stakeholders. Again, she was known for her ability to work with diverse parties. In her time with the National Ocean Council, Kerttula implemented the National Ocean Plan and coordinated the nation’s first two regional marine plans (New England and Mid-Atlantic). As the National Ocean Council Director, she was presented with a U.S. Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest recognition the Commandant may bestow on a civilian. She was also given the Office of Science and Technology Policy Director’s Award for Excellence for helping coordinate the first visit to the Arctic by a sitting U.S. president.

In addition, Kerttula has been a Council of State Governments Toll Fellow, a Roosevelt Fellow, and a Center for Women’s Policy Studies Foreign Institute Fellow. Pieces of her work with the Department of Law and the Alaska Legislature are renowned, including Alaska’s cruise ship pollution legislation. She has been president of the Alaska Bar Association, and chair of the Legal Council of the Coastal States Organization. Beth is a member of the Alaska Native Sisterhood (Camp 2), and the Fil-Am and Filipino Communities of Juneau.

Chancellor Karen Carey noted, “Beth is so deserving of this award. She has served in numerous capacities for the state of Alaska from the Alaska House of Representatives, to her being appointed by President Barack Obama as the Director of the National Oceans Council, to serving on the Arctic Policy Commission. She is devoted member of the community and it is an honor for UAS to present the Honorary Doctorate to Beth.” 

The University of Alaska Fairbanks

Three individuals received honorary degrees from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2022.

Fairbanks: Dermot Cole Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Cole, a longtime Fairbanks author and journalist, grew up on a rural Pennsylvania farm, moved to Alaska after studying at Chinese University of Hong Kong and Montana State University. He graduated from UAF with a journalism degree in 1979.

While a student at UAF, Cole began working at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner as a sports reporter. His role at the newspaper expanded to include politics, business, the environment, the arts and a long-running column. He also spent four years as a columnist for the Alaska Dispatch News.

Cole currently writes a blog, “Reporting from Alaska,” which provides political analysis and commentary.

Cole is also a noted historian, writing five books on Alaska and Fairbanks.

His many honors include awards from the Fairbanks Historical Preservation Foundation, Midnight Sun Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the UAF Alumni Association. 

Arctic Village: Sarah James Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Sarah James was born in Arctic Village, raised by her parents in traditional subsistence activities with respect for air, water, land, life and sky.

James left home to attend Chemawa Indian School in Oregon, graduating in 1967, then moved to San Francisco to attend Heald Business College and work for Blue Shield Insurance.

James moved back to Arctic Village in 1970, serving as the village health aide, a preschool teacher and special education aide.

In 1988, James was appointed by Gwich’in elders to serve as a spokesperson for the Gwich’in Steering Committee.

A founding member and board chair of the organization, she traveled the world for 30 years to educate audiences about the Gwich’in people and the importance of sustainable stewardship.

She has received many national honors related to her decades of advocacy against oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

James continues her work now as Neets'aii Gwich'in spokesperson on Arctic Refuge issues for the tribal governments of Arctic Village, Venetie and Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government.

Akiak: Michael Williams Sr. Honorary Doctor of Laws

Williams grew up in Akiak, learning traditional Indigenous subsistence skills and culture.

Leaving home to attend Chemawa Indian Boarding School in Oregon, he was an outstanding high school athlete and his class president, graduating in 1972. 

After losing six of his brothers to suicide and alcohol-related deaths, Williams became an advocate for sober living and a traditional lifestyle focused on Indigenous culture and language.

He used the Iditarod to promote a message of sobriety, winning the race’s Most Inspirational Musher award three times.

As an advocate for Indigenous education, Williams is a longtime board member for the Yupiit School District (Akiachak, Akiak, and Tuluksak) and served on the Alaska State Board of Education.

He served as an advisor to a veterinary program offered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Colorado State University to provide services to communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area.

University of Alaska Anchorage

Quoting a news release from the University of Alaska Anchorage, an honorary degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage is evidence of a significant and lasting contribution to the university, the state of Alaska or to the individuals' discipline or profession. 

Velma Wallis Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Bringing the stories of Alaska to the world, the writing of Velma Wallis has broadened our connection with the wider community. Wallis draws from her Gwich’in Athabaskan tradition and upbringing, translating rare oral stories or sharing deeply personal experiences to weave tales compelling to contemporary readers.

Growing up in Fort Yukon, Wallis lived for years in her late father’s hunting cabin, subsisting on what the land and the river provided. Her mother taught her traditional skills and stories. These experiences form the basis for her best-selling books. 

Wallis’ first book, 1993’s Two Old Women — translated into 17 languages — and second book, 1996’s Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun, were groundbreaking novels about Athabaskan struggle and survival. Wallis broke the mold for her third book, 2003’s Raising Ourselves, writing a memoir detailing her hard-scrabble upbringing.

Wallis was a recipient of the Western States Book Award in 1993, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award in 1994 and the American Book Award in 2003. Perhaps most importantly, Wallis’ books have given future Alaska Native writers permission to explore the traditions, legends and more critical aspects of their cultures.

Anne Zink Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

In Alaska, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hashtag #ThinkLikeZink was trending on social media and became the mantra of health professionals across the state as they looked to Anne Zink, chief medical officer for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), for guidance. Zink’s in good company with other health leaders across the country, who garnered social media followings during the pandemic, but it was her calm demeanor, ability to communicate effectively and relatability in a time of uncertainty that earned her praise. 

Working with state officials, she created effective, data-driven policies to successfully slow the explosive nature of the COVID-19 virus and helped coordinate a statewide vaccination campaign, which since for months was the most successful for the U.S. for per capita vaccinations, and to date Alaska has one of the fewest deaths per capita due to COVID-19.

Originally from Colorado and the daughter of doctors, Zink saw firsthand the transformative power of medicine. After earning her medical degree from Stanford University and performing her residency in Utah, she moved with her husband to Palmer in 2010 and began work as the emergency medical director for the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Focusing on improving patient health and cost savings to the region's most vulnerable residents, Zink helped create the High-Utilizer Mat-Su (HUMS) program. Even as the pandemic started to take hold at the end of 2019, Zink was still working shifts in the emergency room.

It was her emergency room experience that prepared her for the maelstrom the pandemic would leave in its wake. In an April 2020 Alaska Public Media article, Zink said her ER work allowed her to see the holes in Alaska’s health care system and policies. Her desire to make actionable change launched her into the political sphere and ultimately made her the best candidate for the chief medical officer at the state. 

Zink subscribes to the “party of health” when asked of her political affiliation and her work leading the state through an unprecedented pandemic exemplifies her unwavering commitment to caring for Alaska residents in every corner of the state.








Source of News:

University of Alaska Southeast:
www.uas.edu

University of Alaska Fairbanks:
www.uaf.edu

University of Alaska Anchorage:
www.uaa.alaska.edu

 

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