Recipients of Honorary Degrees

Dr. Helen Hennessy Vendler Doctor of Humane Letters Presenter: Dean Judy Schaaf, BA, MA, MLitt, PhD, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Helen Hennessy Vendler is highly regarded for her writings on poetry, notably her studies of Shakespeare's sonnets, Keats' odes, and contemporary poetry in English. She has been poetry critic for The New Yorker since 1978, and her more than 300 essays and reviews have been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The London Review of Books. She is the author and/or editor of 18 books, including "The Art of Shakespeare”s Sonnets," an illuminating poem-by-poem analysis of all 154 sonnets. Dr. Vendler, who lectures frequently in both the U.S. and Europe, has received the Lowell Prize, National Book Critics Award, and Truman Capote Award. She has been a Fulbright Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, Overseas Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge, and Charles Stewart Parnell Fellow at Magdalen College, Cambridge. She has received honorary degrees from a number of schools, including Columbia University, Smith College, and Trinity College in Dublin.	Dr. Margaret Geller Doctor of Science                Presenter: Professor Alan Hirshfeld, BA, MS, PhD Dr. Margaret Geller is internationally known for her work on "Mapping the Universe," a pioneering three-dimensional map of the large-scale structure of the universe. Professor of astronomy at Harvard University, she has produced six films, among them the award-winning "Where the Galaxies Are" and "Mapping the Universe," broadcast by NBC, ABC, CNN, and the Christian Science Network. Recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship for 1990-1995, Dr. Geller is the author or co-author of more than 150 scientific articles and more than 15 popular articles. She has been elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Sigma Xi, and the National Academy of Science, and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. The second woman to receive a doctorate in physics from Princeton University, Dr. Geller has received a number of awards and honors; serves on more than 40 national and international committees; and has lectured at, among other universities, Johns Hopkins, Brandeis, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley Doctor of Humane Letters         Presenter: Trustee Brian T. MacDonald Most Reverend Sean Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap., has become a widely admired figure in the area since becoming the sixth bishop of Fall River in August, 1992. Spiritual leader of nearly 400,000 Catholics in 109 parishes in southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, Marthašs Vineyard, and Nantucket, he prepared for the priesthood at St. Fidelis Seminary and Capuchin College in Washington, DC. He was professed in 1965 in the Capuchin Order, dedicated to the traditions of St. Francis of Assisi, and in 1970 was ordained a priest in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He has a masteršs degree in religious education, and a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese Literature, from the Catholic University of America, where he taught from 1969 to 1973. He has worked extensively with Hispanic, Portuguese, and Haitian communities. He was ordained Coadjutor Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands in 1984, and a year later became ordinary of the Caribbean diocese. An active member of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Catholic Conference, Bishop Sean has served on numerous committees. In 1998, the Holy Father appointed him to the Special Assembly for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops, held at the Vatican. He has also served as Apostolic Visitator for several seminaries in Central America and the Caribbean.	Frank B. Sousa Jr. Doctor of Business Administration Presenter: Donald H. Ramsbottom, BS, Executive Director, UMASS Dartmouth Foundation                                                      Frank B. Sousa Jr. is a longtime, ardent supporter of UMass Dartmouth. His involvement began in 1986 with establishment of the Coors Veterans Memorial Scholarship Fund, a cooperative effort of Coors Brewing Co. and Colonial Wholesale Beverage. As administrator from 1986 to 1990, Sousa oversaw the award of a number of renewable tuition scholarships. He joined what was then the SMU Foundation Board of Directors in 1988, has served as its vice chairperson and treasurer, and currently chairs the UMass Dartmouth Foundation Board. Sousa was instrumental in the founding of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, and serves as its advisor. He is also a member of the Bilateral Commission of the UMass Dartmouth and Luso-American Development Center, and is a board member of the university's Family Business Center. He is involved in numerous community organizations: he is treasurer of the Bristol County Convention and Visitors Bureau; serves as executive committee member of the Greater Fall River Development Corp; sits on the Headmaster's Council of Coyle-Cassidy High School; and has been an executive committee member and nominating chair for the United Way of Greater Fall River.

	News and Highlights
	• News
	• Image Gallery
	• Slide Show
	• Video Clips
	Graduating Students
	• Alphabetical List
	• Graduate Degrees
	• Undergraduate Degrees
	Schedule of Events
	Information
	Commencement Speaker
	Miscellaneous
	• Academic Costume
	• Alma Mater
	• The Mace

Print this page