EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University will present honorary degrees to three distinguished individuals who have contributed to the fields of science, the arts and agriculture at commencement ceremonies Dec. 10 and 11.
The honorary degree recipients are:
- Harm de Blij, former geography editor on ABC'S "Good Morning America," and geography analyst for NBC News. He will receive an honorary doctor of science at the 7 p.m. advanced degree ceremony Dec. 10.
- Clare Fischer, one of the most significant jazz pianists and arrangers of our time and winner of two Grammy Awards. He will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts at the 1 p.m. undergraduate ceremony Dec. 11.
- John (Jack) G. Laurie, president of the Michigan Farm Bureau, a champion of the use of university-based research to help solve society's problems in Michigan and on a national level. He will receive an honorary doctor of agriculture at the 1 p.m. undergraduate ceremony Dec. 11.
Also scheduled to receive honorary degrees are Stephen Jay Gould, a noted evolutionary biologist and author from Harvard, who will speak and receive an honorary doctor of science at the 9 a.m. ceremony Dec. 11; and George F. Vande Woude, the first director of the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, who will speak and receive an honorary doctor of science at the 7 p.m. ceremony Dec. 10.
All commencement ceremonies will take place at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
Biographies of the honorary degree recipients follow:
HARM DE BLIJ (DUH BLAY)
Harm de Blij is a respected scientist, educator, author and interpreter of the complexities of human interactions with the environment in different world areas. As a communicator of the science of geography, he has enlightened both the American public and colleagues in his field.
A former MSU geography professor, he is currently the John Deaver Drinko Professor of Geography at Marshall University.
For seven years he was the geography editor on ABC's "Good Morning America," and in 1996 he joined NBC News as a geography analyst. In his role as a television geographer he has appeared from locations throughout the United States and around the world, using his trademark maps to explain the geographic background to major events.
He has published more than 30 books, including scientific, educational and popular titles, including "Wine: a Geographic Appreciation," "Earth 88: Geographic Perspectives" and "Nature on the Rampage." He also served as a commentator on "The Power of Place," a 1996-97 Public Broadcasting Service series. He was founding editor of the National Geographic Society's scholarly journal National Geographic Research.
De Blij received a joint Emmy Award from the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and was named a Distinguished Geography Educator by the National Geographic Society. He received a Silver Medal from the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin in Paris.
Born in the Netherlands, he received his early schooling in Europe, his college education in Africa and his advanced degrees at Northwestern University. He was acting director of the MSU African Studies Center for nine years in the1960s. In 1969 he left to join the faculty at the University of Miami, Fla., where he chaired the Department of Geography. He has been back at MSU as a visiting professor.
CLARE FISCHER
Jazz professionals recognize Clare Fischer as one of the most original and creative composers, arrangers and pianists of our time. He has recorded more than 40 albums and received two Grammy Awards for his albums "Salsa Picante plus 2 + 2" and "Free Fall."
He has composed and arranged more than 100 albums and compact discs for other artists, including jazz artists and pop performers Dizzy Gillespie, Branford Marsalis, Paul McCartney, Natalie Cole, Michael Jackson, "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince," Celine Dion, Robert Palmer, Vanessa Williams and Peabo Bryson.
Fischer, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most significant American composers and one of the greatest living jazz pianists and arrangers.
His music balances spontaneity and highly sophisticated organization, and incorporates melodic and rhythmic elements that are rooted in the folk music of America, as well as the classical music of early 20th century European composers.
He was one of the first musicians to bring authentic bossa nova and samba forms into the common practice of American musicians. While other artists imitated these styles, he assimilated into the Latin American culture, studied the music seriously and learned from the Latin musicians.
Fischer was born in Durand and received his master's degree in composition from MSU, after which he traveled extensively with "The Hi-Lo's" as a pianist-conductor for five years. In 1983 he was commissioned to write a symphonic work using Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn themes.
He has spent time as a jazz educator, performing solo piano concerts and conducting clinics and master classes in universities and conservatories in Europe and throughout the United States. In October 1998 he performed at the Choro Festival with Hélio Delmiro in Brazil.
JOHN (JACK) G. LAURIE
John (Jack) G. Laurie's leadership, vision and service across a broad spectrum of agriculture and agribusiness activities have benefited citizens in Michigan and beyond.
He has been a champion of university-based research to help solve society's problems, in Michigan and on the national level.
A Tuscola County dairy and cash crop farmer, Laurie was elected president of the Michigan Farm Bureau in 1986. He has been a member of that organization's board of directors since 1966 and served as the board's vice president from 1977 until 1986.
Laurie graduated from Michigan State University in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics. He was a member of the first class of the Kellogg Farmer's Study Program in 1966. He lends his support to various MSU events including the annual Agricultural Exposition in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
He has served as a member of various industry organizations and associations including the Michigan Milk Producers Association, the Michigan Livestock Exchange, the Michigan Dairy Herd Improvement Association and his local farmers' cooperative elevator.
In 1991 he was appointed chairperson of the State Fair Council by Gov. John Engler. In 1993 he was named to the Michigan Inter-national Trade Coalition and in 1994 served as a member of the Task Force on Michigan Farmland and Agriculture Development.
On the national level he has served as a member of the 7th District Federal Reserve Agriculture Advisory Council and was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the National Commission on Dairy Policy and the Commission for the Improvement of Federal Crop Insurance Program.
In 1989 he was elected to the board of directors of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) representing the Midwest region and has been named to serve as a member of the AFBF executive committee to represent the Midwest regional states.
STEPHEN JAY GOULD
As a respected lecturer, science writer and columnist, Stephen Jay Gould's views on evolution have sparked worldwide debate. He challenges people to think about science and its complex social consequences, and asks people to examine their relationship with science.
Gould approaches topics that are often deemed controversial, such as scientific arguments for racial equality, theories on the nature of excellence, humanity's amazing but not miraculous origins, Darwin's revolutionary breakthrough in thought and the millennium.
He has been the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University since 1982 and professor of geology and curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology since 1973.
Discover magazine named him Scientist of the Year in 1981. He received the Glenn T. Seaborg Award for contributions to public interest in science in 1986.
Gould received the National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism in 1980 and in 1981 received an American Book Award for "The Panda's Thumb" and the National Book Critic's Circle Award for "The Mismeasure of Man." In 1991 he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his non-fiction work "Wonderful Life."
He has written more than 15 books on science, including "Bully for Brontosaurus," "Ever Since Darwin" and "Rock of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life." His latest collection of essays is entitled "Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms."
He was among the first recipients of the McArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship and was awarded the Silver National Medal from the Zoological Society of London. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Gould's passion for baseball was featured on Ken Burns' Public Broadcasting System documentary "Baseball."
GEORGE F. VANDE WOUDE
George F. Vande Woude is an internationally recognized expert in molecular oncology who has made remarkable contributions to cancer research as a scientist, as director of a national laboratory and as a mentor of young researchers.
Vande Woude founded and is president of the Foundation for Advanced Cancer Studies, which sponsors annual meetings on oncogenes and cancer genetics and tumor suppressor genes that are designed to accommodate and encourage participation by young investigators.
Vande Woude, the first director of the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, earned his master of science and doctoral degrees at Rutgers University.
He served as a research virologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Plum Island Animal Disease Center. In 1972 he joined the National Cancer Institute as head of the Human Tumor Studies and Virus Tumor Biochemistry sections and, in 1980, was appointed chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology.
In 1983 he became director of the ABL-Basic Research Program at the National Cancer Institute's Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, a position he held until 1988. Vande Woude served as director of the Division of Basic Sciences at the National Cancer Institute until 1999 when he became director at the Van Andel Institute.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including election to the National Academy of Sciences, a Merit Award from the National Institutes of Health and a Lifetime Achievement Award in Technology Transfer from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
He is the founding editor of "Cell Growth and Differentiation," served as co-editor of "Advances in Cancer Research" and has served as editor or adviser to numerous scientific journals. He holds numerous memberships in medical societies including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association for Cancer Research.
Vande Woude is the author of more than 240 scientific research articles and more than 60 books or monographs.