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2009 Honorary Degree Award Recipients |
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2009 Honorary Degree and Granite State Award Recipients
Honorary Degrees
Commencement Speaker Gary Hirshberg (Doctor of Humane Letters)
Chairman, President and CEO, Stonyfield Farm, Inc., Londonderry, N.H.
As the “CE-Yo” of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer, Gary Hirshberg is a world-renowned speaker on topics that include sustainability, climate change, green business, organic agriculture, and sustainable economic development. Hirshberg has overseen Stonyfield Farm’s phenomenal growth, from its infancy as a seven-cow organic farming school in 1983 to its current $320 million in annual sales. Hirshberg has shown continual commitment to further environmental and sustainable initiatives through Stonyfield’s support of the University of New Hampshire’s organic research dairy farm, and service on corporate and non-profit boards.
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UNH Professor Emeritus Dennis L. Meadows (Doctor of Humane Letters)
President, Laboratory for Interactive Learning
In 1972, Dennis Meadows was the lead scientist and co-author of The Limits to Growth, a publication now thought to be one of the 20th Century’s most influential environmental books. The Limits to Growth is credited with bringing recognition to the idea that large-scale industrial activities and population growth could destroy the foundations of humanity. Events over the past three decades have reinforced the book’s arguments and have influenced policy-making at national and international levels. In 2009, Meadows was awarded the Japan Prize, one of the world's most prestigious awards in science and technology, from the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan.
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Richard G. Verney (Doctor of Humane Letters)
Chairman and CEO, Monadnock Paper Mills, Bennington, N.H.
Under Richard Verney’s leadership, Monadnock Paper Mills has been recognized for its environmental stewardship, earning the Governors Award for Pollution Prevention and the Cornerstone Award from New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility. All of Monadnock’s printing and packaging papers are manufactured carbon neutral using 100 percent renewable electricity. The Company also owns and operates a state-of-the-art waste water treatment facility that reclaims 100% of their process waste fibers for use as agricultural compost and animal bedding. Verney is president of the Gilbert Verney Foundation, which supports philanthropic causes focusing on New England wildlife, conservation, education, and outreach.
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Granite State Award Recipients
William S. Bartlett, Jr.
Bill Bartlett, a New Hampshire senator from 1982-1990, has been an agent of change during the administrations of Governors Jeanne Shaheen, Craig Benson, and John Lynch. He has served as the commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development, as acting director of the Fish and Game Department, as president of New Hampshire Community Technical College, as chair of the committee examining the state retirement system, and as chairman of the Pease Development Authority. He is credited with overseeing the development of the trade port to nearly 100 tenants and thousands of employees with a $150 million economic ripple effect on the Seacoast region of New Hampshire.
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The Timberland Company, Stratham, NH
Danette Wineberg, Timberland's General Counsel is accepting the award on behalf of The Timberland Company
The Timberland Company is a world leader in the apparel and footwear industry with headquarters in Stratham, N.H. Under CEO Jeff Swartz's leadership, Timberland’s commitment to corporate responsibility is summed up by its motto “Make it Better.” Among many projects and initiatives towards that goal, Timberland provides its employees with an opportunity to serve in their local communities by offering 40 hours of paid time-off each year. Timberland has committed to becoming a carbon neutral enterprise by 2010, using more renewable energy, generating less waste, incorporating more recycled and renewable materials, manufacturing with fewer chemicals, and planting more trees.
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