Regents name recipients of honorary degrees for 2010

The University of Colorado Board of Regents has released its list of award recipients for 2010. They will receive their honors at commencement ceremonies beginning Friday, May 7, at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Honorary Degrees

John Archuleta is president of JVA Inc. and founding partner of the National Bank of the Rockies. A CU alumnus, he established a partnership between Mesa State College and the CU-Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science to increase engineering opportunities for Western Slope students. He established the Salvador Archuleta Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory Fund and supported the Discovery Learning Center Building, the Ross B. Corotis Engineering Endowment and the Earn-Learn program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He'll be honored at the CU-Boulder commencement on Friday, May 7.

Robert Berliner is a pioneer in biotechnology patent law and founding member of the intellectual property firm of Robbins, Berliner and Carson L.L.P. After several decades of practice in all aspects of intellectual property, he formed Berliner and Associates, a full-service intellectual property firm specializing in patent, trademark and copyright prosecution, licensing and litigation, in the United States and worldwide. As a license negotiator, Berliner has close familiarity with the special needs of CU's patent portfolio, generously donating his time and expertise to assist in the formation and operations of early stage companies. He'll be honored at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs commencement on Dec. 17.

Zuhair Fayez helped create a new idea for architecture in developing countries to fuse local cultural and architectural traditions with modern ideas of space and construction. He helped in the creation of the first colleges for women in Saudi Arabia. After graduating from the University of Colorado Denver's College of Architecture and Planning, Fayez returned to his homeland to found and nurture what is now Saudi Arabia's largest architecture and engineering firm and arguably the largest firm of its kind in the Middle East. He'll be honored at the CU-Boulder commencement on Friday, May 7.

Michael S. Francis, Ph.D., is a scientist, engineer and entrepreneur. He is known as one of the nation's foremost experts in aerospace science. After receiving his Ph.D. from CU, he rose to leadership positions at Lockheed Martin and continues to serve as a program developer and adviser in the areas of autonomy and unmanned systems at United Technology Corp. Francis is a founding member of the CU-Boulder department of aerospace engineering science's external advisory board. He has guided its strategic planning to poise the department as a national leader in the development of unmanned aircraft systems. He'll be honored at the CU-Boulder commencement on Friday, May 7.

David Lacey, M.D., is senior vice president and head of research for Amgen, the Fortune 500 biotechnology company. In working for Amgen, Lacey has made significant contributions to the biotechnology field and the patients it serves with the discovery of new medicines for treatment of chemotherapy side effects and osteoporosis. He was published before he completed his M.D., teaching and lecturing before completing his postdoctoral training and is among the inventors of six patents. As a result of witnessing many hurdles his son with cerebral palsy has faced, Lacey established a fund for undergraduate students with disabilities to lessen the financial challenges they face while furthering their education at UC Denver. He'll be honored at the UC Denver commencement on Dec. 18.

Greg Mortenson developed and implemented a successful model to build schools in rugged areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. His efforts during the past 16 years have resulted in the building of 131 permanent schools. Thousands of children — two-thirds of them girls — are now able to go to school. Mortenson is the primary author of several best-sellers, including "Three Cups of Tea." His insight on how to bridge the divide between Western and Islamic cultures is required reading for high-ranking military leaders. He'll be honored at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs commencement on May 21.

Distinguished Service Award

Evan Makovsky is a leader in helping change the landscape of downtown Denver. He has been in the real estate business since 1969 and was a major player in the massive downtown Denver facelift. He played a key role in the Skyline Urban Renewal Project and helped the small businesses that had to be relocated by pointing their owners to various programs the city and state had put into place. Makovsky is involved in various charitable activities and is an active member on the University of Colorado Denver Business School's campaign steering committee. He'll be honored at the UC Denver commencement on May 15.

University Medal

Lindsey Phelps, a recent nursing graduate, initiated "bystander CPR" to Leonard Dinegar, CU's senior vice president for administration, in an emergency situation. Though it was not the usual type of nursing situation she was educated to manage, her nursing background and leadership abilities gave her the knowledge and skills to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation to a person in crisis and to continue CPR until the paramedics arrived. The CPR she administered was effective, and a sign of an exemplary clinician. She'll be honored at the Anschutz Medical Campus commencement on May 28.

Two honorees of the regents last year will be receiving their awards at commencements this month:
Josette Sheeran is a journalist and executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. A CU- Boulder alumna, she is a former undersecretary of state for economic, business and agricultural affairs. Previously, she worked as a journalist and managing editor at The Washington Times in Washington, D.C. She'll receive an honorary degree at the CU-Boulder commencement on Friday, May 7.
Janet Mordecai is a registered nurse and nursing education philanthropist who established a Rural Health Nursing Endowed Chair at UC Denver. She also established the Mordecai Palliative Care Research Funding at the CU School of Medicine. She'll receive the University Medal at the Anschutz Medical Campus commencement on May 28.