University of Utah names 2024 honorary doctorate degree recipients
Humanitarian Pamela J. Atkinson, philanthropist Catherine Roper Meldrum and renowned computer science researcher Steven G. Parker will be awarded honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Utah during its commencement exercises in the Jon M. Huntsman Center on May 2.
Honorary degrees are awarded to individuals who have achieved distinction in academia, the arts, professions, business, government, civic affairs or in service to the university. Recipients are selected by the university’s president, with input from students, staff, faculty, administrators and the Board of Trustees.
“Our university and our state are so fortunate to have good people willing to invest time, attention and money in causes they care about and that benefit others,” said U. President Taylor Randall.
“Cathie, Pamela and Steven have shown through small acts and large ones how to change lives, organizations and communities. They have truly made an impact by paying it forward in ways that will reverberate for years to come,” he said.
Glenn Seninger, chairman of U.’s Board of Trustees’ honors committee said, “Each of this year’s honorary degree recipients engage in compassionate acts that lift individual lives and our community. ... They are guided by gratitude and service, modeling for all of us how to make a meaningful, lasting difference.”
Here’s a brief sketch of each of the honorees:
Pamela J. Atkinson, Doctor of Humane Letters
Pamela Atkinson is a long-time advocate for Utahns experiencing homelessness, the needy and refugees.
She helped found the Lincoln Family Health Center, the Intermountain Neighborhood Clinic and the Rose Park Family Health Center. She has been a trusted advisor to five Utah governors and retired from Intermountain Healthcare where she was vice president of mission services.
Atkinson serves on the State Homeless Coordinating Committee, Envision Utah, the Utah Coalition Against Pornography and the State Refugee Advisory Board. She previously served on the Utah State Board of Regents, the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah College of Applied Technology Board. She collaborates with nonprofit and governmental organizations that serve homeless people and families in Utah, refugees and low-income Utahns.
Catherine “Cathie” Roper Meldrum, Doctor of Humane Letters
Catherine “Cathie” Roper Meldrum knows that making a difference in the world doesn’t happen in a day. “You do it over time and it adds up,” she said.
She and her late husband, Peter, who co-founded Myriad Genetics, created the Meldrum Foundation to benefit educational endeavors, the arts and cultural activities and humanitarian programs.
Their gifts include an endowed professorship in the Department of Chemical Engineering; scholarships honoring their parents at the U. and Westminster University; scholarships for first-generation students; and creation of the Meldrum Theatre and renovation of Meldrum House, where Pioneer Theatre Company’s visiting artists, directors and designers stay.
Meldrum serves on Westminster University’s Woman’s Board and has been an active member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization for 50 years and belongs to Chapter E in Utah.
Steven G. Parker, Doctor of Engineering
Steven G. Parker is a world renowned computer science researcher. He is vice president of professional graphics at NVIDIA, the largest maker of computer graphics hardware.
Parker earned a doctorate degree at the U. specializing in visualization algorithms. After graduating in 1999, Parker joined the faculty, subsequently landing numerous large grants to further research in computer graphics. He created the Center for Interactive Ray-Tracing and Photo Realistic Visualization, which led to a start-up company called RayScale. NVIDIA Inc. acquired the company in 2008 and set up a NVIDIA Research Center in Utah, with Parker as director.
He served as a dedicated member of the Engineering National Advisory Council and he and his wife, MeriAnn, have given major donations to support the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute and the John and Marcia Price Computing and Engineering Building.
