12/3/2002

EAST LANSING, Mich. - For their contributions to higher education, the professions of agriculture and horticulture, and volunteerism in community and charitable organizations, three individuals will be presented with honorary degrees during Michigan State University commencement ceremonies.

Ceremonies will be held at the Jack Breslin Students Events Center on Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7.

The honorary degree recipients are:

• Delia Koo of Okemos, an educator and pioneer of programs helping international students and their families, will receive an honorary doctor of humanities at the 2 p.m. Saturday undergraduate ceremony.
  
  
• Shirley K. Pasant of East Lansing, president of The Athanase and Shirley Pasant Foundation and a volunteer in community service, will receive an honorary doctor of management at the 10 a.m. Saturday undergraduate ceremony.
  
  
• Sylvan Wittwer of Logandale, Nev., noted horticulturalist and former director of the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station, will receive an honorary doctor of agriculture at the 7 p.m. Friday advanced degree ceremony.

Biographies of the honorary degree recipients follow:

DELIA KOO

Delia Koo of Okemos, a teacher and pioneer of programs benefiting international students, has made notable contributions to MSU's international mission and helping international students, spouses and families over the years.

An educator, benefactor and humanitarian, Koo's relationship with MSU began when her husband, Anthony, joined the faculty. In 1983 she created the Volunteer English Tutoring Program, which has helped thousands of international students and their families adapt to American culture and language. She continues to recruit, train and plan services for volunteers, and facilitates all logistics for student course enrollment.

Koo was one of the first recipients of the MSU Philanthropist Award presented by the MSU Alumni Association for her on-going financial support of and leadership to the university.

Through a recent major endowment to MSU, Koo has made possible a third addition to the academic wing of the International Center, providing for both classroom and administrative office space. Additional space will be provided for new and existing academic programs such as the Delia Koo Global Faculty, Delia Koo Global Scholars, the Study Abroad Scholars, visiting faculty programs and various MSU international study centers.

She recently established the Delia Koo Chinese Grant Program, providing approximately $300,000 for undergraduate and graduate scholarships to students from the People's Republic of China to study at MSU.

Koo received her bachelor's degree from St. John's University in Shanghai. She immigrated to the United States in 1941 from China and earned master's and doctoral degrees from Radcliffe College. She earned a second master's degree in mathematics from MSU in 1954. She taught mathematics at Eastern Michigan University for nearly 20 years, published two books in the mathematics fields and held a membership in the Mathematical Association of Michigan.

SHIRLEY K. PASANT

Shirley K. Pasant, a resident of East Lansing and president of The Athanase and Shirley Pasant Foundation, serves as a role model for her support of the educational mission at MSU and leadership in both the university and East Lansing communities.

She serves on the President's Campaign Cabinet and has been an important supporter in launching "The Campaign for MSU." The Shirley Pasant Endowed Scholarship in the School of Hospitality Business, the Pasant Theatre in the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts and support for WKAR-TV are all efforts that have enhanced the university's ability to provide quality educational experiences for MSU students. She is a member of the Kedzie Society in recognition of her history of support of MSU programs.

The A. J. Pasant Endowed Chair in Finance and Insurance, established in the name of her late husband, Athanase (Tony) J. Pasant, a 1949 graduate of MSU, in The Eli Broad College of Business, has helped the college develop one of the top-rated finance departments in the country. Her husband was the founder of the Jackson National Life Insurance Co. and served on the MSU Development Fund board from 1968 to 1973.

In recognition of her contributions supporting her community, Pasant was named "Philanthropist of the Year" in 2000 by the Capital Region Community Foundation. She also is a 2002 recipient of a "Philanthropist Alumni Award" by the MSU Alumni Association.

She is a benefactor of and volunteer with numerous civic organizations in the greater Lansing area, including the Boarshead Theatre, Sparrow Hospital, Ele's Place, Critter Alley Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and the Nokomis Learning Center.

SYLVAN WITTWER

Sylvan Wittwer of Logandale, Nev., has made great contributions to the advancement of technological agriculture and agricultural research. A world-renowned horticulturalist researcher and administrator, he served as director of the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station from 1964 to 1983.

Wittwer, whose original research and studies dealt with the atmospheric carbon dioxide enhancement of the production of food crops, has provided technical assistance to research and development projects in the Near East, Africa, Southeast Asia, South and Central America, China and the Far East. He focused on the findings of science and the experience of practice on enhancing the food security of people throughout the world.

From 1973 to 1977 he served as chairperson of the Board of Agriculture of the National Research Council and also served as a consultant for all international agricultural research centers, all U.S. federal agencies relating to agriculture and environment, the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank.

The author of more than 750 peer-reviewed articles and scientific reports, Wittwer authored the book "Feeding a BILLION," a documentation of Chinese science and agriculture regarding the success of the Chinese in food self-sufficiency for thousands of years.

He received his bachelor of science degree from Utah State College and his doctorate from the University of Missouri. Following his teaching and administrative service at MSU he served as the chief of party and management consult for the Ministry of Agriculture, United States AID in Belize from 1987 to 1989.

His memberships include the American Society for Horticultural Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Botanical Society of America. Wittwer and his wife, Maurine, have four grown children.