On April 16, Saint Mary’s College sent out an email releasing the name of the 2024 commencement speaker as well as the individuals who will receive honorary doctoral degrees during the commencement ceremony.
According to the email sent out announcing these three women, Patti Phillips will deliver the 2024 Commencement address.
Phillips is the current chief executive officer of Women Leaders in Sports and the former executive director of the Kansas City Sports Commission’s Women’s Intersport Network.
“Her story will inspire our graduates and the Commencement audience,” Saint Mary’s College President Katie Conboy said in an email. “We are so pleased to confer upon her the degree of honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.”
Michelle Egan, chair of the Commencement Committee and special assistant to the President, helped appoint the commencement speaker and believes her voice will be beneficial and meaningful for this year’s graduating class.
“She is committed to developing women leaders in sports and beyond. She is a charismatic leader who will be a very powerful voice for our graduates to hear before they leave Saint Mary’s,” Egan said in a later email.
When asked about the process of choosing the speakers and the honorees, Egan explained they choose from a list of nominees compiled from names submitted from students, staff, faculty, trustees and alumnae. From that list, they choose individuals to recognize “for outstanding achievements in their respective fields, significant contributions to the life of the College and/or their contributions to other recognized organizations nationally or internationally.”
Alongside Phillips, Saint Mary’s alumna Frances Bardello Craig ‘64 and humanitarian Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ are being awarded Honorary Doctorates.
Craig is to be honored as an Honorary Doctor of Science, recognizing her contribution to the field of computer strategy and software development. After graduating with her bachelor of science degree in mathematics, she went on to found her own company, Computer Strategies, in 1988. The company has since evolved into hosting nearly 400 employees and been renamed Unanet.
“There’s no hard and fast rule to have an alumna receive an honorary degree every year, but we welcome the opportunity to honor one of our own,” Egan said. “[Craig] has broken so many glass ceilings throughout her career and is such a positive role model for our graduates.”
Sister Norma Pimentel’s humanitarian work “is reflective of all four of Saint Mary’s core values,” Egan said.
At the United States-Mexico border, Pimentel currently works with and is the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in San Juan, Texas with a focus in ministry oversight and providing shelter, food, and other necessities to migrants coming into America. Since her appointment in 2004, Catholic Charities has provided aid to over 100,000 people at the border.
She is to be honored as an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, recognizing her work as a Sister with the Missionaries of Jesus and for, what Egan says is her “radical imitation of Christ reaching out to the poor.”
“All of these women are noteworthy in their life accomplishments,” Egan said in her email.
