Honorary degrees go to athlete, producer, former faculty, US representative
Mia Hamm, James Lowe Peacock III, Scott Sanders, Frances Jane Seymour, Dhiren Thakker and Robert J. Wittman will be recognized at Spring Commencement.
Six individuals will receive honorary degrees May 10 at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Spring Commencement ceremony.
Mia Hamm ’94
Doctor of Laws
Widely regarded as the best women’s soccer player in history and one of the most recognized female athletes, Hamm was a member of the Tar Heel women’s soccer team that won four consecutive NCAA championships.
The soccer superstar led U.S. teams that won two FIFA World Cup championships and two Olympic gold medals. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007 and was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.
In 2004, she founded the Mia Hamm Foundation in honor of her brother who died from a rare blood disease. She will deliver the keynote address at Commencement.
James Lowe Peacock III
Doctor of Laws
As one of America’s leading anthropologists, Peacock produced path-breaking scholarship on expressive culture, symbols and religion over the past 50 years.
Peacock amassed a strong record of University service as faculty chair, University Center for International Studies and Carolina Seminars director, Duke-UNC Rotary Center for Peace co-director and anthropology department chair. He participated in Carolina’s strategic efforts to globalize during the 1990s and helped found UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South.
Peacock has received many University honors, including Carolina Alumni’s Faculty Service Award, the Thomas Jefferson and C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service awards, and induction into the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Scott G. Sanders
Doctor of Arts
Sanders has made exceptional contributions to the performing arts and entertainment industry as a prolific theater, film and television producer. He is the principal of Scott Sanders Productions, which has gained a reputation for elevating diverse voices since its founding in 2007.
His work has been recognized with three Tony Awards, an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award.
Sanders has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to philanthropic endeavors, nonprofit organizations and community betterment.
Frances Jane Seymour ’81
Doctor of Laws
A global authority on the role of tropical forests in climate policy, Seymour has published extensively on forest-climate policy, environmental governance and development finance.
She is currently a senior policy adviser to the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, where she works on policy to advance the potential of tropical forests to contribute to the mitigation of climate change.
Her interests in land use, human rights, climate protection and biodiversity have continued unabated since she earned a bachelor’s degree from Carolina.
Dhiren R. Thakker
Doctor of Science
Thakker is a distinguished scholar, researcher and entrepreneur whose work in pharmaceutical sciences has had a lasting global impact. He’s held significant research and leadership roles at the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Glaxo Inc.
In 1996, Thakker joined the faculty at Carolina. At the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, he was interim dean, Eshelman Institute for Innovation director, associate dean for entrepreneurial development and global engagement, associate dean for research and graduate education, and Campbell Faculty Mentoring Program director.
In 2019, Thakker founded Med Aditus International, a nonprofit organization with the goal of improving patients’ access to affordable high-quality medicines.
Rep. Robert J. Wittman ’90 (MPH)
Doctor of Laws
Wittman is a U.S. representative from Virginia with a long record of public service that includes advocacy for the environment, veterans and rural communities.
Wittman has served in public office for nearly 40 years, from town council to state government until his election to the U.S. Congress in 2007.
Wittman brings significant professional expertise in water quality, the environment and fisheries to the House Committee on Natural Resources. As vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Wittman advocates for veterans, focusing on healthcare and transitions to the civilian job market post-service.
Learn more about the honorary degree recipients on the Commencement website.
