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Anne W. Manning – (901) 448-4072

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957

 

UTHSC to Confer Its First Honorary Degree on Howard Baker

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            Memphis. Tenn. (May 15, 2007) – The Honorable Howard H. Baker, Jr., former U.S. senator, will receive the first honorary degree ever conferred by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).  Baker will be granted the Doctorate of Healthcare Leadership at the UTHSC graduation, which is set for 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 25 at the FedEx Forum.

            One of four generations of University of Tennessee alumni, Baker will also give the commencement address to the 508 members of the UTHSC Class of 2007.  These students will help fill an acknowledged gap in the health care workforce — in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, social work and a variety of allied health professions.

The UTHSC doctorate marks the fourth major recognition by the UT system of its distinguished alumnus.  In 2005, Baker received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  In 2003, the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy began operations on the UT Knoxville campus.  The rotunda at the UT College of Law on the Knoxville campus, where he received his law degree in 1949, is named for him.

Baker served in the Senate from 1967 to 1985 during which time he was both Minority (1977 to 1981) and Majority Leader (1981 to 1985).  He gained national prominence in 1973 as vice chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee.  From February 1987 to July 1988, he served as President Reagan’s chief of staff.  Baker held the position of U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2001 to 2005.

Among the many awards Baker has garnered are the 1984 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and the Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Performed by an Elected Official.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is focused on a four-tier mission of education, research, clinical care and public service, all in support of a single goal: to improve the health of Tennesseans.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus, with its six colleges, is in Memphis.  UTHSC has additional College of Medicine campus locations in Knoxville and Chattanooga.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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