NOTE: This web page is archived for the Class of 2003. To see the Commencement site for this year's class, click here.

Honorary Degree Recipients

Three individuals will receive honorary degrees from UMass Amherst at Commencement ceremonies May 24-25.

The honorary degree recipients are:

Kathleen A. Cote, University alumna and managing partner of Boston Commerce Ventures; doctor of humane letters;

Steven M. Gluckstern, University alumnus and managing director and chief executive officer, Azimuth Alternative Asset Management, LLLP; doctor of humane letters;

Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico, professor of economics and politics at Yale University, director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization; doctor of laws.

Kathleen A. Cote has more than 25 years of experience in executive management and leadership roles in both emerging technology companies and large multi-national technology organizations. She is currently a managing partner of Boston Commerce Ventures, a business consulting and investment company that provides expertise in strategic, operational, and organizational assessment and development, as well as financial assistance and access to capital. Cote was formerly chief executive officer of Worldport Communications Company, a provider of managed Internet infrastructure services for global companies. She previously held executive positions with Seagrass Partners, Computervision Corp., and Prime Services. Additionally, she has served such organizations as the Massachusetts High Technology Council, the Boston chapter of the Urban League, the Women's Initiative for Technology Leadership, the Massachusetts Private Industry Council, and the Council for Women in High Technology. A 1997 recipient of the Chancellor's Medal, Cote received a bachelor's degree in history from UMass Amherst in 1971, and later earned an MBA from Babson College.

Steven M. Gluckstern is a founding managing director of Azimuth Alternative Asset Management, LLLP, a global alternative asset management company based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1998, he co-founded Capital Z Partners, and 10 years earlier, he was a founder of Centre Reinsurance, which was subsequently acquired by the Zurich Financial Group in 1993. Prior to entering the world of business, Gluckstern spent seven years as a teacher and school administrator. After he received his Ed.D. from the University in 1974, he founded the CHOICE program at Scarsdale Jr. High School, an alternative educational curriculum still in use today. He subsequently was a principal at the Community School in Tehran, Iran, and superintendent of schools in Telluride, Col. In 2001, a $1.7 million gift from Gluckstern was used to help endow two professorships: the Dwight W. Allen Distinguished Professorship in Education Policy and Reform, honoring Dwight Allen, former dean of the School of Education; and the Robert L. Gluckstern Distinguished Professorship of Physics, recognizing Gluckstern's father, Robert, who was professor and head of the department of physics and provost at UMass Amherst during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In addition to his doctorate from UMass Amherst, Gluckstern holds an MBA from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree from Amherst College.

Ernesto Zedillo was president of Mexico from 1994-2000. His previous positions in the national government of Mexico include Secretary of Education (1992-93), Secretary of the Budget and Economic Planning (1988-92), and Undersecretary of the Budget (1987-88). While serving in his education post, Zedillo was a strong supporter of the partnership between UMass Amherst and Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica to build the world's largest radio telescope, a $90 million project that is nearing completion in Puebla, Mexico. From 1978-87, Zedillo held several positions at Mexico's Central Bank. He has taught at numerous academic institutions and is currently director of Yale University's Center for the Study of Globalization and professor of international economics and politics at Yale. Zedillo has received decorations from the governments of 32 countries, and several awards from professional and civic organizations. Zedillo received two master's degrees and his Ph.D. from Yale, and a bachelor's degree in economics from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico.

Zedillo will receive his honorary degree during the Graduate School Commencement Sat. May 24 at 10:30 a.m. in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. Honorary degrees will be conferred on Cote and Gluckstern during undergraduate ceremonies Sun. May 25 at 10 a.m. in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium.