JOSEPH A. APPLEYARD, SJ
When Joseph A. Appleyard, SJ, received his bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 1953, it was the beginning of what would be a long, fruitful association for both him and his alma mater.
Beginning in 1967, he served the University for 43 years as a popular and distinguished faculty member in English, director of the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, rector of the Jesuit Community and, finally, as the inaugural Vice President for University Mission and Ministry. Along the way, he made several highly valued contributions to Boston College, enhancing its Jesuit, Catholic mission and articulating the intellectual framework for the University’s approach to student formation and engagement of faculty and staff. He impressed colleagues and students alike with his intelligence, kindness, generosity and dedication to his faith and Jesuit vocation.
In 2010, Fr. Appleyard left the University to serve as executive assistant to the provincial for the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, a job he describes as “part fireman, part air traffic controller.” It is, fellow Jesuits say, a role he excels at, thanks to his ability to inspire trust and to apply the right touches.
In light of his life-long contributions to the University and the Society of Jesus, Boston College is delighted to honor Father Joseph Appleyard and bestow upon him the title Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
WILLIAM V. “BILL” CAMPBELL
Whether strategizing from the football sidelines at Alumni Stadium or the boardrooms of the world’s most innovative high-tech corporations, William V. “Bill” Campbell has always been on top of his game. An All-Ivy League player and team captain at Columbia University, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Boston College before serving as head coach at his alma mater. He then redirected his leadership skills to the technology field – holding top executive positions at such pioneering firms as Apple Computer, Claris Corporation, and Intuit, Inc., where he is currently chairman of the board.
A long-time and generous champion of academic and sports excellence at Boston College and beyond, he has been honored by the National Football Foundation, which placed his name on the award presented each year to the outstanding scholar-athlete in all of college football.
In recognition of a winning career – on the playing fields and off – Boston College proudly confers upon William Campbell the degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa.
NAVYN SALEM
A visit to her father’s native Tanzania first brought 1994 Boston College alumna Navyn Salem face-to-face with the urgent problem of malnutrition and the horror of children dying from hunger. A mother of four daughters, she combined her compassion, business skills, and social entrepreneurship to found Edesia, a non-profit manufacturer of revolutionary food products that treat and prevent malnutrition in vulnerable children across the globe.
Edesia’s remarkable peanut-based paste efficiently delivers nutrients and calories to severely malnourished children, delivering them from near death in less than 10 weeks. Since it opened in 2010, the Edesia factory in Providence, Rhode Island has produced enough ready-to-use foods to reach nearly a million children in 26 countries, from Haiti to the Horn of Africa.
This manufacturing facility provided much-needed job opportunities in the city she and her family call home. The success of Edesia has caught the attention of national media from NBC to Newsweek, as well as former President Bill Clinton, who praised Edesia at a recent meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative.
In recognition of her determined efforts to find ways to nourish the world’s starving children, Boston College proudly confers upon Navyn A. Salem the degree of Doctor of Social Science, honoris causa.
LIZ WALKER
Welcomed into the homes of New England families for decades, Liz Walker has spent a career making connections, telling stories, and shaping lives.
A seasoned journalist and documentary film producer, her work on WBZ-TV has been recognized with two Emmys, an Edward R. Murrow Award and special recognition from the prestigious Gabriel Awards. The first African-American anchor in the Boston news market, she inspired a generation, demonstrating that color was no barrier to success.
Through her company, the Walker Group, she has worked on behalf of marginalized people – advocating for and giving voice to the homeless, survivors of domestic violence, people living with HIV, and at-risk youth. For more than a decade, the co-founder of “My Sister’s Keeper” has helped women and children in Sudan to rebuild their lives. Nearly one thousand girls now attend the Kunyuk Girls’ School, a first-of-its-kind project in southern Sudan.
A tireless champion for the Greater Boston community, she is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and currently serves as Transitional Minister at Roxbury Presbyterian Church. She also sits on multiple boards, including UNICEF, Tufts Health Foundation and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
For a career dedicated to informing viewers and transforming lives, Boston College proudly confers upon Liz Walker the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
BOB WOODRUFF
Broadcast journalist Bob Woodruff has traveled the world to report some of the most compelling stories of our time. His journalistic style combines a mix of healthy skepticism and compassion, offering insights into people and events across the globe. As a former co-anchor of ABC-TV’s “World News Tonight,” Woodruff has helped make sense of a world where the human spirit perseveres despite strife and conflict.
His overseas reporting has been recognized with DuPont and Peabody awards, the highest honors for broadcast journalists. While embedded with US troops in Iraq in 2006, he suffered a traumatic brain injury when a roadside bomb exploded. His miraculous recovery, following a grueling rehabilitation, was the focus of his best-selling memoir In An Instant, which he co-authored with his wife, Lee. Together, they launched the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation for Traumatic Brain Injury to improve care for the estimated 320,000 servicemen and women who have suffered brain injuries during military service.
For his journalistic excellence, indefatigable spirit and dedication to improving the health of the men and women injured while serving in our armed forces, Boston College proudly bestows on Bob Woodruff the degree Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.