OSU to recognize Anoatubby and DuBois with honorary degrees
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby and Recording industry executive and songwriter Tim DuBois will receive honorary doctoral degrees and speak to students at Oklahoma State University’s undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 7, at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. DuBois will speak at 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., while Anoatubby will keynote the 1 p.m. ceremony.
“This year’s honorees embody leadership and a true commitment to people that has allowed them to literally shape a brighter future for an industry and a nation,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “We are pleased to recognize their accomplishments and service to others with one of our university’s highest honors, the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.”
Chickasaw Nation Governor Anoatubby recently began an unprecedented eighth consecutive term, serving 28 years as governor while working to meet the needs of the Chickasaw people in numerous ways from healthcare to higher education. The tribe, which now operates 100 businesses and employs nearly 14,000 people, has seen significant growth under Anoatubby’s leadership with exponential increases in operations and a two-hundredfold rise in tribal assets. He has served the tribe in various capacities for 40 years, starting with tribal health care in 1975.
Anoatubby was instrumental in the recent launch of the OSU Center for Sovereign Nation Engagement and Partnerships, which was made possible by a generous gift from the Chickasaw Nation. The center serves students from 39 sovereign nations in Oklahoma. Anoatubby holds degrees in business and accounting from Murray State College and East Central University. He has been recognized with honorary degrees from Bacone College, the University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City University.
DuBois is known as one of the most successful executives in the recording industry, discovering and signing artists including Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Brad Paisley, BlackHawk, Pam Tillis and Diamond Rio. An adjunct professor of management at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management and long-time ASCAP member, DuBois’ storied career has included recognition as a songwriter, manager, record executive and producer.
Five songs that he has co-written have been number one hits on the music charts. He has received numerous awards, and two Grammy Award nominations. As a producer, his accolades have included over twenty number one hits and top five singles, and more than a dozen gold, platinum, and double platinum albums. DuBois, who graduated with a degree in accounting from OSU, was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2015 and the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame in 1996. He was recently honored by the OSU Spears School of Business as one of its most influential graduates of the school’s first 100 years.
The spring commencement ceremonies for OSU undergraduates will start at 9:30 a.m. for students from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and Spears School of Business. The second ceremony is set for 1 p.m. for students from the College of Education, and College of Arts and Sciences. The final ceremony of the day is scheduled for 4 p.m. for students in the College of Human Sciences, and College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences hooding ceremony is set for 1 p.m. May 6 and graduate commencement is set for 7 p.m. May 6. All ceremonies will be held in Gallagher-Iba Arena. For more information about OSU’s commencement ceremonies, go to http://commencement.okstate.edu/.
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