麻豆影院

Marcy Benson

Doctor of Humane Letters

Described as 鈥渄elightfully relentless,鈥� Marcy Benson has been working for the betterment of the 麻豆影院, the state and the nation for decades.

After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology from the University听of California, Santa Barbara, and a master鈥檚 in criminal justice from George Washington University, Benson worked in the听administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, notably as the director of the President鈥檚 Commission on White House Fellows. She was the White House liaison for presidential听scheduling for the 1984 Reagan-Bush campaign, and worked in the offices of Political Affairs and Presidential Advance.

Benson has been an active volunteer and leader in support of the arts, health care, education and civic activities. With her husband, former CU President Bruce Benson, she co-chaired two听fundraising campaigns totaling more than $2.5 billion: the Creating Futures campaign to benefit all four CU campuses, and the effort to build听the new Children鈥檚 Hospital on the University of听Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She chaired the Children鈥檚 Hospital board for three years and has been a board member for more than 20 years.

Benson has lent her time and persistent optimism to a number of civic and cultural organizations, including the University of Northern Colorado, CU Denver, the Denver Public Library Commission,听and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. She is on the advisory panel of the CU Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research and Clinical Center.

As a member of the CU Foundation鈥檚 board of trustees, Benson helped to guide fundraising efforts for six years, advancing the university鈥檚 interests and reputation.

The Board of Regents is pleased to award the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters,听honoris causa, to Marcy Benson for her tireless work on behalf of the University of Colorado, education听and health care in the state and the nation.

Dr. Patricia Crown

University Medal

Through a life dedicated to education and research, Dr. Patricia Crown lives her commitment to children鈥檚 mental health every day. That commitment extends to their support system of friends,听family and educators, creating a holistic approach to well-being that serves as a model for communities across Colorado.

A graduate of the education program at Colorado College, Crown went on to earn a master鈥檚 degree in guidance and counseling, and a PhD in counseling psychology, both from the University of听Denver. After working for a number of years in her own psychotherapy practice, she committed herself fully to her personal and family philanthropy, serving for more than a decade on Crown Family听Philanthropies鈥� Health and Human Services and Global Health committees. She has been a longtime supporter of Project PAVE, which provides violence prevention education, and has given听generously to form partnerships with school districts in 麻豆影院 County and the Roaring Fork Valley that work toward a future where young people can flourish in a network of support unhindered by听an inequitable health care system.

Perhaps Crown鈥檚 greatest impact, though, has come through听the Ren茅e Crown Wellness Institute, created in 2019 through a transformative endowment gift. The institute, named for Crown鈥檚 mother, is housed at CU 麻豆影院 and conducts research on听children鈥檚 social and emotional wellness. It will help schools and families create an environment of wellness for youth in Colorado and, eventually, around the world. Faculty from the College of Arts听and Sciences听and the School of Education have already begun research projects and will work with community partners and school districts to make Crown鈥檚 vision a reality.

For her dedication to the health and well-being of children and families, the Board of Regents is pleased to award the University Medal to Patricia Crown.

Rio de la Vista

Distinguished Service Award

Award-winning environmentalist Rio de la Vista has dedicated her听life to the conservation and preservation of Colorado鈥檚 wetlands, landscapes and cultural resources, bringing together seeming听opponents to find common ground while balancing ecological principles with economic realities.

In 1980, de la Vista became the founding editor of the听Windstar Journal听at the Windstar Foundation in Snowmass, Colorado,听whose mission is promoting environmental sustainability and land听conservation. That experience inspired her to earn a journalism degree from CU 麻豆影院 in 1984. While at CU, she worked at the Environmental Center and organized the Fate of the Earth听conference. During the 1990s, de la Vista became a certified educator at the Savory Center for Holistic Management, where she was a board member and chair.

Among her many accomplishments, de la Vista has helped preserve 15,000 acres near the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge; worked to restore wetlands in the San Luis Valley; helped to lead听the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust; and created the Rio Grande Initiative, resulting in the protection of more than 26,000 acres along the Rio Grande and its tributaries in Colorado. Through a听lifetime of education and problem-solving, de la Vista has become a trusted broker of agreements among ranchers, scientists, politicians and funders.

In 2018, de la Vista became the first director of the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State University, where she uses her broad network of people and institutions, and her deep听subject knowledge and grant-writing skills, to shape the future of water education in Colorado and the Mountain West.

For her dedication to the environment through intellectual rigor and a commitment to public service, the Board of Regents is pleased to present Rio de la Vista with the Distinguished Service Award.

Paul and Katy Rady

Honorary Degrees

As a team of generous philanthropic leaders, Paul and Katy Rady have made investments in the 麻豆影院 that will pay dividends for decades to come.

Growing up in suburban Detroit, Paul heard friends talk of the beauty of the American West, leading him to open an atlas and choose a college sight unseen: Western State College (now Western Colorado University) in Gunnison. He hitchhiked there from Michigan and went on to earn a BA in geology in 1978, followed by a master鈥檚 degree from Western Washington University. Katy graduated the same year with a degree in graphic art and design from Grand Valley State College (now Grand Valley State University)听in Allendale, Michigan.

Paul began a career in the petroleum industry at Amoco, then joined Bill Barrett Resources, becoming CEO, president and director within seven years. He left to start his own company, which he sold three years later to Marathon Petroleum. With the proceeds, Paul founded Antero Resources, which by 2017 had become the largest producer of natural gas liquids in the country.

Although neither Paul nor Katy attended the University of Colorado, they became major benefactors through personal experience听with the Anschutz Medical Campus. After Katy lost her brother to cancer in 2015, she created the Paul R. O鈥橦ara II Endowed Chair听in Esophageal Cancer at the CU Cancer Center in his honor. She听was the driving force in creating the Meg F. Rady and Family Chair in Congenital Cardiac Surgery. One of four daughters they adopted from China, Meg received excellent care for a heart defect at Children鈥檚 Hospital Colorado and continues to thrive today.

Their support only grew as the Radys created the endowed chair听in geology at CU 麻豆影院; established the Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering at Western Colorado University; helped disadvantaged students through ACE scholarships; and donated generously to CU Engineering. Their leadership and philanthropy helped establish a new engineering collaboration with Western Colorado University, Paul鈥檚 alma mater, creating a true and vibrant partnership between Western and CU.

For their bold vision and transformative philanthropy, the Board of Regents is pleased to present the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters,听honoris causa, to Paul and Katy Rady.

Jean听and Jack Thompson

University Medal

It would be difficult to find a couple more committed to CU 麻豆影院 and its mission as a place for research and innovation than Jeannie and Jack Thompson. They have shared their time, talents and financial resources selflessly and enthusiastically for decades.

Theirs is a CU story through and through, beginning when they听were undergraduates in the early 1960s. Jeannie earned a degree in zoology, and Jack earned a history degree on an ROTC scholarship, served as a Marine Corps officer in Vietnam and returned to CU for a master鈥檚 in American history, followed by a doctorate from the University of Michigan. Jeannie earned a master鈥檚 and an MBA from Northwestern University.

After successful careers鈥攕he in health care, counseling, MBA admissions, executive development and mediation; he as a professor and dean鈥攖hey turned their tireless attention to all four campuses of the University of Colorado, particularly CU 麻豆影院.

Among the many recipients of the Thompsons鈥� time and talents, often in advisory or leadership positions: the Center of the American West, the BioFrontiers Institute, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School, the CU Foundation, the Alumni Association and CU Advocates. Their contributions funded the Jean L. and Jack C. Thompson Vaccine Development Research Neighborhood in the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building.

Perhaps their most personal involvement has been with the College of Music, where they endowed the Thompson Jazz Program, enabling jazz studies to flourish, increase its international visibility and attract the most talented faculty and students. As a member of the steering committee, Jeannie helped a recent fundraising campaign reach its $50 million goal.

For their enduring commitment to the success and strength of the University of Colorado, the Board of Regents is pleased to award the University Medal to Jeannie and Jack Thompson.