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FORMER INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL AND 'SISTER MARTY'
TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREES AT IU KOKOMO
KOKOMO, Ind. -- More than 300 Indiana University Kokomo students will take the spotlight Tuesday (May 11) in a 1:30 p.m. commencement ceremony on the campus lawn.
Officially, the university lists 347 degree candidates. Of those, 121 are eligible to receive associate degrees, 203 are candidates for bachelor's degrees, 24 have completed requirements for the master's degree, and six are to receive certificates. The program will also feature the awarding of 41 associate and bachelor's degrees to students who have completed their course work in Purdue University's School of Technology on the Kokomo campus.
Another highlight of the IU Kokomo commencement will be the awarding of honorary degrees to Pamela F. Carter, who was the Indiana attorney general from 1993-97, and to Sister Mary Martin McEntee. former president and chief executive officer of Saint Joseph Hospital & Health Care Center in Kokomo.
Carter was the state's first woman and African American to hold this statewide office. She was also the first African American female state attorney general in the United States. While Carter was serving as attorney general, her accomplishments included proposing and obtaining the Victims of Crime Constitutional Amendment, and founding Project Peace, a violence-prevention and dispute-resolution program for elementary schools conducted in conjunction with the Indiana State Bar Association. She also won more U.S. Supreme Court cases than any other attorney general's office and helped Indiana win more national brief awards than any other state.
Since December of 1997, Carter has been vice president and general counsel for Cummins Engine Co. Inc., based in Columbus, Ind., where she has continued to make history. Carter is the only African American female vice president/general counsel of a Fortune 500 company. Cummins is the world's largest producer of diesel engines above 200 horsepower, and in 1996, the company reported record sales of $5.3 billion.
Before joining Cummins in 1997, Carter was a partner with the state's seventh largest law firm of Johnson, Smith, Pence, Densborn, Wright & Heath where she specialized in the areas of health care, regulatory, antitrust, general corporate, and economic development law and litigation. Prior to election as Indiana attorney general, Carter successfully campaigned for the office while practicing law at the Indianapolis firm of Baker & Daniels. From 1988-92, she worked as an executive assistant for health care and subsequently as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Evan Bayh. From 1984 to 1988, Carter practiced as a trial attorney.
An Indianapolis native, Carter graduated cum laude from the University of Detroit with a bachelor's degree and received a master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan and a doctor of jurisprudence degree from IU. She is also a graduate of the Senior Executives Program of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Among the numerous awards Carter has won are the Indianapolis Bar Association's Antoinette Dakin Leach Award, the Indianapolis Business Journal's Most Influential Woman in Indianapolis Award, Ebony Magazine's 100 Most Influential African Americans Award, Women Executives in State Government's Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award, and Valparaiso University Law School's First Woman Award. Carter has also received honorary degrees from Marian College, Saint Mary of-the-Woods College and Saint Joseph's College.
Until her retirement in late 1996, McEntee served the health care community of north central Indiana for nearly 30 years. Most of that time she spent as president and CEO of Saint Joseph Hospital & Health Center in Kokomo. Sister Marty, as she is affectionately known, has touched the lives of thousands within Howard County, throughout Indiana, and beyond.
Religious groups, civic and charitable organizations, business, industry, and education all have benefited from Sister Marty's legacy of service. Included in her tireless efforts has been her relationship with IU Kokomo, where she served on the Board of Advisors for more than 20 years -- including chairing the board for two years -- and was a member of the executive, planning and bylaw committees.
In 1989, IUK presented McEntee with its Community Service Award, and the IUK Alumni Association honored her with its Service Award in 1996. She is currently co-chairing a Destination: Education IUK committee.
A native of Atlanta, Ind., McEntee moved with her family to Kokomo as a young child. She graduated from Kokomo High School and worked for First National Bank for a year and a half after graduation. In September of 1954, she entered the Novitate and Junior College at St. Joseph Convent in Tipton.
Before entering health care, she taught junior high school for three years at St. John's School in Tipton and for five years at St. Paul's School in Marion. In 1966, she earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio, and two years later she received a master's degree in health administration from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo.
For one year she served as an administrative resident at Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas; she then
returned to Indiana where she was assigned as associate administrator at Saint Joseph Hospital & Health Center. After only three months at Saint Joseph, when the administrator left for another position, McEntee was tapped for the position. During her tenure, she helped the facility expand its services to include radiation oncology, renal dialysis, and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as the Saint Joseph At Home and Saint Joseph At Work programs, child care and the Clinic of Hope.
For her service, McEntee also has received the Indiana Hospital Association's Distinguished Service Award, the Kokomo Business Quarterly's Business Person of the Year Award, the Community Foundation of Howard County's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Athena Award.
In addition to IU President Myles Brand, IUK Chancellor Emita Hill, Carter, and McEntee, guests invited to be members of the platform party include the Trustees of IU, the IUK Board of Advisors, IUK Alumni Association members, Purdue Alumni Association representatives, IUK administrators, Purdue University School of Technology administrators, IUK academic deans and chairpersons, members of IUK student government and student body members.
Rev. Michael Carson will deliver the invocation, and Rev. Robert Lee will deliver the benediction. The IUK Singers and IU Brass Quintet will provide music for the ceremony.
In the event of inclement weather, commencement will be moved from the campus lawn to Havens Auditorium.
A total of 12,904 degrees will be conferred by IU during commencement ceremonies on its eight campuses. An additional 1,717 degrees from Purdue University will be awarded on the six campuses where Purdue also offers courses.
(David F. Nelson, 765-455-9414, dfnelson@iuk.edu)