{"id":81,"date":"2026-03-09T22:06:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T22:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/commencement\/?page_id=81"},"modified":"2026-04-07T22:26:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T22:26:28","slug":"honorary-doctorate-recipients","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/commencement\/new-page\/honorary-doctorate-recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"Honorary Doctoral Degree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Honorary degrees, education’s most prestigious recognition, are reserved for eminent individuals with state, national, or international reputations. Recipients are typically leading scholars, discoverers, inventors, authors, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, social activists, and leaders in education, business, politics, or government. Occasionally, honorary degrees are awarded to people who have rendered lifelong service to the university through board membership, volunteerism, or major financial contributions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n 2025-2026 Honorary Doctoral Degrees <\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n \n
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Tiffani Jaseph<\/h3>\n \n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Tiffani Jaseph is a dedicated professional in special education with 16 years of teaching experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Special Education from the University of Arizona. Driven by her passion for working with children, Ms. Jaseph started her career in general education but soon discovered her true calling in special education.<\/p>\n

Throughout her career, Ms. Jaseph has worked in three school districts, serving various levels of special education from Tucson to Yuma, and now in Sahuarita, Arizona.<\/p>\n

Currently, Ms. Jaseph teaches at Copper View Elementary School, where she focuses on supporting students with higher support needs. For students in grades kindergarten through fifth, she is committed to including them in the general education environment whenever possible while ensuring that her classroom is accessible for both academic and social-emotional development. Her approach emphasizes inclusive, strengths-based instruction tailored to diverse learning styles.<\/p>\n

Ms. Jaseph has received numerous accolades for her work, including being named Teacher of the Year at both her Yuma and Sahuarita sites. She was also a finalist for Sahuarita District Teacher of the Year and, most recently, was honored as Arizona Teacher of the Year for 2026.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n

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Daniel Corr<\/h3>\n \n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Dr. Daniel P. Corr began his tenure as the ninth President of Arizona Western College (AWC) in July 2016. During his tenure, he has been committed to building on the tremendous success achieved by AWC as an active member of the many communities served by the college. He has focused his early efforts on facilitating student success, increasing access to higher education, executing the adopted College\u2019s strategic plan, and fostering a climate of innovation, collaboration and stewardship at AWC.<\/p>\n

Prior to assuming the role of AWC\u2019s President, Dr. Corr held a variety of instructional and administrative positions at four different community colleges in Arizona & Illinois. All told, he has over 30 years of experience at the community college level.<\/p>\n

Dr. Corr has always placed an emphasis on establishing and maintaining partnerships. He also remains committed to being responsive to community business needs.<\/p>\n

Dr. Corr serves on a number of local, state, and national boards. However, his greatest passion is for AWC\u2019s students and their success. This focus on student success and community partnerships is why you will hear Dr. Corr exclaim \u201cIt is a great day to be a Matador!\u201d.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Karen and Michael Kitt<\/h3>\n \n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Michael Kitt<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael Kitt attended the City University of New York and received a BS in Chemistry and an MBA. He served in the US Army from 1963 to 1967, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. \u00a0During a 30-year career with Pfizer he managed pharmaceutical quality control operations and was involved in strategic planning and new facility capital project management.<\/p>\n

A life-long amateur astronomer, he authored over sixty articles about lunar observing and one book, The Moon: an observing guide for backyard telescopes<\/em>. \u00a0As Lowell Observatory volunteers, he and his wife Karen helped to organize a century\u2019s worth of archival materials.<\/p>\n

Classical music has been an important part of his life from early childhood.\u00a0 From 1985-1990 he was a backstage volunteer at Lincoln Center\u2019s Alice Tully Hall in New York City, during which time he had the honor of working with many renowned performers.<\/p>\n

Since moving to Flagstaff in 2012, Mike and his wife Karen have been active local philanthropists supporting the arts and sciences.\u00a0 Their efforts at NAU have included construction of the Kitt Recital Hall and culminated in a gift creating the Kitt School of Music. He was Chair of the College of Arts and Letters Advisory Council and has served on the boards of Lowell Observatory, the Arboretum at Flagstaff and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.\u00a0 He co-authored the book, Historic Tales of Flagstaff<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Karen Kitt<\/strong><\/p>\n

Karen Kitt grew up in New York on Long Island where she studied the violin in Elementary and Junior High Schools.\u00a0 She graduated from State University of New York at Albany in 1971, with a BS in Political Science and a minor in Mathematics.<\/p>\n

Karen worked in Systems Mechanization as a Computer Programmer\/Programmer Analyst\/Staff Director at New York Telephone\/NYNEX (now Verizon) for over 24 years, retiring in 1995.\u00a0 After retirement, Karen and her husband Mike traveled extensively, including 73,000 miles in the U.S. and Canada in their motorhome, hiking in numerous National Parks.<\/p>\n

After getting involved with Lowell Observatory in the early 2000\u2019s, Karen and Mike moved to Flagstaff in 2012, where Karen started as a volunteer, now working in the Putnam Collection Center Archives where she is currently digitizing Percival Lowell\u2019s Papers.<\/p>\n

Shortly after moving to Flagstaff, Mike and Karen discovered NAU\u2019s School of Music and have attended innumerable concerts and recitals; they stopped counting a few years ago at 200. She is also an avid baker and \u201cchef\u201d.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n \n

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Carin and Eric Anderson<\/h3>\n \n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Eric Anderson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eric Anderson is a 1981 graduate of NAU, where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and competed as a member of the Track and Field team. He is married to Carin Stevens Anderson, an NAU Electrical Engineering graduate from the Class of 1982, and together they have three daughters.<\/p>\n

After graduating from NAU, Eric began his career at Intel, where he worked from 1982 to 1985. He then partnered with his wife Carin, along with his father and brother, to found SEAKR Engineering, a family-owned aerospace design and manufacturing company. SEAKR developed satellite data management and payload systems and became a key supplier for both commercial and U.S. government Earth-observing, communication, and planetary spacecraft.<\/p>\n

Among the company\u2019s notable contributions were the command processor and main image memory for the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as the payload system for the Iridium satellite constellation. Eric served as Co-President and Chief Operating Officer, helping lead SEAKR through decades of growth and innovation. The company ultimately grew to 600 employees before being acquired by Raytheon Technologies in 2021. Eric has since retired.<\/p>\n

Eric became involved again with NAU in 2009 as a member of Dean Scott\u2019s Electrical Engineering Department Advisory Committee. In 2021, he was appointed Chairman of the Sanghi College of Engineering Dean\u2019s Advisory Board, a role he held through the spring semester of 2025. He continues to serve the college today as a member of the advisory committee.<\/p>\n

Carin Anderson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carin Stevens Anderson graduated from NAU with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1982 and later earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. She married her NAU classmate, Eric Anderson, in 1985, and together they have three daughters.<\/p>\n

After graduating from NAU, Carin worked at Intel as an Applications Engineer in telecommunications until 1985. She then helped start up SEAKR Engineering with her husband, but ultimately joined Hughes Aircraft for several years to provide financial stability during the company\u2019s early years. At Hughes, she was responsible for the design and development of high-speed modems and testbeds for classified satellite systems.<\/p>\n

Carin later returned to SEAKR Engineering to take the role of Director of Design Analysis.\u00a0 She institutionalized the use of Finite Element modeling to understand the product design margins related to heat transfer, mechanical vibration, and shock.\u00a0 She was also instrumental in establishing the SEAKR Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to assisting families of service members who were killed or injured in combat during the Gulf War and its aftermath.<\/p>\n

In appreciation for the support she received as a student, Carin established a scholarship at NAU to encourage and support future generations of underrepresented female students in engineering, as part of the\u00a0\u201cWomen Taking Charge\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Previous Honorary Doctoral Degree Recipients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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