Press Release

Leaders in Athletics, Business and Public Service to
Receive Honorary Degrees at University of New Haven 

Dick Vermeil to Present Commencement Address to Class of 2008 

May 15, 2008 - Leaders in athletics, engineering and business will be awarded honorary doctoral degrees during the University of New Haven (UNH) spring commencement exercises at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, 2008, at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium on the University of New Haven campus. In addition to the conferral of honorary degrees, 479 undergraduate and 371 graduate students will receive their degrees in various programs of study.

Former NFL Head Coach Richard A. Vermeil will serve as commencement speaker for the spring 2008 Commencement exercises. Vermeil will also receive an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree. Also receiving an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree will be President, CEO & Chairman, RBC Bearings Inc., Michael J. Hartnett. Barbara L. Pearce, President and CEO of H. Pearce Company Realtors, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Richard A. Vermeil was the renowned coach of the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, the St. Louis Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs, and a prominent NFL broadcaster for major TV stations including CBS and ABC. He took three teams to the NFL playoffs, one of only five coaches in league history to achieve such a distinction. He also has been named coach of the year on four levels: high school, junior college, NCAA Division 1 and the NFL. His coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles was portrayed by the actor Greg Kinnear in the Donnie Wahlberg film, "Invincible." He was a four-sport star at Calistoga High School (CA) and graduated from San Jose State with degrees in physical education (B.A. ‘58, M.A. ‘59) after serving as a collegiate quarterback. Vermeil announced his retirement from professional football in 2006, but he has provided color football commentary for ESPN and the NFL network, and continues to help train retired athletes for careers in broadcasting and studio work, and volunteers for numerous Philadelphia-area charitable causes.

Michael J. Hartnett is an innovator, researcher, entrepreneur and lifelong student in the fields of engineering and business. Born and raised in Waterbury, Conn., Hartnett began working for his father, a tool and die maker, when he was 12. He attended Waterbury State Technical College, then graduated first in his class from the University of New Haven in 1969. After graduation he accepted a position at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, a world leader in industrial manufacturing. Following his military service in the U.S. during the Vietnam War, he earned a master's degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. While working full time at the Torrington Company in Torrington, Conn., he became a world leader in tribology-the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion-and published numerous papers on the subject. He earned his Ph.D. from University of Connecticut.  Hartnett purchased RBC Bearings, Inc. in 1991, and, within three months, made the company profitable. The company is now publicly traded on NASDAQ with a market capitalization of just under $1 billion.  

Barbara L. Pearce is a community leader, businesswoman, lawyer, graduate of Radcliffe and Harvard, marathon runner, advocate for women, successful realtor, wife and mother. After leaving the prestigious New York law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Pearce joined her father's real estate firm, H. Pearce Company Realtors, one of Connecticut's most prominent real estate companies.  She rose to president and CEO and expanded the company's specialized services and significantly grew its market share.  She is a past chair of the board for United Way of Greater New Haven, helping to raise a record $5.6 million in the 2003-2004 United Way campaign, and past chair of the boards of the Hospital of Saint Raphael, the Long Wharf Theatre, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, the Regional Leadership Council, the Women Organizing Women Political Action Committee, the United Way Board of Directors and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Pearce is a volunteer with the New Haven International Festival of Arts and Ideas, and Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, and founded the Women Organizing Women Political Action Committee. She has been a committed supporter of the University of New Haven for more than 50 years.