Harriet Copher Haynes, Ph.D.
Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa
Harriett Copher Haynes, Ph.D., LP BSN ’63, is a distinguished psychologist, educator, and advocate with a lifelong commitment to mental health, diversity, and community service. She earned her B.S. in Nursing from the University of Missouri and her M.S. in Public Health and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Haynes served as Director of the University of Minnesota’s Counseling and Consulting Services for 15 years, leading initiatives to support the mental health of nearly 40,000 students across five campuses. For more than four decades, she has been a therapist, trainer, and consultant, working extensively with faculty, staff, students and the community to address issues of diversity, equity, crisis response, conflict management, and organizational change.
Beyond the university, she has contributed her expertise to the Minnesota Governor’s Mental Health Council, the Minnesota Psychological Association (where she served as President, Treasurer, Ombudsperson, and Chair of the Women’s Division), and numerous community organizations. Nationally, she has been a leader in professional associations, including the American Council on Education’s National Identification Program and the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors, which honored her legacy by naming its Diversity Leadership Mentoring Program after her.
James E. Nave, D.V.M.
Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa
James E. Nave, BS Ag ’66, DVM ’68, has not only provided essential care to animals of all types but also provided guidance to fellow veterinarians for five decades.
Nave followed his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri with a doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Missouri in 1968. After earning his degree, he joined the U.S. Army and served with distinction as a captain during the Vietnam War. He was awarded a Bronze Star. Shortly after his service, Nave opened the Tropicana Animal Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1974. Through his practice, he mentors countless young veterinarians and went on to create the Nave Veterinary Group, which now operates 21 freestanding veterinary hospitals in southern Nevada.
Nave has served veterinary organizations at both the state and national levels. He was president of the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association. During his term for the AVMA, he helped establish a mentorship program for new graduates, as well as the National Council on Veterinary Economic Issues. He also served as vice president of the Nevada Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Stuart A. Wesbury, Jr., Ph.D.
Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa
Stuart A. Wesbury, Jr., Ph.D. has served with distinction in many roles over the course of a long and distinguished career in health care administration, academia and leadership.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the University of Florida. In between these degrees, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and then as an executive in several hospitals, leading to his appointment as the director of the University of Florida’s Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics. Wesbury then brought these many years of hospital administration experience to the University of Missouri, where he served as the director and professor in the graduate program for health services management.
Wesbury oversaw great growth in the program, expanding its reach through health planning initiatives across four states. He helped foster relationships with Missouri hospitals, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and the University of Missouri’s Center for Health Services Research. His influence is still felt through the master of health administration program offered through the College of Health Sciences and a professorship at the college in his name.