The University of Utah Board of Trustees announced that I. King Jordan, Julie A. Lassonde, Cecil O. Samuelson Jr. and Linda C. Smith will receive honorary doctorates from the university this year.

Jordan made history as the first deaf president of Gallaudet University. Samuelson has dedicated his life to Utah’s health care systems, higher education institutions and faith communities. Lassonde is an advocate for advancing STEM education for women and her family’s support for building the university’s entrepreneurial education infrastructure. And Smith is a legend in Utah’s fine arts and culture community as the founder and director of Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT).

The four recipients will be honored at the General Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

“Honorary degrees are a recognition of exceptional human beings who have transformed the world in ways large and small,” said President Taylor Randall. “Cecil, Julie, King and Linda have invested their time, talents and financial support to causes that have changed our university, state and the world. We are so fortunate to have exceptional leaders who, through everyday acts and transformational investments, have changed individual lives, bolstered education and advanced culture. The legacy of their work will live on for years to come.”

Honorary degrees are awarded to individuals who have achieved distinction in academic pursuits, the arts, professions, business, government, civic affairs or in service to the university. The Honors Committee, which includes representatives from the faculty, student body and Board of Trustees, reviews nominations and then consults with an advisory group of faculty, staff and administrators for additional input. Finalists are presented to the university president, who then selects the recipients.

“This year’s honorary degree recipients personify selfless service in higher education, passionate advocacy, life-changing innovations and artistic creativity,” said Jamie Sorenson, chair of the Board of Trustees Honors Committee. “We are so pleased to recognize these exceptional individuals for the ways they have lived their lives and inspired future generations to live theirs.”

About the honorees

I. King Jordan

I. King Jordan served as the first deaf president of Gallaudet University from 1988 to 2006. Jordan’s leadership heightened public awareness of the importance of Gallaudet’s educational contributions to the nation and the world. Over his tenure, he served as an international spokesperson and advocate for deaf and hearing impaired people. Jordan continues to speak at events across the country.

Julie A. Lassonde

A tireless advocate for women in STEM education, careers and entrepreneurship, Julie Lassonde worked for more than 20 years as an entrepreneur and engineer in the mining industry. The daughter of University of Utah alumni and donors Claudette McKay-Lassonde (deceased) and Pierre Lassonde, she serves on the boards of a wide array of philanthropic, business and cultural organizations, guiding their investments and supporting students at the University of Utah Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.

Cecil O. Samuelson

Equal parts University of Utah and Brigham Young University, Cecil Samuelson has managed to bleed purple throughout his long career as a higher education leader and physician. A three-time alum of the U, Samuelson worked as a rheumatologist, medical school dean and as the U’s vice president of health sciences. He left the university in 1993 to join the executive leadership team at Intermountain Healthcare. A year later, Samuelson was called to serve in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ First Quorum of the Seventy, before being named as BYU’s president, a job he held for a decade.

Linda C. Smith

University of Utah alum and faculty member Linda Smith started her dancing career at the age of four, with Virginia Tanner’s Children’s Dance Theatre. In 1966, Smith was a founding member of Repertory Dance Theatre (RPT), where she was a performer, teacher, choreographer, writer, producer and artistic director. Smith still works as an adjunct instructor in dance and a movement specialist in the Utah Artists-in-Education Program.