December 05, 2024
SIU Board of Trustees approves honorary degrees, Distinguished Service Awards
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Edward M. Benyas, professor emeritus of oboe and conducting in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Music, will receive a Distinguished Service Award following approval by the SIU Board of Trustees today (Dec. 5). Benyas is one of five individuals recommended by SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane for honorary degrees and distinguished service awards.
The board approved distinguished service awards for Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow, a former assistant director for program planning at SIU’s Coal Research Center, and orthopedic surgeon and The Orthopaedic Institute of Southern Illinois co-founder Dr. Thomas W. Davis, and honorary degrees for Dr. Senait Fisseha, a pioneering advocate and leader in global women’s health, and Reginald E. Petty, a well-known social justice advocate and civil rights leader.
All five honorees will be recognized at SIU Carbondale’s commencement in May 2025 or at a future ceremony.
Edward M. Benyas, Distinguished Service Award
Benyas was at SIU Carbondale for 29 years and is now executive director of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra in Edmonds, Washington. As founder and director of the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which will celebrate its 21st year May 23-June 8, 2025, Benyas “has made a lasting impact through his extensive contributions to the music scene locally and internationally,” the nomination letter states.
Benyas’ leadership helped the festival achieve recognition in Symphony magazine and the Chicago Tribune, further securing grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Benyas has directed orchestras worldwide, including performances with the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra, which he led on numerous Midwest tours, and his conducted repertoire spans nearly 400 works, including world premieres and full opera productions.
“His effective conducting style and ability to unify musicians of varying skill levels have made him a well-respected figure in the field. Esteemed colleagues, like David Kim of the Philadelphia Orchestra, laud Benyas for his straightforward, inspiring leadership and commitment to musical excellence,” the nomination states.
Benyas has “created performances that serve as recruitment tools for SIU’s music program and mentorship opportunities for young musicians. A passionate advocate for music education and community engagement, Benyas’ work has transformed Southern Illinois into a hub for the arts, leaving a profound legacy that continues to enrich the university and beyond.”
Michael M. Crow, Distinguished Service Award
Crow, a distinguished higher education leader with past ties to SIU Carbondale, served as assistant director of planning at the Coal Research Center from 1978 to 1982, and he earned his Master of Public Administration from SIU in 1980. He also edited “High Sulfur Coal Exports: An International Analysis,” published by SIU Press in 1983.
Since assuming the ASU presidency in 2002, the nomination states, Crow “has transformed the institution into a model of the ‘New American University,’ emphasizing inclusivity, research excellence, and societal impact.”
ASU, which achieved membership in the Association of American Universities in 2023, has been recognized as the nation’s “Most Innovative School” by U.S. News & World Report from 2016 to 2024, and enrollment has grown to 181,000 students. The university’s research expenditures have increased from $123 million in 2002 to $677 million in 2021, making it the nation’s fastest-growing research university among those with research enterprises exceeding $100 million. Crow has also advised U.S. government agencies, served as board chairman for In-Q-Tel, and been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His publications advocate for innovative models in higher education.
Dr. Thomas W. Davis, Distinguished Service Award
Davis, an orthopedic surgeon who graduated from Anna-Jonesboro High School and SIU Carbondale before earning his medical degree from Tulane Medical School, is credited as “an esteemed surgeon and healthcare visionary, renowned for pioneering orthopedic care across Southern Illinois.”
After earning his medical degree in 1972, Davis initially practiced family medicine and general surgery in his hometown. He returned to Tulane to complete his orthopedic surgery residency in 1980 and “became a ‘traveling’ orthopedic surgeon, servicing multiple hospitals in Southern Illinois before establishing Southern Orthopaedic Associates in Carbondale in 1984,” introducing advanced services such as total joint and shoulder reconstruction, and foot and ankle surgeries, to local communities.
In 2000, Davis co-founded The Orthopaedic Institute of Southern Illinois (formerly Southern Illinois Orthopaedic Center), “an innovative center providing comprehensive services from diagnostics to same-day surgery, rehabilitation, and urgent care” that also created clinical opportunities for SIU students.
As a mentor, Davis, who retired in 2011, “inspired a new generation of medical professionals, many of whom have remained in Southern Illinois to serve the community,” the nomination states.
“His legacy endures in the countless patients he helped and the sustainable medical infrastructure he built. Dr. Davis’s work continues to shape healthcare in Southern Illinois.”
Reginald E. Petty, honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
Petty, an advocate for social justice and international development for decades that includes working for the Peace Corps, is a two-degree SIU Carbondale alumnus — earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1956 and a master’s degree in secondary education in 1963. While at SIU Carbondale, Petty forged a lifelong friendship with civil rights icon Dick Gregory, and he worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the 1960s. Petty’s dedication to the civil rights movement led him to participate in pivotal voter registration drives across the southern United States, where he was arrested over 30 times, “exemplifying his unyielding commitment to equality,” the nomination states.
Petty joined the Peace Corps in 1966 at the invitation of Sargent Shriver and became one of the first Black country directors, serving in regions such as Burkina Faso, Kenya and the Seychelles. His work fostered sustainable development and cultural exchanges across multiple African nations. An avid art enthusiast, he curated an impressive collection of African art, with pieces displayed in exhibitions at SIU’s Sharp Museum in 2002 and 2020.
The nomination notes that upon returning to East St. Louis, Illinois, Petty “remained a community pillar, advocating for education and preserving African American heritage.” Petty’s 2017 book, “Legendary East St. Louisans: An African American Series,” celebrates notable figures from Petty’s hometown, including Miles Davis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. He recently led a community effort to save thousands of books from an abandoned library, “underscoring his lifelong dedication to literacy and culture.”
Petty’s “remarkable journey, marked by his leadership and unflagging advocacy, embodies the mission and values of Southern Illinois University and has left an indelible mark on both local and global communities.”
Dr. Senait Fisseha, honorary Doctor of International Health
Fisseha, an SIU alumna, is a renowned figure in global public health, health equity and gender equality. She is vice president of global programs at the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation and is known for her dedication to improving health care systems and mentoring emerging leaders in underserved regions. She earned her joint M.D./J.D. from SIU’s Simmons Law School and the SIU School of Medicine in 1999.
Fisseha grew up in Ethiopia and has contributed significantly to health care systems in that country, securing a $25 million grant to improve medical training at St. Paul’s Hospital in Addas Ababa. Her work has focused on strengthening health systems and primary health care across Africa to help ensure access to safe, legal and affordable sexual and reproductive health services. She has pioneered approaches to align, support and partner with African governments and has tirelessly advocated and supported efforts to build and invest in African public health institutions.
After earning her M.D./J.D., Fisseha completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, both at the University of Michigan. A reproductive endocrinology specialist, she was a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan and founding executive director of the Center for International Reproductive Health Training. She has been named among the 100 Most Influential Africans and received prestigious awards for her contributions. Fisseha received the SIU Carbondale Alumni Association’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award and the SIU School of Medicine’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award.
(Editor’s note: Senait Fisseha is pronounced Sun-nite Fiss-ey-a.)