Photo courtesy of Chaminade University

Joanna Sullivan, President Sue Wesselkamper and her husband Dr. Thomas Wesselkamper at the pre-commencement reception honoring Chaminade’s two women of distinction.

Chaminade awards honorary doctorate to ailing President Sue Wesselkamper

Chaminade University of Honolulu honored its eighth and longest-serving president, Mary (Sue) Civille Wesselkamper and her legacy by awarding her the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa during its 2008 fall commencement, Dec. 15, in the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall.

President Sue, as she is affectionately called was installed as president in 1995. The driving force behind a blossoming of the university’s fortunes on many levels, she has raised more than $66 million for the school in the last nine years.

Wesselkamper took a medical leave of absence this fall after 13 years on the job because of the reoccurrence of inoperable cancer.

“Sue is genuinely loved by faculty, staff and students by the Chaminade ohana,” said Marianist Brother Bernard Ploeger, Chaminade’s acting president.

“Sue’s personal image — her integrity, faith, belief in educating in the family spirit and commitment to academic quality — mirrors well the Catholic, Marianist tradition of our university,” he said.

He said Wesselkamper’s tenure has created a “vibrant legacy and rock solid foundation that we can build a good future on.”

The president-on-leave has also been honored with a number of other initiatives including:

n   President Sue Wesselkamper Endowed Scholarship;

n   President Sue Wesselkamper Endowed Prize for Student Scholarship, endowed by Henry and Charlotte Clark;

n   Re-naming of the Harold K. Castle Science Building (at the request of Harold K. Castle Foundation) to Wesselkamper Science Center;

n   The governor’s declaration of Sue Wesselkamper Day;

n   Recognitions and commendations from congressional members, the state senate and house of representatives, and the Honolulu mayor’s office.

Also receive a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa at the commencement was Joanna Sullivan, a longtime supporter of Chaminade whose family recently made a significant donation toward the building of the university’s new state-of-the-art Library which bears the Sullivan family name.

A close friend of Wesselkamper, Sullivan and her family received the 2008 Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year award in November from the Association of Fundraising Professionals — Aloha Chapter which cited Sullivan’s generous funding of the library.