Hillsdale College Grants Honorary Degrees at Commencement Ceremony
Psychologist, author Jordan B. Peterson and entrepreneur Bill Atherton received honorary degrees in humane letters and business
HILLSDALE, Mich. — At its 170th annual Commencement ceremony on May 7, Hillsdale College awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree to psychologist and author Jordan B. Peterson, who addressed the graduating class of 2022, and an honorary Doctorate of Business to entrepreneur Bill Atherton. Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn awarded both honorary degrees.
Jordan B. Peterson is a clinical psychologist, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Toronto, and the author of three books: “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief;” “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos;” and “Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life.” He received a B.A. in political science and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Alberta, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from McGill University. Peterson has published more than 100 scientific papers; his podcasts have over 55 million downloads and consistently rank #1 in the Higher Education category on iTunes; and he was nominated for five consecutive years as One of Ontario’s Best University Lecturers.
Bill Atherton, a graduate from Oklahoma State University, worked with Core Laboratories, Inc. in the Texas Gulf Coast and South America, and served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. After his time with Core, he operated his own petroleum reservoir engineering company in Trinidad, West Indies. Atherton became the cofounder, chairman, and CEO of A&M Food Services, Inc. from 1964 to 1986, when the company was merged into PEPSICO, Inc. At the time of the merger, A&M Food Services was the largest Pizza Hut franchise owner in the United States. Currently, Atherton is a partner of Atherton & Murphy Investment Company and Chairman of Atherton Restaurant Systems, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Atherton Family also manages the William S. and Ann Atherton Foundation.
Awardees join the ranks of an esteemed list of honorary degree recipients, including poet Will Carleton (1876), cryptologist Elizebeth Smith Friedman (1939), entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes (1984), novelist Mark Helprin (2011), philosopher Sir Roger Scruton (2012), and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (2017).
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