FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2007
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 662-329-7124

Goodman awarded MUW honorary doctorate; Lott Medal of Excellence recipient

By Anika Mitchell Perkins

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Mississippi University for Women announced two special recognitions as part of its recent commencement activities.
Alumna Elayne Goodman was given an honorary doctorate, and U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, who delivered both commencement addresses, was awarded the Medal of Excellence.

The honorary doctorate is the university’s highest honor. Each of the eight public universities in Mississippi are allowed to award two honorary doctorates a year, and the selections must be approved by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.
 

Goodman graduated from MUW in 1980 with an associate of science in nursing degree. She worked for about 10 years as a surgical nurse before earning a bachelor of fine arts with an emphasis on 3-D design in 1989 and pursuing her true love of art as a career.
 

Her artwork has been featured in numerous art shows throughout the United States and internationally. She also has been featured in such publications as Rolling Stone magazine, American Style magazine, Southern Living and Mississippi Magazine. Goodman’s pieces can be found in the private collections of actress Julia Roberts, Hollywood film director Joel Schumacher and writers William Ferris and Anne Rice Siddons.
Awarded since 1979, the Medal of Excellence is the university’s highest non-degree honor.
 

Lott, who serves as Senate Republican Whip, is entering his 33rd year of service in the United States Congress. A champion of a strong national defense, he remains dedicated to encouraging economic growth and protecting Americans’ economic security.
 

As the House Republican Whip in 1981, he forged the bipartisan alliance that enacted President Ronald Reagan’s economic recovery program and his national security initiatives. Elected to the Senate in 1988, he was a member of the group who opposed a tax increase. When he became the Senate’s 16th Majority Leader in 1996, he and House Speaker Newt Gingrich enacted the historic welfare reform bill of 1996.