COLUMBUS -- Five individuals will be honored at The Ohio State University's summer 2000 commencement for their contributions to society and academics, and their dedication to the university. Ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m., Aug. 31st, in St. John Arena.

Honorary doctorates will be presented to Jules LaPidus, retired president of the Council of Graduate Schools; renowned agricultural research scientist Rajendra S. Paroda; and John E. Pepper, chairman of the board of directors of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble.

The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to alumni Donna M. Alvarado, founder and managing director of Aguila International; and Robert A. Barnes, chairman of the board of United Carriers Corporation.

Jules LaPidus, Doctor of Humane Letters

Jules LaPidus retired in July as president of the Washington, D.C.-based Council of Graduate Schools, a position he had held since September 1984.

Prior to his service with the council, he spent nearly three decades at Ohio State as a faculty member and administrator. After receiving his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of Illinois and master's and doctoral degrees in medicinal chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, he joined the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy faculty in 1958 as an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry. He was named a full professor in 1967. In 1972, he was named associate dean for research in Ohio State's Graduate School and, in 1974, became dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research.

As president of the Council of Graduate Schools, LaPidus visited numerous graduate schools across the nation, becoming a strong advocate for new directions in graduate education. He has chaired or served on many committees in national associations, including the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Universities, the Graduate Record Examinations Board, the African-American Institute, and the Policy Council of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Rajendra S. Paroda, Doctor of Science

A renowned agricultural research scientist, Rajendra S. Paroda is currently secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education for the government of India and director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

As head of ICAR, Paroda oversees 29 state agricultural universities, 35 national research centers, and 22,000 scientists. Over the past three decades, ICAR's research and extension activities have increased India's food grain production to 200 million tons.

Paroda received his bachelor of science degree in agriculture in 1962 from the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India; his master's degree in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Udaipur; and his doctorate in genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi. He did post-doctoral study in plant breeding and genetics at the University of Wales on a Commonwealth Scholarship.

Paroda has made many valuable contributions toward understanding the genetic architecture and related attributes of cereal grains and forage crops. His research has led to the release of 14 new high-yielding varieties for which he has received international recognition.

He has been the president of India's National Academy of Agricultural Sciences since 1996 and was elected general president of the Indian Science Congress Association for 2000-01. In addition, he helped to establish and promote the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions, an important global forum for agricultural science exchanges.

John E. Pepper, Doctor of Business Administration

John E. Pepper was re-elected chairman of the board of directors of Procter & Gamble, the Cincinnati-based consumer goods corporation, in June. He also serves as chairman of the P&G board's executive committee. Procter & Gamble currently markets 300 brands to five billion consumers in more than 140 countries with ground operations in 70 countries and 110,000 employees worldwide.

A native of Pottsville, Pa., Pepper is a 1960 graduate of Yale University. After service in the U. S. Navy, Pepper joined P&G in 1963 as a staff assistant in advertising, rising through the ranks to general manager of Procter & Gamble Italia from 1974 to 1978. In 1980, he was elected a group vice president and, in 1981, he was named European group vice president. In 1984, he was elected to the board of directors and, in 1986, was named president of U.S. business. In 1990, he became president of international business. Under his leadership over the next five years, the company opened new markets in such places as China, Russia, and Vietnam, doubling its sales and profits outside the United States. He was named chief executive and board chairman in 1995.

Deeply committed to community service, particularly education, Pepper is a member of the Governor's Education and Business Advisory Group and vice chairman of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. He also serves on the boards of Partnerships for Drug Free America, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and is co-chair of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Development Campaign.

Donna M. Alvarado, Distinguished Service Award

Donna M. Alvarado is the founder and managing director of Aguila International, a consulting firm that provides services to businesses seeking to expand their operations into other countries, especially Mexico.

The recipient of a 1969 bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and a 1970 master's degree in romance languages and literatures from Ohio State, she has remained involved with the university since her student days. Alvarado has served on the Washington Committee of The Ohio State University Campaign and the national board of the university's Critical Difference for Women program. She is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and has served a five-year term on its board of directors, where she was vice chair/treasurer and chair of the strategic planning committee. As a result of her commitment to her alma mater, Alvarado has received the Distinguished Alumna Award of the Office of Minority Affairs, the 300th Commencement Award, and the College of Humanities' Alumni Award of Distinction and Alumni Society Distinguished Alumni Award.

Alvarado has had a distinguished service-oriented career in a variety of organizations and federal agencies. She has held numerous state and federal regulatory, legislative and judicial posts, including deputy assistant secretary of defense for equal opportunity and safety policy, counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy, and on the professional staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. She is currently vice chair of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, chair of the Case Management Subcommittee of the Ohio Courts Futures Commission, a member of the State of Ohio Workforce Investment Board, and chair of the Central Ohio Technical College in Newark.

Robert A. Barnes, Distinguished Service Award

Robert A. Barnes is chairman of the board of United Carriers Corporation, president emeritus of Central Ohio Technical College and former dean of The Ohio State University at Newark.

A native of Cleveland, he graduated from Miami University, studied at the Juilliard School of Music, and received his master's degree from Columbia University. After receiving a Ph.D. in music education from Ohio State in 1963, Barnes joined the faculty of Ohio State's School of Music, a position he held for 19 years. During his Ohio State tenure, he served three years as assistant to President Novice Fawcett before being named dean of Ohio State's Newark campus. During his 14 years as dean, he oversaw the founding of a permanent campus, the design and construction of the initial buildings, the establishment of a permanent library, and the selection of a full-time faculty.

In 1972, he became the founding president of Central Ohio Technical College, a two-year technical school that shares the campus grounds, staff, and buildings with Ohio State's Newark campus. He also worked with the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, chairing several teams examining colleges and universities for accreditation. Upon his retirement from higher education in 1979, Barnes was named chairman of the board of United Carriers Corporation, the Newark-based parent company of four motor carriers serving 48 states.

Long active in professional and civic organizations, Barnes is president of the Ohio Trucking Association and past president of the Newark and Licking County Chamber of Commerce, the Newark Rotary Club, Weathervane Summer Playhouse, and the Newark Rotary Foundation. He has served on the boards of United Way, Junior Achievement, the Private Industry Council, and YMCA.

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