Honorary Doctorates
Debra Magpie Earling and Joe Whittinghill Earn Honorary Doctorates
Author and educator Debra Magpie Earling and business executive and former chair of the UM Foundation’s Board of Trustees Joe Whittinghill were recognized with honorary doctorates during the University’s Spring Commencement in May.
Earling, of Bitterroot Salish descent, is the acclaimed author of the novels “Perma Red” and “The Lost Journals of Sacajewea” and longtime professor of creative writing at UM.
She received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, while Whittinghill received the Honorary Doctorate of Business.
After earning a political science degree from UM and a master’s in organizational development from Pepperdine University, Whittinghill built a distinguished leadership career at Microsoft. As a former member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, he is the only person to serve as a Foundation employee, Trustee and Chair. He has also been an active participant in multiple major capital campaigns.
In 2025 Whittinghill received UM Foundation’s Neil S. Bucklew Presidential Service Award.
He and his husband, Blake Takamura, remain stalwart champions of UM, supporting, among other areas, student scholarships and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Career Planning Center, which is instrumental in providing students with resources to build lives and careers of impact.
They established the Leading OUT West workshop, and Whittinghill continues to serve as an advisor and instructor for the program in partnership with the College of Business and the broader University.
“Every time I’ve given my time or resources to this University, I’ve received far more in return,” Whittinghill said, while accepting the Bucklew Award. “The joy of seeing others succeed, new friendships, new perspectives and a deeper sense of purpose.”
Earling and Whittinghill also served as Spring Commencement speakers.