2003 Honorary Degree

Evan Bayh Doctor Of Management United States Senator Evan Bayh has received recognition for his unyielding efforts to eliminate corporate fraud and his strong leadership in national education reform legislation. Evan Bayh Sen. Bayh is currently in his first term after serving as Indiana’s governor for two terms, 1989-97, when he developed a record of sound fiscal management and economic growth. Born in Shirkieville, Ind., and raised in Washington, D.C., while his father, Birch Bayh, served as a U.S. senator, Evan Bayh attended Indiana University and received his bachelor’s degree in business economics in 1978. He then went to the University of Virginia and received his law degree in 1981. Sen. Bayh has established himself as a leading mainstream voice in the Senate by working to put aside partisan differences and make real progress on a wide range of issues of importance to Americans. His signature legislative efforts seek to raise the performance of our nation’s public schools, encourage responsible fatherhood, and provide tax relief for families struggling to afford the rising costs of college, retirement and the long-term care of a loved one. He serves on six Senate committees including Banking Housing and Urban Affairs, Energy and Natural Resources, Small Business, Armed Services, Select Committee on Intelligence, and Special Committee on Aging. Sen. Bayh is a leader of the New Democrat movement. He serves as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Coalition, a national group of Democratic elected officials and community leaders who offer a third-way approach on issues that often fall victim to partisan politics. He also is a member of the Senate Centrist Coalition, a group of moderate senators from both parties who meet regularly and work together to find common ground. Before his venture into politics, Sen. Bayh had practiced law for a private firm in Indianapolis. He was elected Indiana’s secretary of state in 1986 and became governor a year later. In his eight years in that position, he helped establish Indiana as one of the strongest, most financially secure economies in the nation. Stressing fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, job creation and lean government, Sen. Bayh’s list of achievements is remarkable. It includes: eight years without raising taxes; the greatest single tax cut; the largest budget surplus in state history; national leadership in moving people from welfare to work; more dollars for schools every year; high academic standards and new college opportunities; more than 375,000 new jobs; tougher laws; and improved environmental quality.