UMD News Releases

Also to be Featured Speaker at UMD Commencement

University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin has announced that Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at UMD commencement ceremonies, Saturday, May 14. The honorary degree is the highest award conferred by the University of Minnesota, recognizing individuals who have achieved acknowledged eminence in cultural affairs, in public service, or in a field of knowledge and scholarship. Mr. Moe will be honored for his national and international leadership in historic preservation.

Mr. Moe also will be the featured speaker at the May 14 commencement ceremonies set for 12 noon at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC).

"UMD is very proud to present this well-deserved honor to Richard Moe," said Chancellor Martin. "His record of community and public service spans more than 40 years, and his work for historic preservation has brought him national recognition. He has launched important efforts to demonstrate and document the effectiveness of preservation as a tool for community revitalization, and has a deep commitment to creating more livable communities for all Americans."

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the largest nonprofit preservation organization in the United States. In the 11 years that he has served as president, Moe has revitalized and expanded the National Trust's outreach to include renewal of inner cities by limiting urban sprawl as well as preserving historically significant buildings and neighborhoods. He has also ended the National Trust's reliance on federal funds, raising more than $135 million through private sources since funding ended five years ago.

A Duluth native, Moe has remembered his roots in Minnesota, where he is actively involved in several preservation initiatives, from the "Save the Guthrie" project in Minneapolis to the rehabilitation of the historic lift bridge in Stillwater.

The National Trust has also included the City of Duluth in its Preservation Development Initiative, which involved an eight-month, $100,000 study of the city. The study, which was released this summer, concluded that using historical preservation as a tool for community revitalization has great potential for Duluth. During a July visit to Duluth, Moe addressed the study's findings and vowed to do whatever he could to ensure that historic preservation continues in his hometown.

Before taking over as president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, he served in a variety of administrative positions in city, state and national government, culminating in serving as Chief of Staff for Vice President Walter Mondale in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1981. Moe earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1966, and he was a partner in a Washington, D.C., law firm from 1981 until becoming the seventh president of the National Trust in 1993.

In recognition of his efforts, Moe has received several national awards. In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation received the National Humanities Medal from President Bush, the first time the medal was awarded for historic preservation. Moe has also received the National Environmental Partnership Award from the American Association of State and Highway and Transportation Officials, and he has been named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects for his outstanding support of the architecture profession.