José Luis Castro ’88
Doctor of Humane Letters
May 22, 2005
Humble humanitarian, educator, altruistic, compassionate, noble administrator, alumnus, you, José Luis Castro, have alleviated the suffering of thousands of people afflicted by tuberculosis disease in the United States and around the world. Your leadership in planning and organizing health programs and in the rigorous and consistent act of applying principles of good management has saved lives and contributed to economic development.
As the director of finance and development for the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, in France, your work helps countries to develop their capacity and infrastructure to control these epidemics. As a consultant to the World Health Organization, you helped renegotiate a loan with the World Bank to assist the country of India in developing one of the largest tuberculosis control programs in the world, which has now treated millions of patients and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. And, in public service to the City of New York, you served as director of operations of the Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, where you were instrumental in reducing cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis by 80 percent. Through your many positions in many parts of the world, you have worked to stem the tide of this curable disease by employing principles of good management.
From the outset, as a student at Pace University, you were destined to do great things. You are recipient of the 1988 Pace Trustees’ Award for serving in student government, the Pace Senate, and the Model United Nations program; for leading the Pace Chapter of Pi Gamma Mu International Social Sciences Honor Society to win the Joseph B. James international award; and for organizing the People and Politics luncheons, which brought prominent political and diplomatic speakers to Pace. You later said that this was the most meaningful award you had ever received. You returned to Pace as a member of the faculty in the Department of Political Science.
In 1990, you received a master of governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and the Outstanding Services Award from the City of Philadelphia “for efforts to improve the efficiency of government and [for] helping to make Philadelphia a better place in which to live, work, and visit.” The following year, the City of Philadelphia recognized you with the Public Service Award for “improving procurement services and management of service contracts” in that city. In 1998, Pace University’s Dyson College presented you with the Distinguished Achievement Award.
For believing that “the reward of a job well done is more work” and letting this be your guiding principle; for being prepared to do honest work with energy and determination to improve the condition of others around the world; and for applying the principle of Opportunitas to your global career to save lives, Pace University proudly confers upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto.
Aniello A. Bianco '61
Chairman, Board of Trustees
David A. Caputo
President, Pace University