Philanthropist Betty M. Barker, a longtime university supporter who was instrumental in raising the funds to develop Cal State San Bernardino's Palm Desert Campus, and developer James R. Watson, who led the fundraising campaign to equip and furnish the university's College of Education building, were presented honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees at CSUSB's June commencement ceremonies.

Barker will be honored at the university's Palm Desert Campus graduation on Thursday, June 17, at 6 p.m. at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage.

Watson will receive his honorary doctorate during CSUSB's College of Education commencement exercises at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, at the university's Coussoulis Arena.

Cal State San Bernardino will present six separate ceremonies from June 17-20, beginning with the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus event and followed by events at CSUSB's Coussoulis Arena for each of the university's five academic colleges.

Barker is a highly respected philanthropist whose hard work and influence in the Coachella Valley have been instrumental in the funding and development of Cal State San Bernardino's Palm Desert Campus.

As the co-chair for Cal State San Bernardino's capital campaign to build a permanent satellite campus in Palm Desert, she assisted with raising more than $35 million from private individuals, foundations and local municipalities to construct the campus's first four buildings.

In recognition of her philanthropic support, a sculpture garden at CSUSB's Palm Desert Campus is named in her honor. The Betty Barker Sculpture Garden forms an artistic entrance to the Indian Wells Center for Educational Excellence on the campus.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy referred to her as "Mrs. Money Raiser" when he spoke at the opening of the Indian Wells Theater at CSUSB's Palm Desert Campus.

Born Betty MacPherson, she was raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore, Penn., and attended the all-female Wilson College in Pennsylvania. She spent much of her adult life in the Chicago suburb of Barrington Hills, Ill. She was among the first women in the 1940s to work in industrial design, and she eventually started her own firm, with clients in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Germany and England. She also enjoyed a successful modeling career for Clairol, and photos of her appeared in Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping and other magazines.

She has lived in the Coachella Valley for more than 30 years and has been active in the development of the region, including a major role in establishing the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert. Barker has served as president of the Women's Committee of the Palm Springs Desert Museum, and she has held leadership roles with the Palm Springs Friends of the Philharmonic, the Desert Community Foundation, Women Leaders Forum, the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition and the Desert Samaritans for the Elderly. She was named one of California's "Women of the Year" and the "Good Samaritan" of the year in 2004.

Even in her 90s, she continues to be actively involved in the community. She serves on Cal State San Bernardino's new Board of Governors, and she is responsible for staging a highly acclaimed ethics forum at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.

Watson, president of Watson and Associates Development Corporation, has been one of the most important and influential people in the development of several key initiatives at Cal State San Bernardino. A Seal Beach-based commercial and residential real estate developer, he has been a significant donor, fundraiser and public servant on various CSUSB boards, and he spearheaded the fundraising efforts to enhance the new College of Education building.

Watson has been an enthusiastic contributor to and advocate for CSUSB's Literacy Center, which was established in the university's College of Education to provide tutorial assistance to students throughout the community. The center is now named the Watson and Associates Literacy Center, providing crucial services to hundreds of youth on probation in the legal system, and also elevating the teaching skills of many future educators.

Watson's remarkable leadership and fundraising acumen with the Literacy Center sparked the university to name him and his wife, Judy, as co-chairs of Cal State San Bernardino's College of Education capital campaign. The Watsons were relentless in their efforts to attract donations, generating more than $3 million to equip and furnish the new College of Education building and its programs. The Watsons contributed the primary gift to the fundraising campaign, and, in recognition, the building's student services center is named for Jim and Judy Watson.

He also has been a dynamic proponent of public art in San Bernardino, and he has been instrumental in the partnership between the university and the city to install CSUSB student art pieces throughout the city. He also has provided funding to the university's Coyote Conservatory, a performance arts outreach project led by CSUSB's theatre arts department. And he extended a generous grant to university students to plant 500 trees near the campus.

Watson was only 6 years old when his father died, after which he was raised in Compton by his mother. He went on to graduate from San Jose State University, and he worked as a real estate appraiser before launching his own company in 1972. As president and CEO of Watson and Associates, he developed many commercial and residential real estate projects, including shopping centers, residential and master-planned mixed-use projects.