West Haven, Conn., May 13, 2008- Leaders in athletics, engineering and business will be awarded honorary doctoral degrees during the University of New Haven's (UNH) spring commencement exercises at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, 2008, in the Ralph F. DellaCamera, Jr. Stadium on the University of New Haven campus. In addition to the conferral of honorary degrees, 479 undergraduate and 371 graduate students will receive their degrees in various programs of study.

Former NFL Head Coach Richard A. Vermeil will serve as commencement speaker for the spring 2008 Commencement exercises. Vermeil will also receive an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree. Also receiving an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree will be President, CEO & Chairman, RBC Bearings Inc., Michael J. Hartnett. Barbara L. Pearce, President and CEO of H. Pearce Company Realtors, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Vermeil was the renowned coach of the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, the St. Louis Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs, and a prominent NFL broadcaster for major TV stations including CBS and ABC. He took three teams to the NFL playoffs, one of only five coaches in league history to achieve such a distinction.

He also has been named coach of the year on four levels: high school, junior college, NCAA Division 1 and the NFL. His coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles was portrayed by the actor Greg Kinnear in the Donnie Wahlberg film, "Invincible." He was a four-sport star at Calistoga High School (CA) and graduated from San Jose State with degrees in physical education (B.A. ‘58, M.A. ‘59) after serving as a collegiate quarterback. Vermeil announced his retirement from professional football in 2006, but he has provided color football commentary for ESPN and the NFL network, and continues to help train retired athletes for careers in broadcasting and studio work, and volunteers for numerous Philadelphia-area charitable causes.