H o n o r a ry D e g r e e s An honorary degree is awarded to a person deserving of honor by virtue of scholarly distinction, noteworthy public service or significant contributions to the state of Idaho. In the selection of candidates for honorary degrees, preference is given to those who are Idaho residents or University of Idaho graduates.
University of Idaho – Moscow - Honorary Doctorate Rod Gramer is president and CEO of Idaho Business for Education, a group of nearly 250 Idaho business leaders working to help transform the Idaho education system into one of the best in the country. A system that sets our students up for success in school, work and life and creates the highly educated and skilled workforce Idaho’s economy needs for the 21st Century.
Rodney Eugene Gramer
Gramer spent 38 years working as a reporter, newspaper editor and television news executive. He worked for The Idaho Statesman for 14 years, serving as political editor and editorial page editor and columnist. He spent 10 years as executive news director at KTVB-TV, the NBC affiliate in Boise, including moderating the “Viewpoint” public affairs program. For 13 years he served as executive news director at the NBC station in Portland, Ore., turning KGWTV into the No. 1 source of broadcast news for the Portland metropolitan area. He finished his journalism career as vice president and general manager of Bay News 9, a 24-hour news station in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Gramer is the author of three books: “Fighting the Odds: The Life of Senator Frank Church,” which he coauthored with historian LeRoy Ashby. This definitive biography of Idaho’s longtime U.S. senator won the Evans Biography Prize from Utah State University in 1994. Rod is also the author of a novel, “The Good Assassin.” A third book, “Lucky, The Wit and Wisdom of Governor Phil Batt,” will be published this spring by Caxton Printers of Caldwell. Rod has written articles and commentaries for numerous publications, including The New Republic, USA Today, Changes magazine, and several newspapers throughout Idaho. Gramer serves on numerous community boards, including the University of Idaho Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves on the advisory board for the School of Journalism and Mass Media at the University of Idaho and as chair of the advisory board for the University of Idaho’s WWAMI Medical Education Program, which is in partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine. He also serves on the Frank Church Institute Board at Boise State University and on the board of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. He was a founding board member of the City Club of Boise and served two terms as president of the Idaho Press Club. In 2016, Gov. Butch Otter appointed Gramer to the Education Commission of the States where he still represents Idaho. Gramer is an Idaho native. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1975 with a degree in both journalism and history. His wife, Julie, is a third-generation Idaho native, and is also a U of I graduate. Rod and Julie have been married for 44 years. Julie is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in Boise. They have two children. Their daughter, Jennifer, recently received her doctorate in history from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she lives with her husband, Lukas Wilhelmi. Their son, Robbie, is a reporter for Foreign Policy in Washington, D.C., where he covers diplomacy and national security issues. In recognition of his contributions to Idaho, journalism and education, U of I is proud to bestow on him the Doctor of Humane Letters with all of its rights, honors, privileges and responsibilities.
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