Mehdi Heravi awards one of his many endowed scholarships in CHaSS to a student at the 2019 CHaSS Awards Ceremony in March. Heravi is a scholar, author, philanthropist and USU graduate who believes that humanity is a priority and one should always strive to make the world a better place.
Utah State University will award honorary degrees to three distinguished individuals during its 132nd graduation ceremony, including scholar, author and philanthropist Mehdi Heravi.
Others receiving honorary degrees are Eric E. Hipple, former NFL quarterback, USU alum and speaker on the importance of being mentally fit; and Ronald W. Jibson, a USU graduate and retired chairman, president and CEO of Questar Corp. (now Dominion Energy).
The honorary doctorates will be awarded during the commencement ceremony May 2 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan.
Heravi is an Honorary Doctorate Recipient. He's an alumnus of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, having earned a bachelor’s (1963) and a master’s (1964) in Political Science.
From a young age, Iranian-born Heravi was not one to back away from a challenge or a dream. The scholar, author, philanthropist and Utah State University graduate believes that humanity is a priority and one should always strive to make the world a better place.
Heravi is a visionary, who despite his fears, left his home in Tehran as a teenager to pursue his dream of receiving an education in America. He came to Logan and finished his senior year of high school and then enrolled at USU where he studied political science, eventually graduating with both a bachelor’s (1963) and master’s (1964). While at USU, Heravi became the first international student in the university’s history to become a campus-wide independent senator.
In 1973, Heravi returned to Iran to serve as vice president at the National University of Iran. Years later, following the Iranian Revolution, Heravi devoted himself to philanthropy and humanitarian work. He has helped support an orphanage in northern Iran along the Caspian Sea and helps support several organizations related to cerebral palsy, a disease that afflicts his son.
When it comes to remembering his alma mater, Heravi is no less generous. He has established several scholarships at USU, including several endowed scholarships within CHaSS.
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