Wheaton Resident Awarded Aurora University Honorary Doctorate Degree

AURORA, Ill. - Wheaton resident C. William Pollard was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree by Aurora University at 115th annual commencement exercises on May 4 at Aurora.

C. William Pollard of Wheaton, center, received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Aurora University at 115th annual commencement exercises on May 4. From left are Shawn Green, director, AU Dunham School of Business; Andrew Manion, provost; Pollard, retired ServiceMaster chairman of the board; and Rebecca L. Sherrick, AU president. About 1,250 students received degrees in graduation ceremonies on the campus quadrangle.

Pollard was recognized for his outstanding and inspiring contributions to society; his respect for workers and commitment to ethical leadership; his knowledge of education, business, and faith; and his life-long efforts to make the world a better place for people to live and work.

AU President Rebecca L. Sherrick conferred Pollard’s degree. His citation was read by Shawn Green, director of AU’s Dunham School of Business.

Green said, “ Each year as the Aurora University community honors its graduating students, we also pause to affirm the values that define us as an institution by honoring individuals who have had a significant and positive impact on society.

“Today, Aurora University confers the Doctorate of Humane Letters upon C. William Pollard, a man with an international reputation as a business visionary and ethical leader who is dedicated to others and committed to his faith.

“The former chief executive officer and chairman of the board of ServiceMaster, C. William Pollard has demonstrated throughout his life that he is a man of character and scholarship and is the embodiment of the Aurora University core values of integrity, citizenship, continuous learning, and excellence.”

Pollard earned a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in 1960 and went on to Northwestern University School of Law where, in 1963, he received his juris doctorate.

From 1963 to 1972, he practiced law with specializations in corporate finance and tax matters. In 1972, he returned to his undergraduate alma mater, where he served as a member of the faculty and as vice president until 1977.

Joining ServiceMaster in 1977, Pollard brought to the company his strong work ethic and outstanding leadership qualities and rose to the positions of chief executive officer in 1983 and chairman of the board in 1990.

From his earliest days at the helm of ServiceMaster, Pollard’s belief in the value of his employees, his commitment to customers, and his steadfast ethical leadership rooted in his own Christianity defined his tenure and propelled ServiceMaster to unprecedented national and international success.

During this 10 year period, ServiceMaster introduced the company’s consumer group and enjoyed consecutive years of revenue and profit growth. Additionally, the firm was recognized by Fortune magazine as the number one service company among the Fortune 500, was identified as a “star of the future” by The Wall Street Journal , and was recognized by the Financial Times as one of the most respected companies in the world.

By 1993, the year he stepped down as chief executive officer, ServiceMaster had seen revenue grow from $234 million to $6.4 billion.

In 1999, after serving as a director of Herman Miller, Inc. and UnumProvident Corporation, Pollard returned to ServiceMaster as chief executive officer and once again successfully led the company until 2001 when, having completed the process of electing his successor, he was named chairman emeritus.

Pollard continues to serve ServiceMaster as visiting teacher and consultant, principally on matters of ethics and faith in the workplace.

He serves as a director or trustee of educational, religious, and other not-for-profit organizations including Wheaton College, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, for which he serves as chair of the executive committee, and the Drucker Foundation.

Author of the best selling book, The Soul of the Firm , he has influenced tens of thousands of business leaders on ethics and integrity by emphasizing the dignity of the worker as a whole person. He also has written for and contributed to other books and magazines including The Leader of the Future and Leading People .

Pollard’s latest book is The Heart of a Business Ethic. In 2004 he received the Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Business Ethics presented by the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business.

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