Professor Emeritus, Historian
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
2002
Bio:
Fr. Herman Muller entered eternal life on April 19, 2007.
Citation:
Through your love of history and your dedication to the University of Detroit Mercy, you have enriched the lives of thousands of students and ensured that the history of the University is recorded for generations to come. Since joining the University in 1956, you have distinguished yourself as an outstanding history and economics professor, serving as chairman of the history department for several years and being named Professor Emeritus in 1978. You helped establish the University's "Junior Year in Ireland" study-abroad program in 1968, and you were also recognized as an Irish historian and asked to lecture throughout the country for the Irish government. Throughout your years of teaching and scholarship, you have been an active advocate of student development in the spirit of the University's mission. A visible presence in the tutoring center, you provided a warm constant example of the teaching and learning environment that both challenges and enables students to become leaders in society and in their professions. The importance of your relationship to students has also been evident through your longstanding and exceptional devotion to the Titan athletics teams. While your first love is the baseball team, which you serve as team chaplain and number-one fan, you are also a dedicated supporter at basketball games and other Titan events. Most significant among your contributions to this institution are the history books you have written, chronicling the University's past. In 1977, you published The University of Detroit, 1877-1977, in honor of that institution's centennial. In recognition of this accomplishment, you were named University Historian. You have also published a biography of John Baptist Miege, S.J., the first president of Detroit College; and you chronicled the history of the College of Business Administration. Most recently, you completed a history of the University of Detroit from 1977 to 1990. As a dedicated Jesuit priest for more that 60 years, a historian, an archivist, and professor, you are greatly admired by all who know you. In recognition of your dedication to teaching and learning and the development of students, as well as your efforts at preserving the history of this educational institution, the University of Detroit Mercy in proud to confer upon you an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree. Commencement, University of Detroit Mercy, May 11, 2002.