NMSU alumni Michael L. Johnson, Paulina Salopek and Mike Maloof were awarded honorary doctorates by New Mexico State University during the fall 2006 and spring 2007 commencement ceremonies for their contributions to the university.

Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in geology from NMSU, a master’s in geochemistry from Rice University and a master’s in finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Before entering semi-retirement, he worked for Conoco Inc. (now ConocoPhillips) for 28 years. He served as vice president and general manager of Conoco Inc. and as chairman and CEO of Conoco Gas and Power, a division of Conoco Inc. Johnson now serves in various consulting and advisory roles.

Johnson and his wife, Judy, established the first endowed chair in the NMSU College of Arts and Sciences with a $1 million gift to the Department of Geological Sciences.

Salopek and her son, Dave, took over the family’s farm operations, Roadrunner Pecans and David Salopek Farms when her husband died in 1979. She has a bachelor’s in business administration from NMSU.

More than two decades after graduating, Salopek turned to the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service for computer, financial and pecan production expertise in running the family business.

In return for NMSU’s help, Salopek and her son offered their farm’s facilities to be used as a research center for irrigation and pecan nutrition studies. Since those early days, the farm’s acreage has doubled.

The late Mike Maloof was an NMSU student government president before graduating with a bachelor’s in business administration.

He helped his family operate a number of business ventures, including beer distribution, banking, hotels, casinos and sports entertainment.

Maloof was honored as a distinguished alumnus of the NMSU College of Business and inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame. He often stressed the relationship between being positive and being successful.