Dolly Parton received an honorary doctor of humane and musical letters at the Arts and Sciences Spring Commencement May 9, 2009, in recognition of her philanthropic work and musical success. While her career as musician, actress, and songwriter is well documented, her philanthropic endeavors are less well celebrated. In 1996 she founded the Imagination Library program in Sevier County, providing children with a new book every month from birth to age 5. That program grew to serve more than one thousand communities in Tennessee, communities throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. She also provides scholarships to graduates of Sevier County High School.
For her work to promote literacy, she received (2001) the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, the first time the seal was awarded to a person. Her work to preserve the endangered bald eagle led to the creation of the American Eagle Foundation and establishment of its sanctuary at Dollywood theme park in Sevier County.