In 1989, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from California Lutheran University (CLU) for her contributions as a foreign servant in Europe and the United States.[1][2] Hegardt, who served as CLU’s first Diplomat in Residence informally for two months during the spring 1998 semester, returned to California Lutheran University for the spring 1999 semester, teaching a course titled “Europe in Transition: Economic, Political and Cultural Dimensions of European Integration” and conducted a series of campus colloquia and lead discussions as a guest lecturer in graduate and undergraduate classes.[5] Hegardt founded the Swedish Women's Forum, a multi-professional network for the exchange of experiences and support for women high in the career.[3]