Honorary Degrees
Name of Honor: Honorary Degree
Established: 1868
Awarded by: The Board of Trustees
Criteria: Honorary degrees awarded by St. Lawrence University signify recognition of exemplary accomplishment consistent with the traditions and values of this liberal arts learning community. Recipients serve as models for our students as they respond to the question posed by the distinguished Laurentian Owen D. Young: "Have you enlarged your knowledge of obligations and your capacity to perform them?" The University should consider the following criteria in the selection of honorary degree candidates.
1. Recognized achievement in scholarship, the arts, business or professional life; or
2. Distinguished humanitarian, altruistic, or philanthropic service; or
3. Distinctive contributions to a regional, national, or global community; and
4. Abiding interest in a relationship with St. Lawrence University that furthers the goals and mission of the University.
Eligibility: Because St. Lawrence has programs to honor those formally affiliated with the University, barring exceptional circumstances, current employees and trustees will not be considered for an honorary degree. Further, honorary degrees normally will not be awarded to individuals whose political position, financial resources or celebrity alone bring them to our attention.
Selection process: Nominations are accepted anytime from the campus and alumni communities. An on-campus honors committee reviews nominations based on materials submitted and research developed by campus staff. After the on-campus committee recommends a candidate or candidates, they will be brought by one of the committee's faculty representatives to the entire faculty for a vote of recommendation. Following this vote, candidates are ready to be considered either by the full Board of Trustees or the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Board.
Successful candidates would not necessarily be offered honorary degrees in the same year in which they are approved, given the desirability of various kinds of balance among recipients in any given year. Opportunity for presentation: Chiefly at Commencement. To nominate a candidate, contact John Christopher, jchristopher@stlawu.edu.
Click on the name of the honoree to read remarks at graduation.
2023
Gina Kingsbury '04
Doctor of Humane Letters
2022
President Emeritus William L. Fox ’75
Doctor of Humane Letters
Lynn Smith Fox
Doctor of Humane Letters
Grant H. Cornwell Jr. ’79
Doctor of Humane Letters
2021
Terry Fulmer
Doctor of Humane Letters
2019
Jeffery Boyd '76
Doctor of Laws
Susan L. Washburn
Doctor of Humane Letters
2018
Melanie Smeallie Mbuyi '77
Doctor of Humane Letters
International Economist
Haruyoshi "Yoshi" Udagawa '74
Doctor of Humane Letters
Leader in International Education
2017
Sen. Susan M. Collins
Doctor of Humane Letters
Senior U.S. Senator - Maine
Jane (Breckenridge) Eisner '64
Doctor of Humane Letters
President, The Eisner Foundation
Richard Guarasci, Ph.D.
Doctor of Humane Letters
Founding Director, SLU First Year Program
National Leader in Higher Education
2016
Charles Aquadro '75
Doctor of Science
Professor and population geneticist
Katherine Clark '85
Doctor of Humane Letters
US Congresswoman
William Torrey '53 (remarks not available)
Doctor of Humane Letters
Sports Management
2015
Peter Hatch P'15
Doctor of Humane Letters
Garden Historian, Historical Landscape Consultant
John Angelo '63
Doctor of Humane Letters
Pioneer in Hedge Fund Industry
Judy Hart Angelo '63
Doctor of Humane Letters
Songwriter
Jane Forbes Clark
Doctor of Humane Letters
Chair, Board of Directors for the National Baseball Hall of Fame
President, Clark Foundation
2014
Grace Potter
Bachelor of Arts
Musician, philanthropist
Donald K. Rose '64
Doctor of Humane Letters
Scientist, executive, Chair of the Board of St. Lawrence University
Susan Talve '74
Doctor of Humane Letters
Rabbi, social activist, humanitarian
2013
Roger Ferguson
Doctor of Humane Letters
Joseph Kennedy
Doctor of Humane Letters
John O'Shea '74
Doctor of Science
2012
Mary DiSanto-Rose '75
Doctor of Arts
Garry Trudeau
Doctor of Humane Letters
2011
Tom Brokaw
Doctor of Humane Letters
Richard Brush
Doctor of Humane Letters
Archie MacAllaster
Doctor of Humane Letters
David Torrey
Doctor of Humane Letters
2010
The Reverend Professor Peter Gomes
Doctor of Divinity
The Honorable Sonia Sotomayor
Chase Twichell
Doctor of Humane Letters
2009
Daniel F. Sullivan '65
Doctor of Humane Letters
Richard Fairbanks '72, Dale Chayes '73, Peter deMenocol '82 and Miriam Katz '81
Doctor of Science
Carol Geary Schneider
Doctor of Humane Letters
Allen P. Splete '60
Doctor of Humane Letters
Larry Winston '60
Doctor of Humane Letters
2008
Kevin Klose
Doctor of Humane Letters
Carol Newell '79
Doctor of Humane Letters
David Warren
Doctor of Humane Letters
2007
Jane Hamilton
Doctor of Literature
Dr. Robert Montgomery '82
Doctor of Science
Jeanne Narum
Doctor of Humane Letters
2006
The Reverend Richard Gilbert '58
Doctor of Humane Letters
Viggo Mortenson '80
Doctor of Arts
Barbara Tewksbury '73
Doctor of Science
2005
The Reverend Joan Brown Campbell
Doctor of Humane Letters
John R. Cook Jr. '70
Doctor of Humane Letters
William Kennedy
Doctor of Literature
2004
Karen Hitchcock '64
Doctor of Humane Letters
Mark Klett '74
Doctor of Art
Marie L. 'Lorrie" Moore '78
Doctor of Literature
2003
Denny Brown
Doctor of Humane Letters
Ralph Cohen
Doctor of Literature
Sharada Nayak
Doctor of Humane Letters
2002
Luis Eduardo Luna
Doctor of Humane Letters
Gloria Naylor
Doctor of Literatures
E. B. Wilson '53
Doctor of Humane Letters
2001
Richard E. Hecklinger '65
Doctor of Letters
Michael E. Hoffman '64
Doctor of Arts
Barbara R. Williams
Doctor of Social Sciences
2000
Alexander String Quartet
Doctor of Music
Tantoo Cardinal
Doctor of Arts
Tracey McNamara '76
Doctor of Science