U.S. Secretary of Energy, distinguished scientist and Nobel Laureate Steven Chu will receive an honorary doctor of science degree from Penn State. The University's Board of Trustees today (March 16) approved Chu as a recipient, who will receive the degree and deliver a keynote address during commencement ceremonies at University Park on May 5. Chu, the former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and former professor of physics and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997. (more)
Penn State's Committee on Honorary Degrees is seeking suggestions for potential honorary doctoral degree recipients from the University. The list of potential nominees will include eminent scholars, performers, artists and practitioners in academic fields, and individuals who have made particularly distinguished contributions to society in areas such as public service, business or government. (more)
Eric Thomas, vice-chancellor at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, is unable to attend the May 2012 Penn State commencement ceremony to receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters, as was announced earlier. Instead, he will be awarded the degree at a later date. (more)
Through the end of summer 2011, Penn State has conferred a total of 682,318 degrees. At the conclusion of the fall 2011 semester, the University's total number of graduates should approach 687,043. This fall Penn State expects to award approximately 4,725 diplomas to students University-wide who are completing 272 associate, 3,499 baccalaureate, 720 master's, 2 medical, 13 law and 219 doctoral degrees. Following is a compilation of fall 2011 commencement ceremonies and speaker information for Penn State's 24 campuses. (more)
Paul Frank Baum, Evan Pugh professor of mathematics at Penn State, has received the honorary degree of doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, from the Board of Regents at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Baum has been given this award "in recognition of his powerful, elegant and lasting contributions to the field of mathematics." (more)
Labor economist Ronald Ehrenberg, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and journalist and legal scholar Linda Greenhouse will receive honorary doctorates from Penn State at spring 2011 commencement ceremonies, as approved by Penn State's Board of Trustees during its meeting on Sept. 17, 2010. (more)
Following is a compilation of fall 2010 commencement ceremonies and speaker information for Penn State's 24 campuses. Additional information is available online at http://commencement.psu.edu. (more)
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns delivered the keynote address to those assembled in the Bryce Jordan Center for the College of Communications spring commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 15. Burns spoke to the new graduates about their role in the future as communicators, and was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from President Graham B. Spanier during the proceedings. For photos, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/2269 online. (more)
The woman who oversees the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Penn State. Penn State's Board of Trustees today (March 19) approved Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, to receive the degree at a future University commencement ceremony. Nooyi directs a corporation with 285,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue nearing $60 billion, generated from businesses including Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade. (more)
Penn State will honor George Koob and Shelly Lazarus with honorary degrees at University Park spring commencement ceremonies. Koob, professor and chair of the Committee on Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders at The Scripps Research Institute will receive a Doctor of Science degree at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at the College of Health and Human Development and School of Nursing ceremony in the Bryce Jordan Center. Lazarus, chairwoman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, is one of the most powerful women in her industry, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17 at the Smeal College of Business ceremony at the Bryce Jordan Center. (more)
