Past Commencement Speakers
RECENT | |
2024 | James David Van Der Beek (CLA): Acclaimed actor, writer, and producer |
2023 | Rev. Dr. Daisy L. Machado: Historian, Author, and Renowned Minister to the Latinx Community |
2023 | Dr. Liana Piehler G’01: Drew Affiliate Professor of English and Arts & Letters Program Faculty Member |
2023 | Camille A. Brown: Tony Award Nominated Director and Choreographer |
2022 | Dr. Luis Jódar, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer Vaccines |
2022 | Rev. Dr. Janet L. Wolf, Author and Member of the Executive/National Steering Committee of the Inside Out Prison Exchange Program |
2022 | Dr. Kimani Paul-Emile, Professor of Law, Associate Director, and Head of Domestic Programs and Initiatives at Fordham Law School’s Center on Race, Law & Justice, and faculty co-director of the Fordham Law School Stein Center for Law & Ethics |
2020/2021 | The Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III T’82 |
2019 | Christine Todd Whitman, Former Governor of New Jersey |
2018 | John Leguizamo, Actor, Comedian and Activist |
2018 | Mallory Mortillaro C’13, G’15, Sesquicentennial Speaker |
2017 | The Rev. Dr. William Barber II T’03, Sesquicentennial Speaker |
2017 | Julia Wolfe, MacArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize–Winner in Music |
2016 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Basketball Legend, Activist, Author |
2015 | Rob Franek C’93, Senior Vice President/Publisher, The Princeton Review |
2014 | Vivian A. Bull, President, Drew University |
2013 | Frank Occhiogrosso, Professor of English |
2012 | The Honorable Barry T. Albin, Associate Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court |
2011 | Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
2010 | Michael Lewis, Author |
2000s | |
2009 | Gerald Stern, Poet |
2008 | Cory Booker, Mayor of the City of Newark, New Jersey |
2007 | Richard Codey, President New Jersey Senate |
2006 | Candy Crowley, Senior Political Correspondent, CNN |
2005 | Thomas H. Kean, President of Drew University |
2004 | Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University |
2003 | James E. McGreevey, Governor of New Jersey |
2002 | Bill Cosby, Actor (degree rescinded) |
2001 | Richard Holbrooke, Former Ambassador to U.N. |
2000 | Bill Richardson, U.S. Secretary of Energy |
1990s | |
1999 | Christopher Reeve, Actor |
1998 | James Earl Jones, Actor |
1997 | Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey |
1996 | First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton |
1995 | Andrew Shue, Do Something |
1995 | Wendy Kopp, Teach for America |
1994 | Mario Cuomo |
1993 | Olympia Dukakis, Actress |
1992 | David Halberstam, Author |
1991 | Thomas Pickering, U.N. Ambassador |
1990 | George Romney, Former Governor of Michigan |
1980s | |
1989 | Arno Penzias |
1988 | Rosalyn Yalow |
1987 | John Amos, Actor |
1986 | Richard Reeves, Journalist |
1985 | Bill Bradley, U.S. senator |
1984 | John Brademas, President of NYU |
1983 | Marie L. Garibaldi, New Jersey Supreme Court Justice |
1982 | Thomas H. Kean, Governor of New Jersey |
1981 | Dr. William O. Baker, Chairman (ret) Bell Laboratories |
1980 | Eudora Welty, Novelist, Pulitzer Prize Winner |
1970s | |
1979 | Alan Alda, Actor |
1978 | Jean Rey, Ministre d’Etat of Belgium |
1977 | Jennifer E. Beaver ’77, representing all of the schools |
1976 | Millicent Fenwick, Congresswoman, Fifth District of New Jersey |
1975 | Kenneth E. Grebenstein, SGA President, representing all schools |
1974 | Terry Sanford, President of Duke University |
1973 | William Pearson Tolley, Chancellor Emeritus, Syracuse University |
1972 | Otto Klineberg, Director of the International Center for Intergroup Relations |
1971 | James E. Cheek, President of Howard University |
1970 | William R. Keast, President of Wayne State Universitiy |
1960s | |
1969 | Louis T. Benezet, President of Claremont University Center |
1968 | Sharvy G. Umbeck, Chair of the American Council on Education |
1967 | Erwin D. Canham, Editor in Chief, Christian Science Monitor |
1966 | Harry D. Gideonse, President Brooklyn College, CUNY |
1965 | Harrison E. Salisbury, Assistant Managing Editor, New York Times |
1964 | Robert Fisher Oxnam, President of Drew University |
1963 | Robert Fisher Oxnam, President of Drew University |
1962 | Robert Fisher Oxnam, President of Drew University |
1961 | Robert Fisher Oxnam, President of Drew University |
1960 | Hugh L. Dryden, Deputy Administrator, NASA |
1950s | |
1959 | Fred G. Holloway, President of Drew University |
1958 | Charles C. Parlin |
1957 | C. Douglas Dillon, Deputy Under Secretary of State |
1956 | Fred G. Holloway, President of Drew University |
1955 | Fred G. Holloway, President of Drew University |
1954 | Fred G. Holloway, President of Drew University |
1953 | Fred G. Holloway, President of Drew University |
1952 | Fred G. Holloway, President of Drew University |
1951 | Arolo Ayres Brown, President Emeritus, Drew University |
1950 | The Rev. Donald B. Aldrich, Dean of the Chapel, Princeton University |
Past Honorary Degree Recipients
2024 | James David Van Der Beek (CLA), Harriett Jane Olson (THEO) |
2023 | Rev. Dr. Daisy L. Machado (DTS), Dr. Liana Piehler G’01 (CSGS), Camille A. Brown (CLA), Harold Gary (CLA) |
2022 | Dr. Luis Jódar, Rev. Dr. Janet L. Wolf, Dr. Kimani Paul-Emile |
2020/2021 | Yamiche Alcindor |
2019 | Dean T. Criares C’85 Karen Oliveto C’80, G’91,’02 |
2018 | Arnold L. Demain, Steven Gilbert |
2017 | William Barber II T’03, Julia Wolfe |
2016 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, William C. Campbell, Robert Ready |
2015 | Rob Franek C’93, Bob Conley |
2014 | In Hwan Kim, Hugh A. D’Andrade |
2013 | Hedy Brasch, Edward W. Poitras |
2012 | Barry T. Albin, Barbara Morris Caspersen, Edmund D. Pellegrino, Wilbert Mitchell |
2011 | Maxine Clarke Beach, Clarence B. Jones, Joan C. Verplanck, Shirley Ann Jackson |
2010 | John Shelby Spong, Judy Shepard, Arturo A. Valenzuela, Michael Lewis |
2009 | Gerald Stern, Arnold Demain, Nina Wells |
2008 | Cory Booker, David Grant, Mary Sue Sweeney Price, Joseph Blotner |
2007 | Richard J. Codey, Ernest S. Lyght, Eugene M. Lang, Jean B. Gazarian |
2006 | Kevin Murphy, Susan M. Morrison |
2005 | Bonnie Monte, Victor Parsonnet |
2004 | Shirley M. Tilghman, Clement Price, Roger H. Martin, Rodney Frelinghuysen |
2003 | James E. McGreevey, Vivian A. Bull, Sol Gittleman, Larry Shinn |
2002 | William H. Cosby Jr. (degree rescinded), Raymond A. Brown, Deborah T. Poritz, Warren J. Sinsheimer |
2001 | Richard Holbrooke, Pita John Ala’ilima, Heath B. McLendon, James H. Pain |
2000 | Bill Richardson, Barbara Bell Coleman, Michele K. Guhl |
1999 | Christopher Reeve, Helen C. Fenske, Lawrence Horner |
1998 | James Earl Jones, Herman A. Estrin, Melville D. Miller |
1997 | Christine Todd Whitman, Fred M. Kirby II, DeForest Soaries |
1996 | Hillary Rodham Clinton, Alfredo Martinez Moreno, Nancy Schaenen |
1995 | Andrew Shue, Wendy Kopp, Robert C. Woolley, Dorothy Young |
1994 | Mario Cuomo, Donald Payne, George Eberhardt |
1993 | Olympia Dukakis, Jeffrey Smith, Hae-Jong Kim, Ruth Churchill |
1992 | David Halberstam, Robert Luciano, Althea Gibson, Rand Castile |
1991 | Thomas R. Pickering, Sharpe James, Albert Baez, Kathleen Di Chiara |
1990 | George Romney, Raymond Chambers, Mary Smith, John Henry Kruse |
1989 | Thomas H. Denman, Grace Murray Hopper, Arno A. Penzias |
1988 | George DeStevens, George G. Reader, Leonard J. Soucy Jr., Rosalyn S. Yalow |
1987 | John Allen Amos Jr., Horton Foote, Jerome Hines |
1986 | Richard Reeves, Richard Walker |
1985 | Bill Bradley, Bruce Ritter, William James, George Kelsey |
1984 | John Brademas, Saul Cooperman, Barent Johnson |
1983 | Marie L. Garibaldi, Sam Jaffe, Bettye Ackerman, Lewis Thomas |
1982 | Thomas H. Kean, Albert W. Merck, Robert W. Edgar, William H. Gray III, Vartan Gregorian |
1981 | William O. Baker, Tai-Young Lee |
1980 | Eudora Welty |
1979 | Alan Alda |
1978 | Ruth Cameron Webb, Jean Rey |
1977 | Alexander L. Boraine, Maud Keister Jensen, Robert Fillen Smith, Manas Buthelezi |
1976 | Millicent Fenwick, John T. Cunningham |
1975 | John Lewis Pepin |
1974 | Allan H. Gilbert, Terry Sanford |
1972 | Owen Barfield, Otto Klineberg, Prince Albert Taylor Jr. |
1971 | James Edward Cheek, John Edward Horner, Luigi G. Ligutti, William Paul Stillman, Ignatius Yacob, III |
1970 | Frank Lusk Babbott, Peter Randolph Jennings |