Commencement Speakers
| 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 |
| 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| 2002 | Bill Cosby, Actor (degree rescinded) |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 |
| 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 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Honorary Degree Recipients
| 2022 | Dr. Luis Jódar, Rev. Dr. Janet L. Wolf, Dr. Kimani Paul-Emile |
| 2020/2021 | Yamiche Alcindor The Rev. Alfred T. Day III |
| 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 | |
| 2009 | 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 |