Honorary Degree Recipients

The late Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, addressed approximately 2,700 graduates and their friends and family members during the 150th Commencement address at Washington University in St. Louis in 2011. Wiesel received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in 2011. Wiesel delivered three Assembly Series lectures on campus since 1970. […]

Steinem received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in 2012. She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972, the first periodical created, owned and operated entirely by women, and remained one of its editors for 15 years. Steinem continues to serve as a consulting editor for Ms. She also helped found in 1968 New York Magazine, where she was a political columnist […]

The Late Rep. John Lewis, who in the 1960s took part in the Freedom Rides challenging bus terminal segregation and helped plan the March on Washington, gave the 155th Commencement Address at Washington University. Lewis received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the university on May 20, 2016. Lewis dedicated his life to protecting human […]

When Mae C. Jemison, MD, was a NASA astronaut aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992, she broke more than the sound barrier. She became the first woman of color to travel into space. Jemison received an honorary doctor of science degree in 2022. Today, Dr. Jemison, a physician, engineer, author, dancer, educator, entrepreneur, futurist […]

Anthony S. Fauci, MD, the recently retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has made seminal contributions in infectious disease and immunology research and to public health, most recently through his work to inform the public about COVID-19. Medical adviser to seven U.S. […]

Jennifer Coolidge, an award-winning actor known for her numerous iconic roles in film and on television, delivered the Commencement address on May 13, 2024, to the Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2024. Coolidge also received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Jennifer Coolidge has been a Hollywood mainstay ever since playing Stifler’s mom in the […]