Study In US: Yale University Awards Honorary Degrees To Eight Individuals

Yale University has awarded eight individuals with honorary degrees during its 324th graduation ceremony for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields.

Study Abroad: Yale University has awarded honorary degrees to eight individuals for its outstanding achievements in their respective fields. These were awarded during the 324th graduation ceremony.

Yale President Maurie McInnis commented, “The eight individuals we honor this morning serve as examples to you, our graduates, to encourage you to aspire to excellence and to value those elements of human character that they embody: creativity, curiosity, discipline, integrity, and a passion for public service. Their presence here also honors you who graduate today and all of us who are here to salute you.”

The recipients include Frances H. Arnold, a Nobel Prize-winning bioengineer and pioneer in the field of evolutionary chemistry; Debbie Allen, the beloved performer, producer, and director; Michael B. Curry ’78 M.Div., former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and longtime advocate for social justice; Ronald L. Carter, the iconic jazz musician and composer; Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author; Peter B. Moore ’61, a distinguished chemist and longtime Yale professor; Fei-Fei Li, a computer scientist and pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence; and Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. ’73, literary scholar and award-winning filmmaker.

While commenting on the degree, Debbie Allen, Performer, Producer, Director Doctor of Fine Arts said, “A whirling dervish of artistic energy, in a career that spans multiple decades you have won dozens of awards for your portrayal of Anita in ‘West Side Story,’ Lydia Grant in the 1980s hit series ‘Fame,’ and as director, choreographer, and producer of countless stage and TV shows. As the founder of the famed Debbie Allen Dance Academy, your teaching has enriched and transformed the lives of hundreds of young dancers who have developed into superb artists through your school. Polymath of performance, and promoter of change, Yale celebrates you with a grand jeté of admiration as we award you the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.”

Distinguished Seniors Get Yale College’s Top Prizes

Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis awarded eleven members of the Yale College Class of 2025 with top prizes.

"The recipients of the top five academic prizes will have the privilege of carrying an official flag or banner during the Yale Commencement procession on May 19. The winner of the Warren Memorial Prize carries the American flag. The winner of the Russell Henry Chittenden Prize carries the Connecticut flag. The winner of the Arthur Twining Hadley Prize carries the Yale College banner. The winners of the Sudler Prize carry the president’s banners. Finally, the winner of the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize carries the Yale University banner," reads the university statement.

Read more:

• University Of Southampton Delhi, Comviva Collaborate To Empower Tech Talent In India
• Oxford Gets £8.4 Million Gift To Establish Centre For Global Primary Care, New Professorship