From left to right: Ertharin Cousin, J.D., Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme; David J. Skorton, M.D., Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Steven Weinberg, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics; Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., The 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The campus community is invited to join President Shirley Ann Jackson and the 2016 honorary degree recipients as they come together to discuss “The Unity Underlying Diversity: Multi-Cultural, Intellectual, and Geographic” at the 14th annual Commencement Colloquy. The discussion will be held on Friday, May 27, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. A reception will follow.
The honorary degree recipients are:
Ertharin Cousin, J.D., who will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Ertharin Cousin is the 12th Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. As the leader of the world’s largest humanitarian organization, she is an exceptional advocate for improving the lives of hungry people worldwide.
David J. Skorton, M.D., who will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution David J. Skorton has also served as president of Cornell University and the University of Iowa. He is a board-certified cardiologist and is an advocate for the arts and humanities.
Steven Weinberg, Ph.D. who will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Acclaimed physicist and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, the Josey Regental Chair in Science at the University of Texas, does research on elementary particles and cosmology, and writes books and articles about almost anything.
To read more, RSVP or watch live, visit the Colloquy website.