Honorary Degrees
The Senate External Relations and Public Service Committee invites you to submit nominations for consideration in awarding honorary degrees at UIC. Honorary degrees are the highest award conferred by UIC. An honorary degree may be awarded for exemplary and extraordinary contributions either to the scholarly or professional world, to public service, or to UIC's achievements and the ideals of its missions of teaching, research, service, and economic development. We welcome nominations of persons of national or international renown within or outside official academic disciplines, which is also the practice with most major institutions of higher education throughout the United States. Some relationship with UIC is desirable but not required for consideration, but in this case, it is particularly necessary to explain why this individual is deserving of an honorary degree from UIC.
The approved guidelines for awarding honorary degrees at UIC, including eligibility criteria, nomination procedures, process and timelines can be accessed at:
HonoraryDegreeGuidelines
A nomination should be marked CONFIDENTIAL: HONORARY DEGREES and submitted to: Senate Coordinator and Clerk, UIC Office of the Senate - M/C 303; 750 S. Halsted, Rm. 513 Student Center East (SCE); Chicago, IL 60607-7016, or sent electronically to edooley@uic.edu.
The type of degree and which College confers the degree is determined in consultation between the Chancellor and Board of Trustees office.
Respectfully,
William S. Bike
Chair, Senate External Relations and Public Service Committee and Honorary Degree Nominating Committee
(312) 996-8495
billbike@uic.edu
Honorary Degrees 1966 - 2023 Heading link
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2020-2023
2023 2022 Mathinkere R. Jayaram Erikia Allen 2021 Christopher Burke 2020 Deb Hamilton Bill Unger -
2010-2019
2019 - Aleksander Hemon, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spring Ceremony)
- John E. Major, Doctor of Engineering (presented at the College of Engineering Spring Ceremony)
- Ruth Aizuss Migdal, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Architecture, Design and the Arts Spring Ceremony)
- Carol H. Retzky, Doctor of Science (presented at the College of Pharmacy Spring Ceremony)
- Harriette Gillem Robinet, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Applied Health Sciences Spring Ceremony)
2018 - Randall B. Grove, Doctor of Science (presented at the College of Dentistry Spring Ceremony)
- Steve James, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts Spring Ceremony)
- Juan Salgado, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spring Ceremony)
2017 - Kevin Lynch, Doctor of Engineering (presented at the College of Engineering Spring Ceremony)
- Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Medicine Spring Ceremony)
- Carlos Tortolero, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spring Ceremony)
- Sheryl Underwood, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spring Ceremony)
2016 - Cheryl Ganz, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spring Ceremony)
- Richard M. Daley, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the Graduate College Fall Ceremony)
2015 - Maria Hinojosa, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Ceremony)
2014 - Ertharin Cousin, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Ceremony)
- Shing-Tung Yau, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Ceremony)
2013 - Marian Wright Edelman, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the School of Public Health Ceremony)
2010 - N. Scott Momaday, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Ceremony)
- Sam Pitroda, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Medicine Ceremony)
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2000-2009
2009 - Barbara Schaal, Doctor of Biological Sciences (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Ceremony)
2008 - Robert McCormick Adams, Doctor of Letters (presented at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony).
- Richard Hill, Doctor of Engineering (presented at the College of Engineering commencement ceremony).
- Walter Netsch, Doctor of Architecture (presented at the College of Architecture and the Arts commencement ceremony).
2007 - James Tyree, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Medicine commencement ceremony).
- Shirley Welsh Ryan, Doctor of Humane Letters (presented at the College of Nursing commencement ceremony).
2004-2006 No honorary degrees were presented from 2004 - 2006 due to the new commencement model that was adopted which featured individual college commencements. Honorary degrees were reinstated in 2007. 2003 - Friedrich E.P. Hirzebruch, Doctor of Science
- Sir Richard Doll, Doctor of Science
2002 - Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Doctor of Humane Letters
- Thomas Wikman, Doctor of Fine Arts
2001 - Joan W. Harris, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Margaret Taylor Burroughs, Doctor of Humane Letters
2000 - Leon Despres, Doctor of Humane Lectures
- Sue Hendrickson, Doctor of Humane Letters
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1990-1999
1999 - Jessye Norman, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Vivette Ravel Rifkin, Doctor of Humane Letters
1998 - Jacob A. Lawrence, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Quentin D. Young, Doctor of Humane Letters
1997 - Leslie Z. Benet, Doctor of Science
- Juan Bosch, Doctor of Arts
- Leo Henikoff, Bachelor of Science
- Maria Tallchief, Doctor of Fine Arts
1996 - Van Rensselaer Potter, Doctor of Science
- Nawal El Saadawi, Doctor of Humane Letters
1995 - Leon A. Henkin, Doctor of Science
- Ramsey E. Lewis, Jr., Doctor of Arts
- Ruth Barcan Marcus, Doctor of Humane Letters
- Chang-Lin Tien, Doctor of Engineering
1994 - Charles Bowsher, Doctor of Science
- Dudley Herschbach, Doctor of Science
- Merton Miller, Doctor of Science
- Hubert Loius Will, Doctor of Social Service
1993 - Paulo Friere, Doctor of Humane Letters
- Bernard Shaw, Doctor of Letters
1992 - Irving Harris, Doctor of Social Service
- Lous Sullivan, Doctor of Science
1991 - Charles Moore, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Otto Wichterle, Doctor of Science
1990 - Ardis Kranik, Doctor of Musical Arts
- I.M. Singer, Doctor of Science
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1980-1989
1989 - John Hejduk, Doctor of Humane Letters
- A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr, Doctor of Laws
- Leon M. Lederman, Doctor of Science
- Harriet H. Werley, Doctor of Science
- George G. Mostow, Doctor of Science
1988 - Gary Stanley Becker, Doctor of Science
- Willard L. Boyd, Doctor of Arts
- William B. Graham, Doctor of Laws
- Frank H. Westheimer, Doctor of Science
1987 - Etta Moten Barnett, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Amelia Mangay Maglacas, Doctor of Science
1986 - Peter Eisenman, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Shervert H. Frazier, Doctor of Science
- C. Rollins Hanlon, Doctor of Science
- Gerhard Levy, Doctor of Science
- John Brooks Slaughter, Doctor of Science
- Lawrence W. Towner, Doctor of Letters
1985 - Archibald Cox, Doctor of Laws
- Vernon E. Jordan, Doctor of Laws
- Rozella M. Schlotfeldt, Doctor of Science
- James B. Wyngaarden, Doctor of Science
- Govindappa Venkataswamy, Doctor of Science
1984 - Carl B. Dickerson, Doctor of Laws
- David A. Hamburg, Doctor of Science
- Ruth Page, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Donald F. Steiner, Doctor of Science
- Daniel J. Terra, Doctor of Fine Arts
1983 - Laszlo Lorland, Doctor of Science
- Philip M. Klutznick, Doctor of Laws
- Louis Sudler, Doctor of Musical Arts
- Mary L. Good, Doctor of Science
1982 - Emil J. Freireich, Doctor of Science
- Arno G. Motulsky, Doctor of Science
- Robert Stuart, Doctor of Laws
- Louis "Studs" Terkel, Doctor of Humane Letters
- Jessie A. Woods, Doctor of Fine Arts
1981 - Sidney D. Drell, Doctor of Science
- John H. Johnson, Doctor of Laws
- Seymour S. Kety, Doctor of Science
- John W. Tyler, Doctor of Letters
- Lorenz E. Zimmerman, Doctor of Science
1980 - Lerone Bennet, Jr., Doctor of Humane Letters
- Joseph L. Block, Docter of Laws
- Carol Fox, Doctor of Musical Arts
- Takeru Higuchi, Doctor of Science
- Abner J. Mikva, Doctor of Laws
- Mary Kelly Mullane, Doctor of Science
- Edmund D. Pellegrino, Doctor of Science
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1970-1979
1979 - Felix Candela, Doctor of Fine Arts
- James T. Farrell, Doctor of Letters
- Donald A. Henderson, Doctor of Science
- Julius B. Richmond, Doctor of Science
1978 - Harry F. Dowling, Doctor of Science
- Martin David Kamen, Doctor of Science
1977 - Saul Bellow, Doctor of Letters
- Cyrus Colter, Doctor of Letters
- Fredric A. Gibbs, Doctor of Science
- Benny Goodman, Doctor of Fine Arts
- Robert Green Sachs, Doctor of Science
1976 - Francis J. Gerty, Doctor of Science
- Robert Stephen Ingersoll, Doctor of Laws
1975 - Walter Earl Barton, Doctor of Science
- Gwendolyn Brooks, Doctor of Letters
- Rowine Hayes Brooks, Doctor of Science
- David Riesman, Doctor of Laws
- Joseph Warkany, Doctor of Science
1974 - Estella Brodman, Doctor of Science
- David Rittenhouse Inglis, Doctor of Science
- Rosalyn Yalow, Doctor of Science
1973 - Granville Allison Bennet, Doctor of Science
- Edward E. David, Jr., Doctor of Engineering
- Margaret Baggett Dolan, Doctor of Science
- Herman B Wells (in absentia), Doctor of Laws
1971 - A. Adrian Albert, Doctor of Humane Letters
- Harry Mark Petrakis, Doctor of Humane Letters
- Samuel Weiler Witwer, Doctor of Laws
1970 - Warren Henry Cole, Doctor of Science
- Paul Howard Douglas, Doctor of Laws
- John Hope Franklin, Doctor of Humane Letters
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1966-1969
1969 - Maynard K. Hine, Doctor of Science
- William Huffman, Doctor of Science
- Warren Sturgis, Doctor of Science
1967 - Katharine Ellen Faville, Doctor of Science
- Frank Hyneman Knight, Doctor of Humanities
- Theodore Kenneth Lawless, Doctor of Science
- Raymond White, Doctor of Laws
1966 - John Schodd Millis, Doctor of Science
- Robert Clifton Weaver, Doctor of Science