Commencement

The Graduate Center proudly celebrates its accomplished graduates each year at commencement.

Graduates seated at Lincoln Center for commencement

The Graduate Center proudly celebrates its accomplished graduates each year at commencement.

Our most recent ceremony:

Commencement 2023

 

 

Honororay Degrees

The CUNY Graduate Center is proud to have presented the following recipients honorary degrees:

Last Name First Name Degree Recognition Type Year
Takei George Doctor of Humane Letters Community activist, author, actor 2023
Gay Roxanne Doctor of Humane Letters Novelist, essayist, memoirist, commentator and professor 2019
Miranda Luis Doctor of Humane Letters

Leader in Latino political, economic, educational and cultural advocacy

2019
Katyal Neal  Doctor of Humane Letters Law Professor and Lawyer specializing in National Security 2018
Viner Katharine Doctor of Humane Letters Journalist, Playwright and Editor-in Chief of The Guardian Degree 2018
Gupta Vanita  Doctor of Humane Letters Former Principal US Deputy Assistant Attorney General 2017
Shawky Wael  Doctor of Humane Letters Artist 2017
Stern Lord Nicholas  Doctor of Humane Letters Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment 2017
Simpson Lorna  Doctor of Humane Letters Artist 2016
Williams Reba White Doctor of Humane Letters  ‘96, Art Historian, Novelist and Philanthropist 2016
Wong Curtis  Doctor of Humane Letters Principal Researcher in Digital Media, Microsoft Research 2016
Davis Lydia  Doctor of Humane Letters MacArthur Prize winning fiction writer, translator and professor 2015
Phelps de Cisneros Patricia  Doctor of Humane Letters Co-founder Fundacion Cisneros 2015
Poo Ai-jen Doctor of Humane Letters Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance 2015
Goodheart Eugene  Doctor of Humane Letters Professor Emeritus, Brandeis University  2014
Lauder Leonard  Doctor of Humane Letters  Chairman Emeritus, the Estee Lauder Corporation and art collector 2014
Vilĉek Jan Doctor of Humane Letters Biomedical scientist, educator, inventor and philanthropist and public intellectual 2014
Weiner Lawrence Doctor of Humane Letters A founding figure of conceptual Art 2013
Wilson Robert Doctor of Humane Letters Theatres leading Avant-garde director and playwright. 2013
Goodman Marian Doctorate of Humane Letters International Art Gallerist 2012
Levine Phillip Doctorate of Humane Letters United States Poet Laureate 2012
Caro Robert A. Doctor of Humane Letters   2011
Caro Ina Doctor of Humane Letters   2011
Streicker John Harrison Doctor of Humane Letters   2011
D’Rivera Paquito Doctor of Musical Arts   2010
Sloan Richard P. Doctor of Humane Letters   2010
Hertog Roger Doctor of Humane Letters   2009
Horne Lenaosterr Doctor of Humane Letters   2009
Bowen William G. Doctor of Humane Letters   2008
Coleman Ornette Doctor of Musical Arts   2008
Hirsch Edward Doctor of Humane Letters   2008
Gund Agnes Doctor of Humane Letters   2007
Lelyveld Joseph Doctor of Humane Letters   2007
Smith Jean Kennedy Doctor of Humane Letters   2007
Brown  Jr. Roscoe C. Doctor of Humane Letters   2006
Doctorow E.L. Doctor of Humane Letters   2006
Navasky Victor Doctor of Humane Letters   2006
Belafonte Harry Doctor of Humane Letters   2005
Krim Mathilde Doctor of Humane Letters   2005
Tanenbaum Charles Joseph Doctor of Humane Letters   2005
Cardoso Fernando Henrique Doctor of Humane Letters   2004
Hewitt Don Doctor of Humane Letters   2004
Ponsot Marie Doctor of Humane Letters   2004
Short Boby Doctor of Music   2004
Smith Thomas W. Doctor of Humane Letters   2004
Jones Elaine R. Doctor of Laws   2003
McGee Vincent Doctor of Laws   2003
Bandura Albert Doctor of Humane Letters   2002
Edelstein Julius C.C. Doctor of Humane Letters   2002
Jackson Kenneth T. Doctor of Humane Letters   2002
Robinson Rachel Doctor of Humane Letters   2002
Steinem Gloria Doctor of Humane Letters   2002
Comden Betty Doctor of Music   2001
Dickerson  Jr. Ralph Doctor of Humane Letters   2001
Durst Douglas Doctor of Humane Letters   2001
Green Adolph Doctor of Music   2001
Hertzberg RabbiArthur Doctor of Humane Letters   2001
Hollander Dr. John Doctor of Humane Letters   2001
Schwartz Anna Jacobson Doctor of Humane Letters   2000
Shenson A.Jess Doctor of Humane Letters   2000
Turnbull Walter Doctor of Music   2000
Jones David R. Doctor of Humane Letters   1999
McPartland Marian Doctor of Music   1999
Schlesinger  Jr. Arthur M. Doctor of Humane Letters   1999
Schoenfeld Gerald Doctor of Humane Letters   1999
Goodgold Sally Doctor of Humane Letters   1998
Ho David Doctor of Science   1998
Long Gregory Doctor of Humane Letters   1998
Nestle Joan Doctor of Humane Letters   1998
Cunningham Evelyn Doctor of Humane Letters   1997
Golden William T. Doctor of Humane Letters   1997
Moreau Jeanne Doctor of Fine Arts   1997
Papert Frederic S. Doctor of Humane Letters   1997
Burnshaw Stanley Doctor of Letters   1996
Merrill Robert Doctor of Music   1996
Ehrenhalt SamuelM. Doctor of Humane Letters   1995
Lawrence Jacob Doctor of Fine Arts   1995
Paley Grace Doctor of Letters   1995
Zigler Edward F. Doctor of Humane Letters   1995
Bildner Albert Doctor of Humane Letters   1994
Guggenheimer Eleanor Doctor of Humane Letters   1994
Monette Paul Doctor of Letters   1994
Ellison Ralph Doctor of Letters   1993
Heiskell Andrew Doctor of Humane Letters   1993
Kronenfeld Daniel Doctor of Humane Letters   1993
Lortel Lucille Doctor of Fine Arts   1993
Schwartz Felice N. Doctor of Humane Letters   1993
Friedan Betty Doctor of Laws   1992
Higginbotham  Jr. A. Leon Doctor of Humane Letters   1992
Studley Julien Doctor of Humane Letters   1992
Fernandez Joseph A. Doctor of Humane Letters   1990
Gregorian Vartan Doctor of Humane Letters   1990
Harper Conrad K. Doctor of Laws   1990
McCormack Elizabeth J. Doctor of Humane Letters   1990
Franklin John Hope Doctor of Letters   1989
Gor'Kov Lev Doctor of Science   1989
Rose Marshall Doctor of Humane Letters   1989
Wilson August Doctor of Letters   1989
Cohn Sidney E. Doctor of Laws   1988
Edelman Marian Wright Doctor of Humane Letters   1988
Gelfand Izrael Moisevich Doctor of Science   1988
Kornblith JohnH. Doctor of Humane Letters   1988
Poses Lillian L. Doctor of Laws   1988
Sakharov Andrei Doctor of Science   1988
Agrait Fernando E. Doctor of Humane Letters   1987
Fink Stanley Doctor of Laws   1987
Howe Irving Doctor of Letters   1987
LaPidus Jules B. Doctor of Humane Letters   1987
Monticciolo Joseph D. Doctor of Laws   1987
Rewald John Doctor of Letters   1987
Stewart Donald M. Doctor of Humane Letters   1987
Ferragamo Wanda Doctor of Humane Letters   1986
Fugard Athol Doctor of Letters   1986
Moynihan Elizabeth Doctor of Letters   1986
Rosovsky Henry Doctor of Humane Letters   1986
Tufo Peter Doctor of Laws   1986
Urquhart Brian Edward Doctor of Laws   1986
Gray Hanna Holborn Doctor of Humane Letters   1985
Heiskell Marian Doctor of Humane Letters   1985
Langlands Robert Phelan Doctor of Science   1985
Suzuki Shunichi Doctor of Laws   1985
Zeller Belle Doctor of Laws   1985
Goodrich Lloyd Doctor of Letters   1984
Mazer William Doctor of Humane Letters   1984
Selikoff Irving J. Doctor of Science   1984
Wellek Rene Doctor of Letters   1984
Gucci Aldo Doctor of Fine Arts   1983
Hoffman Roald Doctor of Science   1983
Shanker Albert Doctor of Humane Letters   1983
Streep Meryl Doctor of Fine Arts   1983
Frisch Max R. Doctor of Letters   1982
Llewellyn James B. Doctor of Humane Letters   1982
Stanton Frank Doctor of Humane Letters   1982
Cronkite Walter Doctor of Humane Letters   1981
Krukoff Boris A. Doctor of Science   1981
Lipinski Edward Doctor of Humane Letters   1981
Pace Norma T. Doctor of Humane Letters   1981
Walesa Lech Doctor of Humane Letters   1981
Chaiken Solomon Doctor of Humane Letters   1980
Lynes Russell Doctor of Humane Letters   1980
Robbins Jerome Doctor of Humane Letters   1980
Cohen Gerson Doctor of Humane Letters   1979
Handler Philip Doctor of Science   1979
Marshak Robert Eugene Doctor of Science   1979
Piel Gerard Doctor of Science   1979
Press Frank Doctor of Science   1979
Segal Martin Doctor of Humane Letters   1979
Barneby Rupert Charles Doctor of Science   1978
Benzer Seymour Doctor of Science   1978
Duffey Joseph D. Doctor of Humane Letters   1978
McGraw Jr. Harold Whittlesey Doctor of Letters   1978
Huxtable AdaLouise Doctor of Humane Letters   1977
Lumiansky Robert M. Doctor of Letters   1977
Young Jr. Andrew Doctor of Laws   1977
Oakes John Bertram Doctor of Letters   1976
Poses Jack I. Doctor of Humane Letters   1976
Spiegelman Sol Doctor of Science   1976
Ingersoll Minneola P. Doctor of Humane Letters   1975
Murphy Gardner  Doctor of Science   1975
Samkalden Ivo Doctor of Laws   1975
Sirica John Doctor of Laws   1975
White Morton Gabriel Doctor of Humane Letters   1975
Cohen Paul Joseph Doctor of Science   1974
Papp Joseph Doctor of Fine Arts   1974
Rees Mina Doctor of Humane Letters   1974
Bowker Albert H. Doctor of Humane Letters   1971