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List of Florida State University honorary degree recipients

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This list of Florida State University honorary degree recipients includes notable persons who have been recognized by Florida State University for outstanding achievements in their fields that reflect the ideals and uphold the purposes of the university, and to whom the university faculty has voted to award honorary degrees in recognition of such attainments. Often, but not always, the honorary degree recipients have been alumni of the university, or have had ties to either the university or the state of Florida.[1]

Florida State University awarded its first honorary degree in 1912 to Rowena Longmire, founder and president of the Florida State College for Women (FSCW) Alumni Association. The first man to whom the university awarded an honorary degree was French diplomat and ambassador to the United States Henri Bonnet in 1950.[2]

Policy

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According to the Faculty Handbook, the goal of honorary degrees is to honor persons of outstanding achievement who have gained national and/or international recognition and made a significant contribution to the United States, Florida or Florida State University through scholarly, creative, public, business, or humane endeavors. Consideration of current FSU employees or board members is only given under exceptional circumstances.[1]

Anyone connected to the university may nominate an individual to the committee, but the nominations must be accompanied by supportive documentation including: a resume, Curriculum vitae or biographical sketch; an explanation as to why an award should be given; and names and addresses of three distinguished persons willing and able to provide an objective evaluation of the nomination. Letters of recommendation from three distinguished persons may be submitted instead of the explanation and names & addresses.[1]

Committee

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The University Honorary Degree Committee members and a chair are appointed by the university president to represent the educational community. As an advisory committee, they review each candidate's information and the committee votes up or down. A majority of committee members must be present. If the committee approves, the candidate becomes a nomination and is submitted to the president. If not approved, the candidate's information is removed from consideration. The president selects the recipients from a group of nominees for an honorary degree. Nominees not selected the first year are resubmitted the following year along with new nominations. If the nomination is not selected the second year, the nomination is removed from consideration and must be resubmitted to the committee.[1]

Honorary degree recipients[3]

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Recipient Year/degree Notability
Rowena Longmire 1912 M.A. Education
Ruth Bryan Owen Rhode 1935 LL.D. Public Service
Henri Bonnet 1950 D.H.L. International affairs
Mark Frederick Boyd 1950 D.Sc. Medicine
Wouter Bleeker 1952 D.Sc. Science
William Morrison Robinson, Jr. 1955 D.H. History
Millard Fillmore Caldwell 1956 LL.D. Public Service
LeRoy Collins 1956 LL.D. Public Service
William George Dodd 1956 D.Litt. Education
Spessard Lindsey Holland 1956 LL.D. Public Service
Philip Wylie 1956 D.Litt. Literature
Doak Sheridan Campbell 1957 LL.D. Education
Ernst von Dohnanyi 1957 Mus.D. Music
George A. Smathers 1957 LL.D. Public Service
J. Velma Keen 1959 LL.D. Business
Cyril O. Houle 1960 LL.D. Education
Glenn T. Seaborg 1961 D.Sc. Science
Vivian Ahlsweh Williams 1961 D.Litt. Literature
Leonard J. Brass 1962 D.Sc. Science
Thomas B. Swann 1962 LL.D. Business/Public Service
Pablo Casals 1963 Mus.D. Music
Luther H. Hodges 1963 LL.D. Business/Public Service
Karl Zerbe 1963 D.F.A. Art
Cecil Farris Bryant 1964 LL.D. Public Service
Edwin A. Menninger 1964 D.Sc. Science
Dorothy Barclay Thompson 1964 D.H.L. Journalism
Arthur Statan Adams 1965 LL.D. Science/Public Service/Education
J. J. Daniel 1965 LL.D. Law/Business
Robert J. Van de Graaff 1965 D.Sc. Science
Michael E. DeBakey 1968 D.Sc. Medicine
Lamar Dodd 1968 D.F.A. Art/Education
Robert L. Shaw 1968 Mus.D. Music
Lucius D. Battle 1969 D.H.L. Public Service
Andres Segovia 1969 Mus.D. Music
Alan S. Boyd 1970 LL.D. Public Service
Audrey Wood Liebling 1970 D.H.L. Literature
Gregor Piatigorsky 1970 Mus.D. Music
Nelson Poynter 1970 D.H.L. Public Service
Paul M. Rudolph 1971 D.F.A. Architecture
Ed V. Komarek 1971 D.Sc. Science
Wilbur J. Cohen 1972 D.H. Education
John Mackay Shaw 1972 D.H. Poetry
Karl Dietrich Bracher 1973 D.H.L. History
William D. McElroy 1973 D.Sc. Science
Allen Morris 1973 D.H.L. Public Service
Julia V. Morton 1973 D.Sc. Science
Philip Handler 1975 D.Sc. Humanities
Helen Hayes MacArthur 1975 D.H.L. Theatre
King Hussein I 1975 D.H.L. Public Service
Chester H. Ferguson 1976 D.H.L. Education/Public Service
Stephen C. O'Connell 1976 D.H.L. Education/Law
Mae Knight Clark 1977 D.H.L. Education
Lee Strasberg 1977 D.F.A. Theatre
Herbert Spencer Zim 1977 D.Sc. Science/Education
Lillian Gordy Carter 1978 D.H.L. Public Service
Michael Butler Yeats 1978 LL.D. International Affairs
William H. Werkmeister 1978 D.H.L. Philosophy
Rev. Charles K. Steele, Sr. 1979 D.H.L. Public Service
William Styron 1979 D.Litt. Literature
B. K. Roberts 1980 D.H.L. Public Service/Law
Burt Reynolds 1981 D.H.L. Theatre
Roger L. Stevens 1982 D.H.L. Theatre
Ricardo de la Espriella 1983 LL.D. Public Service
Beth Walton Moor 1983 D.H.L. Public Service
William C. Norris 1983 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
Rafael Caldera 1984 D.H.L. Public Service/Education
John P. McGovern 1984 D.Sc. Medicine
Claude Pepper 1985 D.H.L. Public Service
Don Fuqua 1986 D.Sc. Public Service/Science
Daisy Parker Flory 1986 D.H.L. Public Service
Joseph Papp 1986 D.H.L. Theatre
Reubin Askew 1988 D.H.L. Public Service
Toshiaki Ogasawara 1988 D.H.L. Public Service
George Langford 1989 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
G. William Miller 1989 D.H.L. Finance/Public Service
D. Burke Kibler 1990 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
Gunther Schuller 1991 Mus.D. Music
Gus A. Stavros 1991 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
Robert Edward Turner, III 1991 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
Marguerite Neel Williams 1991 D.H.L. Modern Languages
Ada Belle Winthrop-King 1991 D.H.L. Theatre
Louise Ireland Humphrey 1992 D.H.L. Public Service
Oscar Arias Sanchez 1992 D.H.L. Public Service
Walter Lanier "Red" Barber 1993 D.H.L. Public Broadcasting
D. Allan Bromley 1993 D.Sc. Public Service
Betty Mae Jumper 1994 D.H.L. Public Service
Simon Ostrach 1994 D.E.Sc. Space Science/Engineering
Rosa L. Parks 1994 D.H.L. Civil Rights
C. DuBose Ausley 1995 D.H.L. Public Service
William R. Mote 1996 D.Sc. Marine Science
Sir James Lighthill 1996 D.Sc. Mathematics
Russell V. Ewald 1997 D.H.L. Public Service
Louis J. Hector 1997 D.H.L. Public Service
Ben Weider 1997 D.H.L. Public Service
James M. Moran 1997 D.H.L. Business
Richard W. Ervin 1997 LL.D. Public Service
Charles B. Reed 1997 D.H.L. Education
Rod M. Brim, Sr 1998 D.H.L. Business
John Paul Stevens 1998 LL.D. U.S. Supreme Court
Godfrey Smith 1998 D.H.L. Business
Mart Pierson Hill 1999 D.H.L. Public Service
Carl A. DeSantis 1999 D.H.L. Business
Thomas F. Petway, III 1999 D.H.L. Business
James C. Smith 2000 D.H.L. Public Service
Ann Reinking 2001 D.F.A. Dance/Theatre/Film
Reid B. Hughes 2001 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
Charlotte Edwards Maguire 2002 D.H.L. Medicine/Public Service
Herbert F. Morgan 2003 D.H.L. Public Service
DeVoe L. Moore 2005 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
Carlisle Floyd 2005 D.H.L. Music/Opera
Jim Shore 2005 LL.D. Business/Public Service
Tom Brokaw 2006 D.H.L. Broadcasting & Journalism
Mary Lou Norwood 2007 D.H.L. Public Service
Albert J. Dunlap 2007 D.H.L. Business
Mark S. Wrighton 2007 D.H.L. Chemistry
Kitty B. Hoffman 2007 D.Sc. Chemistry
Edward W. Rabin 2007 M.B.A. Business
Ernest Cook 2008 D.H.L. Medicine
Charles A. Smith 2008 M.B.A. Business
Paul Kagame 2009 LL.D. Public Service
Lee Corso 2012 D.H.L. Media and Communication
Edward O. Wilson 2012 D.H.L. Evolutionary Biology
Judith A. Dunlap 2012 D.H.L. Philanthropy
Tommie Wright 2012 Mus.D. Music
Margaret "Maggie" Allesee 2013 D.H.L. Choreography
Robert "Bobby" Bowden 2014 D.H.L. Athletics/Public Service
Louise Jones Gopher 2014 D.H.L. Public Service
Lucy Ho 2015 D.H.L. Public Service
Christopher Still 2016 D.H.L. Art
Grace Dansby 2016 D.H.L. Philanthropy/Public Service
Allan G. Bense[4] 2019 D.H.L. Business/Public Service
William T. Hold[5] 2021 D.H.L. Business/Insurance

Key to degree abbreviations

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Honorary degrees

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  • D.C.L. – Doctor of Civil Law
  • D.D. – Doctor of Divinity
  • D.E.Sc. – Doctor of Engineering Science
  • D.F.A. – Doctor of Fine Arts
  • D.H.L. – Doctor of Humane Letters
  • D.Litt. – Doctor of Letters or Literature
  • D.P.A. – Doctor of Public Administration
  • D.P.S. – Doctor of Public Service
  • D.Sc. – Doctor of Science
  • D.H. – Doctor of Humanities
  • LL.D. – Doctor of Laws
  • Mus.D. – Doctor of Music

Earned degrees

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  • B.A. – Bachelor of Arts
  • B.S. – Bachelor of Science
  • J.D. – Juris Doctor (professional law degree; replaced LL.B.)
  • LL.B. – Bachelor of Laws (former law degree; superseded by J.D.)
  • M.A. – Master of Arts
  • M.B.A. – Master of Business Administration
  • M.S. – Master of Science
  • Ph.D. – Doctor of Philosophy (terminal graduate research degree in most disciplines)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Section 6: Policies and Procedures - HONORARY DEGREES". facultyhandbook.fsu.edu. Florida State University. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded" (PDF). Ir.fsu.edu. Florida State University. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded" (PDF). Ir.fsu.edu. Florida State University. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  4. ^ Irby, Kara (25 March 2019). "FSU honors alumnus Allan Bense with honorary doctorate". News.fsu.edu. Florida State University. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  5. ^ Blackwell-Thomas, Mark (12 March 2021). "FSU honors William T. Hold with honorary doctoral degree". News.fsu.edu. Florida State University. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
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