Carnegie Mellon Announces 2022 Honorary Degree Recipients

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Mar 22, 2022, 13:00 ET

Billy Porter, Frances Arnold and Manuel Heitor to deliver Commencement keynote addresses

PITTSBURGH, March 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie Mellon University today announced an accomplished class of creatives, entrepreneurs, public servants, scholars and technologists who will receive honorary degrees at its 2022 Commencement ceremonies, to be held May 13-15.

Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor, singer, director, composer, author and playwright Billy Porter, a CMU alumnus, will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts degree and will deliver the keynote address at the Commencement ceremony for bachelor's degree graduates on Sunday, May 15. Chemistry Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold will receive a Doctor of Science and Technology degree and will deliver the keynote address at the doctoral hooding ceremony on Saturday, May 14. And Portugal's Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education Manuel Heitor will receive a Doctor of Science and Technology degree and will deliver the keynote address at the Commencement ceremony for master's and doctoral degree graduates on Friday, May 13.

In addition, CMU will award honorary degrees to alumna Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command (Doctor of Science and Technology); Evelyn Higginbotham, Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University (Doctor of Humane Letters); Raj Reddy, University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics and Moza Bint Nasser Chair in the School of Computer Science at CMU (Doctor of Science and Technology); Jim Rohr, retired executive chairman and former CEO of The PNC Financial Services Group (Doctor of Business Practice); and Anna Deavere Smith, award-winning actress, playwright and professor (Doctor of Fine Arts).

"This year's honorary degree recipients and keynote speakers are among today's most accomplished changemakers, artists and innovators," said CMU President Farnam Jahanian. "As we prepare to celebrate the achievements of three classes of CMU graduates, showcasing the impact and leadership of these honorees will help to make Commencement 2022 a truly exciting and historic occasion."

Honorary degrees are one of the highest distinctions presented to an individual by Carnegie Mellon, and their recipients are a source of inspiration to the Tartans and their families gathered at graduation.

For more information regarding this year's Honorary Degree Recipients, visit: https://cmu.is/honorary-degree

SOURCE Carnegie Mellon University