Honorary Degrees

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Montclair State University recognizes distinguished leaders, scholars, artists and public servants with honorary degrees that celebrate exceptional achievement and enduring contributions to society, education and the public good. To nominate a potential degree recipient, please use the following form.

Dr. John H. Bosshart, Litt.D., 10/23/58
Mr. Joel R. Jacobson, Litt.D., 06/04/59
Mr. Harold Bruce Palmer, Litt.D., 06/04/59
Dr. Allen Balcom DuMont, Litt.D., 06/09/60
Mr. Bertram B. Johansson ('38), Litt.D., 06/09/60
Mr. John T. Cunningham, Litt.D., 06/08/61
Ms. Ruth Hornby Page ('32), Litt.D., 06/07/62
Dr. George Rochberg ('39), Litt.D., 06/07/62
Dr. Eugene Thomas Maleska ('37, MA '40), Litt.D., 06/05/63
Ms. Margot M. Studer, Litt.D., 06/03/64
Ms. Esther Eggersten Peterson, Litt.D., 10/06/64
Mr. Alex Quaison-Sackey, Litt.D., 10/05/65
Mr. Harold S. Osborne, Litt.D., 06/08/66
Dr. Harry A. Sprague, Litt.D., 06/08/66
Mr. Charles W. Hamilton, Litt.D., 06/07/67
Mr. Edward E. Booher, Litt.D., 06/02/68
Mr. Bayard Rustin, Litt.D., 06/02/68
Dr. Edward James Meade, Jr. ('54, MA '56), Litt.D., 06/01/69
Colonel Edwin E. Aldrin, Litt.D., 09/06/69
Mr. Edgar Chalfant Bye, Litt.D., 05/31/70
Mr. Aloysius Michael Sullivan, Litt.D., 05/31/70
Dr. Karl J. Gruber, Litt.D., 10/11/70
Mr. Gustav Scherbaum, Litt.D., 10/11/70
Judge Frederick B. Lacey, LL.D., 05/31/71
Ms. Katherine K. Neuberger, LL.D., 05/29/72
Mr. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, L.H.D., 05/29/72
Mr. John Quincy Adams, III, L.H.D., 06/10/73
Mr. Herbert J. Stern, Litt.D., 06/10/73
Dr. Walter Lincoln Hawkins, LL.D., 06/09/74
Mr. Friedrich Niederl, LL.D., 06/09/74
Ms. Barbara Ann Wolf ('28), Litt.D., 06/09/74
Dr. Margaret C. Brown, LL.D., 06/01/75
Dr. Rene Jules Dubos, LL.D., 06/01/75
Bishop John Wesley Lord ('22), LL.D., 06/01/75
Mr. John Thomas Shawcross ('48), L.H.D., 06/01/75
Dr. Eileen Lynch Corcoran ('38), Litt.D., 06/30/76
Dr. E. DeAlton Partridge, LL.D., 06/30/76
Dr. James Patrick Shenton, Litt.D., 06/30/76
Reverend Thomas Edward Davis, LL.D., 05/26/77
Dr. Edythe Jones Gaines, LL.D., 05/26/77
Mr. Meyer Melnikoff ('37), LL.D., 05/26/77
Mr. Richard Taylor Dugan ('40), LL.D., 05/24/78
Dr. Hans Joachim Hillerbrand, LL.D., 05/24/78
Ms. Licia Albanese, Litt.D., 05/23/79
Mr. Angelo Robert Cali ('36), LL.D., 05/23/79
Dr. Leonard Solomon Silk, LL.D., 05/23/79
Mr. Gerald A. LeBoff, LL.D., 05/28/80
Dr. Calvin B. T. Lee, LL.D., 05/28/80
Dr. Nathan Weiss ('48), LL.D., 05/28/80
Dr. Alexander Goetz, LL.D., 09/22/80
Judge Thomas Nowotny, LL.D., 09/22/80
Mr. Robert J. Davis, LL.D., 05/27/81
Dr. Allan Morehead ('34), LL.D., 05/27/81
Dr. Thomas H. Richardson, LL.D., 05/27/81
Senator Bill Bradley, LL.D., 05/26/82
Dr. Herman Sokol ('37), LL.D., 05/26/82
Mr. William (Count) Basie, LL.D., 12/12/82
Governor Thomas Kean, LL.D., 05/25/83
Dr. Ernest B. Yeager ('45), LL.D., 05/25/83
Dr. John Brademas, LL.D., 09/20/83
Governor Richard J. Hughes, LL.D., 09/20/83
Mr. Peter Drucker, LL.D., 04/24/84
Senator Matthew Feldman, LL.D., 05/23/84
Mr. Henry Otto Pollak, LL.D., 05/23/84
Mr. George Irving Shirley, LL.D., 05/23/84
Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez, LL.D., 05/23/85
Dr. Raymond Warren Young ('45), LL.D., 05/23/85
Mr. Jerome Hines, LL.D., 05/29/86
Mr. Larry Doby, L.H.D., 05/28/87
Congresswoman Marge Roukema ('51), LL.D., 05/28/87
Mayor Sharpe James ('58), LL.D., 05/24/88
Senator Wynona Lipman, LL.D., 05/24/88
Ms. Miriam Colon, Litt.D., 05/24/89
Dr. David W. D. Dickson, LL.D., 05/24/89
Dr. Ernest M. May, LL.D., 05/24/89
Ms. Melba Moore ('70), Litt.D., 05/25/90
Dr. Daniela Camhy, Litt.D., 05/29/90
Mayor Alfred Stingl, LL.D., 05/29/90
Mr. Ben H. Love, L.H.D., 05/29/91
Mr. Robert C. Winters, L.H.D., 05/29/91
Dr. John I. Goodlad, Litt.D., 05/27/92
Mr. Borden R. Putnam, LL.D., 05/27/92
Mrs. Margaret M. Sokol ('38), L.H.D., 05/27/92
Dr. Israel Tribble, Jr. ('62), Litt.D., 05/27/92
Governor James J. Florio, LL.D., 05/26/93
Mr. Gordon Parks, Litt.D., 05/25/94
Governor Christine Todd Whitman, LL.D., 05/25/94
Dr. Robert A. Altman, LL.D., 05/18/95
Dr. Mathilde Krim, Sc.D., 05/18/95
Mr. John Tugwell, LL.D., 05/18/95
Mr. Mort Pye, Litt.D., 06/26/95
Mr. Lawrence (Yogi) Berra, L.H.D., 05/16/96
Mr. Edward Leshowitz ('36), L.H.D., 05/16/96
Mr. Bruce Willis, Litt.D., 05/16/96
Chief Justice Deborah Poritz, LL.D., 05/16/97
Dr. George Walker, Litt.D., 05/16/97
Mr. Josh Weston, L.H.D., 05/16/97
Mr. Samuel D. Mills, Jr. ('80), L.H.D., 05/15/98
Mr. Floyd Hall, L.H.D., 05/14/99
Mr. Paul Plishka, D.F.A., 05/14/99
Rev. William H. Gray III, LL.D., 05/22/00
Dr. Antonia Novello, Sc.D., 05/22/00
Rev. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., LL.D., 05/22/00
Mr. Gordon Bethune, L.H.D., 05/25/01
Mr. Raymond G. Chambers, L.H.D., 05/25/01
Ms. Emily (Cissy) Houston, L.H.D., 05/25/01
Ms. Elizabeth Christopherson, L.H.D., 09/13/01
Governor James E. McGreevey, LL.D., 05/24/02
Mr. Charles Peete Rose, Jr., Litt.D., 05/24/02
Dr. John J. McMullen, Litt.D., 05/09/03
Dr. Irvin D. Reid, LL.D., 05/09/03
Mr. Kevin Smith, Litt.D., 05/14/04
Mr. Joseph Coccia, Jr. & Mrs. Elda Coccia, L.H.D., 05/15/04
Mr. Alec Baldwin, Litt.D., 05/21/04
Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Sc.D., 05/16/05
Mr. Murray L. Cole, LL.D., 05/20/05
Dr. Lawrence P. Goldman, Litt.D., 05/12/06
Attorney General Zulima V. Farber, LL.D., 05/13/06
Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, Sc.D., 05/15/06
Dr. Nel Noddings, Litt.D., 05/16/06
Governor Richard J. Codey, LL.D., 05/19/06
Dr. Yu Lizhong, Sc.D., 05/19/06
Judge José L. Fuentes, LL.D., 05/10/07
Ms. Bobbi Brown, L.H.D., 05/11/07
Commissioner Kevin M. Ryan, LL.D., 05/12/07
Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Sc.D., 05/14/07
Dr. Maxine Greene, Litt.D., 05/15/07
Ms. Whoopi Goldberg, Litt.D., 05/18/07
Judge Julio M. Fuentes, LL.D., 05/14/08
Mr. Bill T. Jones, Litt.D., 05/15/08
Mr. Ronald M. Califre, Sc.D., 05/16/08
Ms. Amy B. Mansue, L.H.D., 05/17/08
Dr. Frank R. Alvarez, Litt.D., 05/18/08
Mr. Craig Newmark, L.H.D., 05/19/07
Dr. Jane Holl Lute ('78), LL.D., 05/23/08
Mr. Mikhail Baryshnikov, Litt.D., 05/23/08
Governor Jon S. Corzine, LL.D., 05/23/08
Dr. Kornel Terplan, Litt.D., 05/15/09
Ms. Lisa Perez Jackson, Sc.D., 05/16/09
Mr. James M. Cracchiolo, L.H.D., 05/16/09
Mr. Jonathan H. Alter, Litt.D., 05/17/09
Rev. Dr. Audrey V. Leef ('43), Litt.D., 05/17/09
Ms. Lucille E. Davy, LL.D., 05/18/09
Mr. John J. Cali, Litt.D., 05/22/09
Mayor Cory A. Booker, LL.D., 05/22/09
Mr. Charles L. Magliaro ('54, MA '58), Litt.D., 05/13/10
Mr. Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, Litt.D., 05/15/10
Mr. John P. Wallace, L.H.D., 05/15/10
Mr. Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, Jr., L.H.D., 05/15/10
Dr. Richard Axel, Sc.D., 05/16/10
Ms. Fahima Vorgetts, LL.D., 05/16/10
Mr. James Bradley, Litt.D., 05/21/10
Mr. Richard D. Parsons, L.H.D., 05/13/11
Dr. Jeffrey D. Sachs, LL.D., 05/14/11
Mr. Byron Pitts, Litt.D., 05/14/11
Mr. Raul de Molina, Litt.D., 05/20/11
Dr. Warren T. Farrell, Litt.D., 05/20/11
Mr. John T. Riordan, L.H.D., 05/20/11
Mr. Brian Lehrer, Litt.D., 05/12/12
Dr. Gene E. Likens, Sc.D., 05/12/12
Mr. Dennis Bone, L.H.D., 05/13/12
Mr. Jacques D'Amboise, Litt.D., 05/13/12
Mr. Michael E. Cryor, L.H.D., 05/14/12
Dr. Patrick T. McCarthy, LL.D., 05/14/12
Ms. Victoria Reggie Kennedy, LL.D., 05/18/12
Ms. S. Epatha Merkerson, LL.D., 05/24/13
Mr. James Patterson, LL.D., 05/23/14
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, LL.D., 05/20/15
Mr. Don Garber, Litt.D., 05/25/16
Mr. Frankie Faison, D.F.A., 01/23/17
Mr. Carlos Rodriguez, L.H.D., 05/22/17
Mr. Ras J. Baraka, L.H.D., 05/25/17
Mr. Savion Glover, D.F.A., 05/25/17
Senator Loretta Weinberg, Litt.D., 01/14/18
Mr. John Schrieber, D.F.A., 05/22/18
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, Litt.D., 05/25/18
Ms. Judy Woodruff, Litt.D., 01/19/19
Mr. Ralph Izzo, Sc.D., 05/21/19
Mr. Kevin P. Bradley, LL.D., 05/21/19
NJ Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, LL.D., 01/17/20
M. Terea Ruiz, LL.D., 01/13/25