Honorands

Recipients of honorary degrees:

Aaron Temkin Beck ’46MD, the “father of cognitive therapy,” whose work “has advanced our understanding of mental health, transformed the treatment of mental illnesses, and set new standards for assessing the effectiveness of psychotherapy.” Doctor of Medical Science.

Robert Choate Darnton, the director of Harvard’s library and an “advocate for the democratization of knowledge through digital dissemination,” whose work “advancing online publishing and free digital access to information” has “taught us why books mattered in the past and why—in all their forms—they matter now.” Doctor of Humanities. 

Robert M. Gates, an “American patriot” whose service to presidents of both parties as secretary of defense “won the admiration of politicians, generals, and leaders of the intelligence community” by “calling attention to twin goals of protection and peace.” Doctor of Humane Letters.

Jane Lubchenco, a “steward of sea and sky” as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose support of “using scientific expertise in the realm of policy and government” and whose “scientific achievement, vision, and global environmental advocacy” make her a role model. Doctor of Science.

Margaret Hilary Marshall ’76JD, the first woman to serve as chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, who “changed the legal landscape with [her] courageous decision to recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry” and who served the Yale Corporation as a “devoted fellow.” Doctor of Laws.

Midori, a violinist “equally gifted in the classical and the contemporary repertoire,” whose philanthropic ventures have “extended [her] influence far beyond the concert hall” and who has worked to “promote music as a force for good in [her] role as a United Nations Messenger for Peace.” Doctor of Music.

Angelika Neuwirth, a scholar of the Koran who, drawing on the disciplines of history, literature, language, and religion, has “enriched and enlivened the scholarship surrounding this holy work” and whose contributions to Islamic and Arabic studies “bring together those who do not often speak to each other.” Doctor of Divinity.

Richard Wilbur, a poet “with penetrating eye and faultless ear,” who has “added poem after poem to the company of those that will last, illuminating with wit and invention the ‘things of this world.’” Doctor of Letters.

William Julius Wilson ’58, scholar of sociology, whose work has “sparked major debates about how we as a nation can address some of our most vexing problems: urban poverty, joblessness, and industrial decline.” Doctor of Social Science.

Recipients of teaching prizes:

George A. Chauncey ’77, ’89PhD, professor of history and American studies: the Sidonie Miskimin Clauss Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities.

Laurie R. Santos,associate professor of psychology and director of Yale’s Comparative Cognition Laboratory: the Lex Hixon ’63 Prize for Excellence in the Social Sciences.

Andrew J. Casson, the Philip Schuyler Beebe Professor of Mathematics: the Dylan Hixon ’88 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Natural Sciences.

Anne Fadiman, the Francis Writer-in-Residence and adjunct professor in English: the Richard H. Brodhead ’68 Prize for Teaching Excellence by Non-Ladder Faculty.

Ronald B. Smith, the Damon Wells Professor of Geology and Geophysics and professor of mechanical engineering: the Harwood F. Byrnes/Richard B. Sewall Teaching Prize.

Moira Fradinger ’03MA,’03PhD, associate professor of comparative literature: the Sarai Ribicoff ’79 Award for the Encouragement of Teaching at Yale College