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Central Connecticut State University has awarded 55 honorary doctoral degrees since 1985. [1] Awardees have included the CEOs or Chairmen of seven major corporations, eight heads of state, and a variety of others. About half of these degrees have been awarded at commencement exercises at the university, and in most such cases, the conferee has given the commencement address.

Although significant non-degree honors have historically been awarded by the institution, honorary doctorates were not conferred until after Central Connecticut State College was renamed Central Connecticut State University in 1983. U.S. President Jimmy Carter became the first recipient on April 16, 1985, [2] receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters.

List of Recipients

awardee date degree*
Shigenori Adachihara Mayor, Atsugi City, Japan 05/23/1990 L.H.D.
Rt. Rev. Justice Akrofi Bishop of Accra, Ghana 05/18/2000 L.H.D.
József Antall Jr. Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary 09/30/1991 LL.D.
Leszek Balcerowicz Professor, Warsaw School of Economics and former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland 5/21/2011 Sc.D.
Ernest L. Boyer President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching 10/05/1987 L.H.D.
J. William Burns Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation 01/03/1995 LL.D.
George H. W. Busha [3] President of the United States 03/11/1999 LL.D.
George W. Bush [4] President of the United States 04/18/2001 LL.D.
Alexander M. Butman Executive director, Emergency Training Institute 04/28/1994 Sc.D.
Dave Campo Head coach, Dallas Cowboys 05/22/1999 D.H.P.Ed.
Jimmy Cartera [5] President of the United States 04/16/1985 L.H.D.
Noam Chomsky Professor of Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 11/04/2003 L.H.D.
Young Seek Choue Chancellor, Kyung Hee University 10/22/1991 L.H.D.
Chungwon Choue [6] President, Kyung Hee University 05/23/1998 L.H.D.
Mong Koo Chung Chairman, Hyundai Precision and Industry Company 05/26/1989 L.H.D.
Simon A. Clarke Education Advisor to UNESCO 05/24/1991 L.H.D.
Lemuel Rodney Custis Capitan (Connecticut Tuskegee Airman) 05/26/2001 L.H.D.
Donald W. Davis Chairman, The Stanley Works 05/26/1989 L.H.D.
Rainer Dieterich Universität der Bundeswehr, Hamburg 05/25/2002 Sc.D.
Richard Fichman Developer, Quick Sight method of cataract removal 12/16/2023 L.H.D.
Bruno Ficili Commissioner of Education, Siracusa, Sicily 10/23/1996 L.H.D.
Gerald R. Forda President of the United States 03/23/1988 L.H.D.
Charles T. Fote CEO and chairman, First Data Corp 05/19/2018 L.H.D.
Mary Hatwood Futrell President, National Education Association 10/04/1988 L.H.D.
Joseph J. Grano Jr. Chairman and CEO, Centurion Holdings, LLC 05/19/2007 L.H.D.
Harry Jack Gray Chairman and CEO, United Technologies Corporation 05/17/1985 D.S.Sc
Edward T. Hall 1st Lieutenant (Connecticut Tuskegee Airman) 05/26/2001 L.H.D.
Merle W. Harris CCSU Interim President, 1995-1996; Deputy Connecticut Commissioner of Higher Education 12/17/2022 Ed.L.
E. Dorrit Hoffleit Senior Research Astronomer Emeritus, Yale University 10/20/1998 Sc.D.
Benjamin L. Hooks Executive director, NAACP 05/20/1988 L.H.D.
C. J. Huang Chairman, C. J. Huang Foundation 05/10/1990 L.H.D.
F. Don James CCSU President Emeritus 10/16/2003 L.H.D.
Eric Jensen Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General, United Nations 05/27/1993 L.H.D.
Peter G. Kelly Senior Principal, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy 02/25/2003 LL.D.
Jeane Kirkpatricka United States Representative to the United Nations 04/04/1991 L.H.D.
Henry A. Kissingera Secretary of State of the United States 03/24/1987 D.S.Sc.
Michael S. Knapp [7] President and CEO, CitiFinancial 05/25/2002 D.C.Sc.
Phyllis Macpherson-Russell Minister of Education, Jamaica 12/04/1999 Sc.D.
Frances P. Mainella Director, National Park Service 05/23/2002 D.P.S.
Paul J. McQuillan [8], [9] Attorney, Januszewski, McQuillan & DeNigris 02/23/2004 D.C.J.
George J. Mitchella U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader 04/12/2000 LL.D.
Brian Mulroneya Prime Minister of Canada 04/26/1994 D.S.Sc.
Connie Nappier Jr. Flight Officer (Connecticut Tuskegee Airman) 05/26/2001 L.H.D.
Antonia Coello Novello [10] Surgeon General of the United States 05/28/1993 Sc.D.
Vincent O’Leary President, State University of New York at Albany 05/28/1994 D.S.Sc.
Rabbi Henry Okolica CCSU Campus Clergy 05/22/2003 D.P.S.
Scott Pioli former assistant general manager, Atlanta Falcons 05/18/2019 L.H.D.
Irma Margarita Nevares de Rosselló First Lady of Puerto Rico 05/20/1999 L.H.D.
Franz J. Rothenbiller Lord Mayor of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany 06/06/1991 L.H.D.
Helmut Schmidta Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany 04/28/1993 L.H.D.
Angelo Tomasso Jr. Chairman and CEO, Tilcon, Inc 05/25/1990 L.H.D.
Francis T. Vincent Jr.a Commissioner, Major League Baseball 04/28/1992 L.H.D.
Cecile A. Walden Principal, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, Montego Bay, Jamaica 05/27/2004 Ped.D.
Lech Wałęsaa President of Poland 04/10/1996 L.H.D.
Lowell P. Weicker Jr. US Senator and Governor of Connecticut 05/27/2009 D.P.S.
Bertram W. Wilson Lieutenant Colonel (Connecticut Tuskegee Airman) 05/26/2001 L.H.D.
Andrzej Wiszniewski Rector, Technical University of Wrocław 05/28/1993 Sc.D.
Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Paul Wodarski Pastor Emeritus, Holy Cross Church, New Britain 04/29/1999 L.H.D.

Notes

† recipient is a CCSU graduate [11]
‡ recipient represented a partner of CCSU's International Affairs Center and Connecticut Institute for Asian and American Studies [12], [13]
a Honorary degree awarded in connection with recipient's delivery of the Robert C. Vance Distinguished Lecture.
∗ abbreviated degree names:

President's Medal

CCSU presidents have presented other honorary awards such as the President's Medal, "the university's highest non-academic distinction". [14] While there does not appear to be an official, published list of recipients, they include

  • Provincial president Bruno Marziano of Siracusa, Sicily, who assisted CCSU in enrolling Sicilian students in CCSU's MBA program, [14] "for his leadership and service to the University, to international endeavors and to the province of Siracusa", [15] in 2002;
  • Hartford Courant journalist Stan Simpson [16] for Leadership and distinction in Journalism in Public Affairs, in 2003; and
  • Sue Ann Collins, a senior vice president and chief actuary at TIAA-CREF, and member of the board of directors of the CCSU Foundation, in 2018. [17]

References

  1. ^ Central Connecticut State University (May 16, 2012). Commencement exercises: May 2012, p. 43-44.
  2. ^ Carter Gets Honorary Degree (1985, April 17). Philadelphia Daily News, p. 64
  3. ^ Associated Press. (1999, March 12). Protesters disrupt Bush lecture. 'Rochester Sentinel', p. 8. Retrieved on 2012-5-28.
  4. ^ Associated Press. (2001, April 20). Progress being made on education reform. 'Daily Reporter', p. B12. Retrieved on 2012-5-28.
  5. ^ Associated Press (1985, April 17). Carter still pushing for peace and human rights: Gets honorary degree. 'Waycross Journal-Herald', p. P-2. Retrieved on 2012-5-28.
  6. ^ Silverman, Fran. 'Baby sister' at CCSU is center of attention. Hartford Courant, 5/24/1998. Retrieved on 2012-5-22.
  7. ^ Bank leader to speak at CCSU graduation.Hartford Courant, 5/21/2002. Retrieved on 2012-5-22.
  8. ^ Attorney to get honorary doctorate. (2004, February 20). Hartford Courant. p. B2.
  9. ^ McQuillan also served as the personal attorney to CCSU Richard L. Judd (e.g., College President Is Accused of Impersonating a Police Officer. (2002, February 16). New York Times. Retrieved 2012-5-28.) Less than a month after the conferral, Judd resigned after accusations of plagiarism.
  10. ^ Carlson, Meredith. Central honors accident victim. Hartford Courant, 5/29/1993. Retrieved on 2012-5-22.
  11. ^ Paul J. McQuillan attended, but did not graduate from, the institution (see listing[ permanent dead link]).
  12. ^ Connecticut State University System (1990, February 2). Resolution establishing the International Affairs Center at Central Connecticut State University Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2012-5-28.
  13. ^ Connecticut State University System (1990, March 30). establishing the Connecticut Institute for Asian and American Studies at Central Connecticut State University[ permanent dead link]. Retrieved on 2012-5-28.
  14. ^ a b p. B2, Town News Briefing (2002, May 24), Hartford Courant.
  15. ^ p. 11, Central Focus. Summer 2002.
  16. ^ Simpson, Stan. (2004, March 3). An Examination of Academic Ethics. Hartford Courant.
  17. ^ CCSU, Campus news and notes no. 52.