Secretary Bunch receives honorary degree from Yale University
During its 322nd graduation ceremony May 22, Yale conferred honorary degrees on nine remarkable individuals who have achieved distinction in their fields.
Seated in front row, from left, Robert Caro, France Córdova, Yale President Peter Salovey, Deborah Willis, and Guido Calabresi. Standing in second row, from left, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Andrés Duany, Lonnie G. Bunch III, Max Dale Cooper, and Paul Giamatti. (Photo by Michael Marsland)
“The nine individuals we honor this morning serve as examples to you, our graduates, to encourage you to aspire to excellence, to value those elements of human character that they embody: creativity, curiosity, discipline, integrity, and a passion for public service,” said Yale President Peter Salovey during the university-wide Commencement ceremony.
Among the honorees is Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch who was named a Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.)
“Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, renowned historian, and bold educator, you were the visionary force in establishing the National Museum of African American History and Culture, whose holdings remind us that a people’s journey is a nation’s story,” Salovey said. “Your accomplishments as curator and leader are matched only by your passion for preserving the stories that need to be told, heard, and remembered. Guardian of our national treasures, we Lift Every Voice as we declare you, yourself, a national treasure, and proudly confer on you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.”
To learn more about the other honorees, visit Yale News.
Alex di Giovanni is primarily responsible for "other duties as assigned" in the Office of Communications and External Affairs. She has been with the Smithsonian since 2006 and plans to be interred in the Smithson crypt.
