The Honorary Doctorate, awarded by the Board of Trustees of the State University as a whole, recognizes individuals for a significant body of life’s work, unparalleled accomplishments, and/or generous and sustained service to society.

Year

Recipient

Degree

2023

Edwidge Danticat

Doctor of Humane Letters

2022

Amina J. Mohammed

Kevin Young

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Humane Letters

2021

Lynn Nottage

Doctor of Fine Arts

2019

Fred Wilson

Doctor of Fine Arts

2017

Holland Cotter

Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel

David N. Dinkins

Doctor of Letters

Doctor of Arts

Doctor of Laws

2016

Katherine L. Vockins

Doctor of Humane Letters

2015

David Henry Hwang

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi

Debora Lynn Spar 

Doctor of Fine Arts

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Humane Letters

2014

Amy Goodman

John Zorn

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Music

2013

Eric Foner

Doctor of Humane Letters

2012

Elizabeth J. McCormack

Aaron Benjamin Sorkin

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Fine Arts

2011

Alfredo Jaar 

Evelyn Fox Keller

Doctor of Fine Arts

Doctor of Science

2010

Philip Bosco

Doctor of Fine Arts

2009

Dianne McIntyre

Frederick Wiseman

Doctor of Fine Arts

Doctor of Fine Arts

2008

Tony Kushner

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Doctor of Letters

Doctor of Science

2007

Tania  León
Joyce Randolph

Doctor of Music
Doctor of Fine Arts

2006

Allan E. Goodman
Carmen De Lavallade

Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Fine Arts

2005

Santo Loquasto
Carl Safina

Doctor of Fine Arts
Doctor of Science

2004

Billy Collins
Clark Terry
Joan M. Weill

Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Music
Doctor of Humane Letters

2003

Cora Cahan
Timothy John Russert
Robert Scholes

Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Letters

2002

Judith Jamison
Joseph Volpe

Doctor of Fine Arts
Doctor of Humane Letters

2001

James Earl Jones

Doctor of Fine Arts

2000

Robert Rubin

Doctor of Humane Letters

1999

Paul Gottlieb

Doctor of Humane Letters

1998

Charles Thomas Close

Wesley Snipes

Doctor of Fine Arts

Doctor of Fine Arts

1997

Edward Albee

L. Erlenmeyer-Kimling

Frederic V. Salerno

Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Humane Letters

1996

 Richard Maass

Doctor of Letters

1995

Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Earl G. Graves

Cynthia Gregory

Doctor of Letters

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Fine Arts

1994

William Styron

Doctor of Letters

1993

Sandra Cisneros

Martha Hill

Doctor of Letters

Doctor of Fine Arts

1992

H. Jack Geiger

George Segal

Doctor of Science

Doctor of Fine Arts

1991

Joseph Nanven Garba

Donald Kendall

Rose Styron

Doctor of Laws

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Humane Letters

1990

Hal Prince

Doctor of Fine Arts

1989

Robert L. Heilbroner

Cynthia Ozick

Doctor of Humane Letters

Doctor of Humane Letters

1988

Paul Taylor

Doctor of Fine Arts

1987

Harry Belafonte

William Woodside

Doctor of Fine Arts

Doctor of Humane Letters

1986

Joseph Papp

George Rickey

Doctor of Fine Arts

Doctor of Fine Arts

1985

Elliott Carter

Doctor of Music

1983

Peter R. Marler

Toni Morrison

Doctor of Science

Doctor of Humane Letters

1982

Roy R. Neuberger

Doctor of Fine Arts