Words fail. But they’re all I’ve got, so here goes. A nerd, in the highest and best sense of the term, you have navigated deftly one of the last male-dominated fields in academe, and, even more impressively, have defied the clear illogic of appointing physicists to administrative positions. No one believes more deeply in the value of the liberal arts. No one more relishes the life of the mind. No one is more devoted to the academic and personal development of students. No one is more sensitive to those for whom this is not an easy place. No one has a sharper strategic sense of how to advance this critical work, or is more capable of empowering students to sustain and improve their own community. No one is a more reliable colleague . . . is more giving of her time and attention. No one exhibits more generosity of spirit or is more authentic in every conversation. No one more courageously steps into fraught situations. No one has set a more powerful example of what it means to be an engaged member of an academic community. And, most importantly, no student, now and for years to come, will not have benefited from your truly awesome work. In appointing you president, The College of Wooster has made a wise choice. But they have no idea what they are getting, because, as I said, words fail.
I hereby declare you recipient of the honorary degree Doctor of Laws, entitled to all the rights, honors, and privileges appertaining thereto.
June 5, 2016