Honorary Degrees

Williams has conferred honorary degrees since 1795. All members of the college community are encouraged to make nominations, from which each year the Honorary Degrees Advisory Committee recommends to the full Board of Trustees a group of potential recipients who have excelled in diverse fields and stand as inspiring examples for our graduating students. Each year one recipient delivers the Commencement address, and one delivers the Baccalaureate address.

We invite your nominations for honorary degree recipients.

First name Last name Degree Year
Richard D. Parsons LLD 2013
Nancy A. Roseman LLD 2013
Stacy Schiff '82 LITTD 2013
David Brooks LITTD 2012
Toby Cosgrove DSC 2012
Anna Deavere Smith DFA 2012
Atul Gawande DSC 2012
Mary K. Grant LLD 2012
Marina Abramovic DFA 2011
Ann Escott Bancroft DSC 2011
Cory A. Booker LLD 2011
Ken Burns DFA 2011
Bruce M. Russett LITTD 2011
Margarito Teves LLD 2011
G. Wayne Clough DSC 2010
Martha Coakley LLD 2010
Adam F. Falk LLD 2010
Jay B. McInerney, Jr. LITTD 2010
Stephanie D. Wilson DSC 2010
Anne L. Garrels LITTD 2009
John Glenn LLD 2009
Tracy Kidder LITTD 2009
James M. McPherson LHD 2009
Clarence Otis, Jr. LLD 2009
James V. Taylor MUSD 2009
Frances Cairncross LLD 2008
Robert I. Lipp LLD 2008
Nawal M. Nour M.D., M.P.H. DSC 2008
Richard Serra DFA 2008
George P. Shultz LLD 2008
Douglas J. Bennet LLD 2007
Katherine A. Couric LLD 2007
Robert Engle LLD 2007
Shiranee Tilakawardane LLD 2007
Neil deGrasse Tyson DSC 2007
Edward O. Wilson DSC 2007
Charles Davis DFA 2006
William A. Finn LITTD 2006
Catharine Bond Hill LLD 2006
Ming Cho Lee DFA 2006
Elizabeth Lerman DFA 2006
Peter Martins DFA 2006
Roger Rees DFA 2006
Lloyd Richards DFA 2006
Julian Bond LHD 2005
Thomas L. Friedman LITTD 2005
Evelyn Glennie MUSD 2005
Ellsworth Kelly DFA 2005
Jhumpa Lahiri LITTD 2005
Joseph Lee Rice III LLD 2005