Recently, I was the keynote speaker during Lincoln University’s 150th commencement exercises and received a Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa. I am extremely honored to have been chosen to receive the Doctor of Science degree from Lincoln University, an outstanding university with a rich tradition of excellence.

Lincoln University of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was chartered in 1854 and was the first institution in the world to offer higher education in the arts and sciences for male youth of African descent. Since its inception, Lincoln has attracted an interracial and international enrollment from the surrounding community, region, and around the world. Lincoln University’s alumni include Langston Hughes, ’29, world-acclaimed poet; Thurgood Marshall, ’30, first African-American Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; and Kwame Nkrumah, ’39, first president of Ghana. Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs. Rosa Parks have been among those who have been so honored by Lincoln University with honorary degrees in the past. I am very humbled to be part of this very prestigious group of honorees.

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