List of University of San Francisco People - Honorary Degrees

Honorary Degrees

Recipients of USF honorary degrees include, but are not limited to, the following:

• September 2003 – Dali Lama, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, was awarded an Honorary Doctoral Degree from USF on September 5, 2003 for his lifelong work in promoting peace and compassion, and helping to bring about a more humane world.

• December 2004 - Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Philippine President

• April 2005 - Kim Dae-jung, the former president of South Korea and 2000 Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped lead his country's movement toward democratic rule

• May 2005 - Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights activist

• May 2006 - Richard Blum, founder and chairman of the Himalayan Foundation

• May 2006 - Gloria Duffy, CEO of the Commonwealth Club of California

• May 2006 - Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony

• May 2007 - Leo T. McCarthy (posthumous honorary degree)

• December 2007- the Reverend Glenda Hope, founder of Network Ministries. Hope embodies cultural service that respects the individual dignity of every person, most notably the poor, the homeless, prostitutes, and those living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.

• December 2007- Sayadaw U Kovida on behalf of the Buddhist monks of Burma. The monks were honored for their courage in rising up in peaceful protest against their country's oppressive military regime. Their actions reflect the university's mission to educate leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world.

• December 2007 - Gerald McKevitt, S.J., a Santa Clara University history professor and university historian. McKevitt is renowned for his knowledge of Jesuit history in California and the West, and received an honorary degree for his dedication to teaching, scholarship, and service to the university community.

• September 2008 - Greg Mortenson, co-author of Three Cups of Tea and executive director of the Central Asia Institute

• December 2008 – Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland

Other recipients of honorary degrees include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, journalist Helen Thomas, and the late South African activist Stephen Biko.