Skip to Main Content

Oberlin College Commencement Award Recipients and Speakers

This guide contains listings of Commencement speakers, including for the Baccalaureate ceremony. This also contains listings of Distinguished Award and Honorary Degree recipients.

Honorary Degree Recipients, 2001-2020

Honorary Degree Recipients, 2001-2020
Name Degree Year Career if Known
Richard D. Baron, OC 1964 H.H.D. 2001 Social Justice Advocate
Fenner Douglass, OC 1942 Mus.D. 2001 Organist, Educator
Franco A. Farina Mus.D. 2001 Operatic Tenor
William H. Gray, III LL.D. 2001 Non-Profit Leader
Douglas T. Ross, OC 1951 Sci.D. 2001 Computer Scientist
Robert Conrad H.H.D. 2002 Philanthropist
Judah M. Folkman Sci.D. 2002 Surgeon, Researcher
Tania León Mus.D. 2002 Composer, Conductor
Kenneth N. Waltz, OC 1948 LL.D. 2002 Political Theorist
Anthony Lewis L.H.D. 2003 Newspaper Writer, Columnist
Edward Tarr, OC 1957 Mus.D. 2003 Performer, Musicologist
Sylvia Lee, OC 1938 Mus.D. 2003 Pianist, Vocal Coach
Romila Thapar L.H.D. 2003 Historian, Social Activist
David N. Baker Mus.D. 2004 Professor of Music (Jazz)
Geoffrey C. Ward, OC 1962 L.H.D. 2004 Editor, Author (The Civil War-PBS)
John B. Fenn Sci.D. 2004 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Honorable Margaret H. Marshall LL.D. 2004 Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
Sir Harrison Birtwistle Mus.D. 2005 Musician, Composer
Adam Moss, OC 1979 L.H.D. 2005 Journalist, Editor
Rev. William F. Schulz, III, OC 1971 L.H.D. 2005 Amnesty International
Marilyn Horne (unable to attend due to illness) Mus.D. 2006 Musician, Performer
Juan Guzman Tapia L.H.D. 2006 Jurist, Human Rights Advocate
Dr. Martin C. Weisskopf Sci.D. 2006 Astrophysicist
Franz Welser-Most Mus.D. 2006 Musician, Conductor
Nancy S. Dye L.H.D. 2007 Historian, President of Oberlin College
William E. Cohn, M.D., OC 1982 Sci.D. 2007 Physician, Inventor
Ms. Connie Schultz L.H.D. 2007 Columnist
Dr. Frederick N. Steiner, OC 1946 Mus.D. 2007 Composer, Conductor
Stuart K. Card, OC 1966 Sci.D. 2008 Computer Scientist and Innovator
Charlene Drew Jarvis, OC 1962 L.H.D. 2008 President of Southeastern University
James McBride, OC 1979 Mus.D & L.H.D. 2008 Author, Jazz Musician
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak L.H.D. 2008 Intercultural Scholar, Critic, and Teacher
Fareed Zakaria L.H.D. 2008 Writer, Editor, and Scholar of Foreign Affairs
Dr. Richard Haass, OC 1973 L.H.D. 2009 Writer, Foreign Affairs Scholar
Bobbie Knable, OC 1958 L.H.D. 2009 Educator
Dr. Martha Lepow, OC 1948 Sci.D. 2009 Medical Research Pioneer
Rev. Lawrence Jones, OC 1956 (in absentia) L.H.D. 2009 Educator
Adam Lewis L.H.D. 2009 Humanitarian
Dr. Robert Wurtz Sci.D. 2009 Leader in Neuroscience Research
Dr. William H. Cosby, Jr. L.H.D. (rescinded) 2010 Comedian, Actor, Philanthropist
Dr. Camille O. Cosby L.H.D. 2010 Educator, Author, Philanthropist
Stevland Morris L.H.D. 2010 Musician
Julie Taymor, OC 1974 L.H.D. 2010 Director of Theater, Film, and Opera
Dr. Diane Meier, OC 1973 Sci.D. 2010 Physician
Dr. Peter Molnar, OC 1965 Sci.D. 2010 Educator, Geologist
Robert Spano, OC 1983 L.H.D. 2010 Conductor, Musician
Anne Krueger, OC 1953 L.H.D. 2010 International Economist
Rev. James Lawson, Jr. L.H.D. 2010 Civil Rights Leader
Steven Clapp, OC 1961 Mus.D. 2011 Dean Emeritus, The Julliard School
Helene Gayle Sci.D. 2011 Health, Global Development, Humanitarian
Martin Harwit, OC 1951 Sci.D. 2011 Astrophysicist, Educator
Sidney Mintz Sci.D. 2011 Anthropologist, Educator
Bernice Reagon Mus.D. 2011 Founder: Sweet Honey in the Rock, Educator
Thomas R. Frieden, OC 1982 Sci.D. 2012 Scientist, Researcher
Martha Bergmark, OC 1970 L.H.D. 2012 Non-Profit Public Interest Attorney
James Burrows, OC 1962 D.F.A. 2012 Director, Executive Producer, Television Show Creator
Margaret Cheney, OC 1976 Sci.D. 2012 Mathematician, Scientist
Stanley Cowell, OC 1962 Mus.D. 2012 Composer, Jazz Pianist
Ntozake Shange D.F.A. 2012 Author, Playwright
Tracy Chevalier, OC 1984 D.F.A. 2013 Author
Jonathan Demme, OC 2010 and 2012 D.F.A. 2013 Director, Writer
David Evans, OC 1963 Sci.D. 2013 Educator, Scientist
Norma Percy, OC 1963 D.F.A. 2013 Filmmaker, Historian
Larry Squire, OC 1963 Sci.D. 2013 Scientist
Richard Taruskin Mus.D. 2013 Musicologist
Christopher R. Browning, OC 1967 L.H.D. 2014 Holocaust Historian
Marta Kutas, OC 1971 Sci.D. 2014 Psychophysiologist, Scientific Researcher
Groesbeck Preer Parham, OC 1970 L.H.D. and Sci.D. 2014 Doctor, Humanitarian
Thomas E. Perez L.H.D. 2014 Secretary of Labor
Harald Vogel Mus.D. 2014 Organist
Jeremy Denk, OC 1990 Mus.D. 2015 MacArthur Recipient, Pianist
Thomas W. Ebbsen, OC 1976 Sci.D. 2015 Nanoscientist
Marian Wright Edelman L.H.D. 2015 Founder: Children's Defense Fund
Robert Jervis, OC 1962 L.H.D. 2015 Author, Educator
Robert Kuttner, OC 1965 L.H.D. 2015 Economist
Michelle Obama L.H.D. 2015 First Lady of the United States of America
Allison Vulgamore, OC 1980 Mus.D. 2015 President and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association
Alison Bechdel, OC 1981 L.H.D. 2016 Artist, Author, Cartoonist, MacArthur Recipient
Robert Lemle, OC 1975 L.H.D. 2016 Founder: Long Island Children's Museum, Humanitarian
Jessye Norman Mus.D. 2016 Opera Singer
Robert Singer, OC 1966 Sci.D. 2016 Microbiologist
Rosemary Ahtuangaruak L.H.D. 2017 Inupiaq Activist
Lonnie Bunch L.H.D. 2017 Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture Founding Director
Eddie Daniels Mus.D. 2017 Saxophonist
Darren Walker L.H.D. 2017 Ford Foundation President
Brenda Way D.F.A. 2017 Choreographer, Dancer
Cary Fowler L.H.D. 2018 Agriculturist
David Sedaris D.F.A. 2018 Author, Humorist
Christoph Wolff Mus.D. 2018 Music Historian
Joanne Chory, OC 1977 Sci.D. 2019 Plant Biologist, Geneticist
Lisa Jackson L.H.D. 2019 Environmentalist, Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives at Apple
Robert Krulwich, OC 1969 D.F.A. 2019 Journalist, Radio Host
No Honorary Degrees Conferred (COVID-19)   2020