Suggestions for 2027 BU Honorary Degrees Welcome
Suggestions for 2027 BU Honorary Degrees Welcome
Nominations from faculty, staff, and trustees must include a letter describing the nominee’s career and impact on society
“Who is the person you wish more people knew about?” That question came from Boston University’s Honorary Degree Committee in a letter to faculty, staff, and students, inviting nominations for honorary degrees for the May 16, 2027, Commencement.
It’s the third consecutive year the University has welcomed nominations from the BU community. The deadline for submissions is October 19. To nominate someone, visit the Honorary Degrees section of President Melissa Gilliam’s website. (Questions may be directed to honorary@bu.edu.) Nominating letters should include the nominee’s accomplishments and impact, their résumé, and a curriculum vitae or biography, if available. Nominations will remain confidential.
The committee will review submissions and recommend finalists to the president. BU trustees will make the final selections.
The letter from the Honorary Degree Committee, sent in September, said in part, “Since its founding, Boston University has been committed to intellectual rigor, excellence, and openness to all people. Our honorary degrees reflect those values, recognizing individuals whose accomplishments have had a meaningful and lasting impact. Past recipients have represented a wide range of fields and endeavors, including scholarship, science, the arts, public service, humanitarian work, and contributions to Boston University.”
The speaker at this year’s Commencement, Reshma Kewalramani (CAS’98, CAMED’98, Hon.’26), president and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, focused on what she called an “abundance mindset”: “For a long time, I believed life’s biggest decisions demanded an ‘or’. Career or family, ambition or presence, boldness or caution. [But] abundance is not naive optimism. It doesn’t pretend competition doesn’t exist or that effort isn’t required. People with an abundance mindset share information, build teams, mentor generously, and collaborate relentlessly.”
The committee is cochaired by Karen Antman, dean emeritus of BU’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and Roscoe Giles, a College of Engineering professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering.