Each year Haverford College awards four honorary degrees to men and women who have distinguished themselves in letters, the sciences, or the arts. Many recipients are noted for their contributions to the overall betterment of humankind and/or Haverford College.
Each year Haverford College awards four honorary degrees to men and women who have distinguished themselves in letters, the sciences, or the arts. Many recipients are noted for their contributions to the overall betterment of humankind and/or Haverford College.
The Honorary Degree Recipients for 2006 are:
Lois Gibbs is a former resident of Niagara Falls, N.Y., who led her neighbors in forming the Love Canal Homeowners Association that won federal relocation of residents victimized by toxic waste. Following this success, Ms. Gibbs was inundated with requests from people around the country who were facing similar threats and wanted help. The Center for Health, Environment & Justice was founded in 1981 to address this need, and she is currently the Executive Director. CHEJ believes in environmental justice through community organizing and empowerment, dedicated to the principle that people have the right to a clean and healthy environment regardless of their race or economic standing. Lois sits on numerous boards and advisory committees and was the recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, the Heinz Award, and the John Gardner Leadership Award.
Jane Golden is an artist and founder of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program that collaborates with scores of local artists, neighborhood residents, and volunteers to heal and beautify the city's rundown communities. The project began in order to counteract the proliferation of graffiti and grew into one of the most vibrant public art projects in the United States. The Mural Arts Program has adorned the city with over two thousand murals on all aspects of life, including Philadelphia's Quaker heritage. In the process, this vibrant art, painted mostly on city walls, helped to change the look of the city, creating an enduring legacy in all of the neighborhoods in which the murals were added. In addition to being director of the MAP, Jane Golden also teaches about art and social change at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tavis Smiley started his career as an aide to the late Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, and now hosts his own signature talk shows on both public television and public radio. Time magazine selected Smiley as one of America's 50 most promising young leaders, and Newsweek profiled him as one of the“20 people changing how Americans get their news.” Tavis Smiley has authored eight books and has become one of the most influential African American journalists in the world by inviting discourse on serious subjects across the entire political and cultural spectrum of American life. The Tavis Smiley Foundation was created in 1999 to enlighten, encourage, and empower black youth. He holds a bachelor's degree in law and public policy from Indiana University.
Koïchiro Matsuura is Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a position to which he was first elected by the member nations in 1999 and then reelected in 2005. Mr. Matsuura transformed UNESCO into a highly functional agency that promotes a long-term strategy for improving the peace and security of all peoples. He was also instrumental in persuading the U.S. to rejoin the world community by membership in UNESCO. Among many other diplomatic positions to which he has given distinguished service, Mr. Matsuura served as the Japanese ambassador to France, the Consul General of Japan in Hong Kong, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for his country. Koïchiro Matsuura holds a law degree from the University of Tokyo and an undergraduate degree in economics from Haverford College (1961).
