Alexander, Totenburg To Receive Honorary Degrees At Penn State
March 14, 2000
University Park, Pa. – Actress Jane Alexander and National Public Radio (NPR) correspondent Nina Totenburg will receive honorary degrees at Penn State’s spring commencement ceremonies during the weekend of May 12-14.
Alexander will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts and will be the speaker at the College of Arts and Architecture commencement on Saturday, May 13. Totenburg will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters and will be the speaker at the College of Communications commencement on Saturday, May 13.
Other spring commencement speakers will include African American historian Wilson Moses, Penn State professor of history and author of "Afrotopia: The Roots of African American Popular Culture and History," and literary critic Robert D. Hume, Evan Pugh Professor of English at Penn State and author of works on English drama.
Alexander is the former chair of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). She has appeared in 40 films – including "The Cider House Rules" and "Kramer Vs. Kramer" – as well as television programs and 100 plays. In 1993 she became the chair of the NEA at a time when the arts organization came under attack. Her leadership helped ensure that NEA would continue to operate. She stepped down from the agency in 1997 because she wanted to resume acting.
Alexander has received six Tony Award nominations, four Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. She won a Tony for "The Great White Hope" and an Emmy for "Playing for Time."
Totenberg joined NPR in 1975 after serving as the Washington editor of New Times Magazine. Her coverage of the Supreme Court and legal affairs has won her widespread recognition. Her ground-breaking report about University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment by Judge Clarence Thomas led the Senate Judicial Committee to re-open Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation hearings to consider Hill's charges.
Totenberg has been honored seven times by the American Bar Association for continued excellence in legal reporting and has received many other awards. She is a frequent contributor to major newspapers, periodicals, and television news programs.
Penn State awards honorary degrees to scholars, performers, artists and practitioners in academic fields, or individuals who have made particularly distinguished contributions to society in areas such as public service, business or government. Recipients are nominated by a 15-member committee.
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Contact: Karen Trimbath at (814) 865-7517 or at
