American Icon, Geneticist To Receive Honorary Degrees

November 20, 2001
University Park, Pa. – Renowned historian Arthur M. Schlesigner, Jr. and prominent scientist Leroy Hood will be awarded honorary degrees during fall commencement ceremonies at University Park, Saturday, Dec. 15.

Hood will receive an honorary doctor of science degree and will be the speaker at the undergraduate commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Schlesinger will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and will speak at the undergraduate commencement at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Hood is recognized as one of the world’s leading scientists. A prominent geneticist and researcher, he is the founding director of the Institute for Systems Biology, where systems approaches to biology and medicine are pioneered. Hood’s research has resulted in laying the technological foundation for contemporary molecular biology, and his development of instrumentation has revolutionized genomics, enabling the rapid automated sequencing of DNA. He is a central figure in the Human Genome Project and played a role in deciphering the secrets of antibody diversity.

Hood previously held the Gates Professorship of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Washington and was founding chair of the Department of Molecular Biotechnology there. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association of Arts and Sciences, Hood holds numerous patents awards, including the Edman Award from the International Association of Protein Structure Analysis and Proteomics, the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, and the American College of Physicians Award for distinguished contributions in science as related to medicine.

Schlesinger, a renowned historian, educator, prolific writer and public servant, is an American icon of reasoned democracy, social justice and intellectual freedom. The author of numerous books, Schlesinger is the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes for “The Age of Jackson” and “A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House.” Additional awards include two National Book Awards, the Francis Parkman Prize for History, the Bancroft Prize and the Gold Medal for History from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

A graduate of Harvard University, he served as a special assistant to Averell Harriman in Paris during the first months of the Marshall Plan, a member of Gov. Adlai Stevenson’s campaign staff and a special assistant to President John F. Kennedy. After holding the Albert Schweitzer Professorship in the Humanities at the Graduate School of the City University of New York, he served as president and then chancellor of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A former president of the Society of American Historians, Schlesigner has been co-chair of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute since 1983. He is a trustee of the Century Foundation and a member of the advisory board of the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America. Schlesinger’s contribution to, and keen observations of, major world events and political decisions during the twentieth century, will continue to serve future generations.

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. This year’s recipients were nominated by a 15-member faculty committee and approved by President Graham B. Spanier and the Board of Trustees.

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Contact: Allison Kessler, Department of Public Information at (814) 865-7517 or akessler@psu.edu.