Honorary Degrees
The honorary doctorate is given to individuals deeply grounded in outstanding intellectual and professional achievement and significant and lasting contributions to society, consistent with academic endeavors of the University.
- Nominations are to be submitted only by members of the Kansas State faculty and may originate from an individual, from an academic unit, or from the collaborative efforts of the faculties of two or more departments.
- Nominations should be submitted to the Provost and Executive Vice President, who chairs the review committee.
- Once the committee and department closest to the discipline in which the nominee is associated with have reviewed, the committee will forward the nomination and their recommendation to the University President who then forwards the recommendation to the Faculty Senate and the Kansas Board of Regents for approval.
- Few people are chosen, and the recipient must be present at Commencement to receive the degree.
If you have any questions about honorary degrees please contact the Provost’s Office at (785) 532-6224.
Recipients
| Year | Name | Degree | Commencement video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Grandin, Temple | Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | Grandin speech, May 12, 2023 |
| 2022 | Mellenthin, Cheryl | Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | Mellenthin speech, May 13, 2022 |
| 2021 | Lookout, Herman Mongrain | Doctor of Education | Lookout speech, Dec. 10, 2021 |
| 2019 | King, Chris | Doctor of Philosophy | King speech, Dec. 13, 2019 |
| 2019 | Haymaker, Jim | Doctor of Philosophy | Haymaker speech, May 17, 2019 |
| 2018 | Glickman, Daniel | Doctor of Philosophy | Glickman speech, Dec. 7, 2018 |
| 2018 | Peterson, G.P. "Bud" | Doctor of Philosophy | Peterson speech, May 11, 2018 |
| 2017 | Richardson, James | Doctor of Philosophy | Richardson speech, Dec. 9, 2017 |
| 2017 | Richmond, Geraldine "Geri" | Doctor of Philosophy | Richmond speech, May 12, 2017 |
| 2016 | Palmer, Guy | Doctor of Philosophy | Palmer speech, May 13, 2016 |
| 2015 | Fitzwater, Marlin Baker, Nancy Landon Kassebaum |
Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Philosophy |
Fitzwater speech, Dec. 11, 2015 Baker speech, May 15, 2015 |
| 2014 | Freeman, Wayne Hofmeister, John |
Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Philosophy |
Freeman speech, Dec. 12, 2014 |
| 2013 | Staley, Warren | Doctor of Philosophy | Staley speech, May 17, 2013 |
| 2012 | Gates, Robert | Doctor of Philosophy | Gates speech, May 11, 2012 |
| 1988 | Eriksen, Conrad J. K. | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1988 | Slaughter, John | Doctor of Science | |
| 1987 | Bevan, William | Doctor of Science | |
| 1987 | Carlin, John | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1987 | Schroeder, Alfred | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1986 | Agan, Anna Tessie | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1986 | Coleman, Edgar E. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1986 | Nadel, Norman S. | Doctor of Fine Arts | |
| 1986 | Paslay, LeRoy C. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1985 | Rogers, Richard D. | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1985 | Wedel, Waldo R. | Doctor of Letters | |
| 1984 | Bowie, Walter C. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1984 | Jones, E. Fay | Doctor of Fine Arts | |
| 1984 | Mandelbaum, Arthur | Doctor of Science | |
| 1984 | Schmidt, John W. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1983 | Bainer, Roy A. | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1982 | Copland, Aaron | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1982 | Lown, Wilfred F. "Bill" | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1982 | Wilson, Claude Leonard | Doctor of Science | |
| 1981 | Beck, Glenn | Doctor of Science | |
| 1981 | Rhodes, John | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1980 | Benson, Fred J. | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1980 | Chalmers, John | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1979 | Bennis, Warren G. | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1979 | Fitch, James Marston | Doctor of Arts | |
| 1975 | McCain, James Allen | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1973 | Trotter, Virginia Yapp | Doctor of Science | |
| 1972 | Senti, Frederic Raymond | Doctor of Science | |
| 1970 | Lush, Jay L. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1970 | Parks, Gordon Alexander | Doctor of Letters | |
| 1970 | Pritchard, William Roy | Doctor of Science | |
| 1969 | Johnson, Maurice D. S. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1968 | Greep, Roy O. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1967 | Landon, Alfred M. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1966 | Darby, Harry | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1966 | Eisenhower, Dwight David | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1964 | Beadle, George Wells | Doctor of Science | |
| 1963 | Carlson, Frank | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1963 | Eisenhower, Milton S. | Doctor of Humane Letters | |
| 1963 | Hall, Joyce C. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1963 | Hendricks, Sterling Brown | Doctor of Science | |
| 1963 | Kimball, Solon T. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1963 | Rust, John Howard | Doctor of Science | |
| 1963 | Sebring, Harold L. "Tom" | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1963 | Vail, Gladys E. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1963 | Wilson, Murray A. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1962 | Menninger, Karl A. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1962 | Menninger, William C. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1962 | Shriver, Robert Sargent, Jr. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1961 | Mangelsdorf, Paul Christoph | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1961 | Peltier, Eugene Joseph | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1961 | Thackrey, Russell I. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1960 | Dunlap, Jack Wilbur | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1960 | Greenewalt, Crawford Hallock | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1956 | Hope, Clifford Ragsdale | Doctor of Agriculture | |
| 1955 | Seaton, Fred A. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1949 | Baker, Marvel Leon | Doctor of Science | |
| 1949 | Blanks, Robert F. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1948 | Price, James Francis | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1947 | Jones, Donald Forsha | Doctor of Science | |
| 1947 | Short, Mac | Doctor of Science | |
| 1946 | Edwards, Martin Arthur | Doctor of Science | |
| 1946 | Harrison, Florence | Doctor of Science | |
| 1946 | Mohler, Jacob Christian | Doctor of Agriculture | |
| 1944 | Edgerton, Glen Edgar | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1944 | Houser, John Samuel | Doctor of Science | |
| 1943 | Parrott, Percival John | Doctor of Science | |
| 1942 | Secrest, Edmund Ray | Doctor of Science | |
| 1942 | Waugh, Mary Alice Vail | Master of Family Life | |
| 1941 | Green, Roy Monroe | Doctor of Science | |
| 1938 | Bane, Juliet Lita | Doctor of Science | |
| 1938 | Dow, Ula May | Doctor of Science | |
| 1938 | Enfield, William Lester | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1938 | Fairchild, David Grandison | Doctor of Science | |
| 1938 | Hagan, William Arthur | Doctor of Science | |
| 1938 | Jardine, William Marion | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1938 | Miller, Merritt Finley | Doctor of Science | |
| 1937 | Rose, Flora | Doctor of Science | |
| 1937 | Sears, Fred Coleman | Doctor of Science | |
| 1935 | Freeman, Ernest Harrison | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1935 | Jardine, James Tertius | Doctor of Science | |
| 1935 | Wildin, George Washington | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1934 | Hitchcock, Albert Spear | Doctor of Science | |
| 1934 | Mortensen, Martin | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1933 | Waugh, Frank Albert | Doctor of Science | |
| 1932 | Hazlett, Robert H. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1931 | Fox, Phillip | Doctor of Science | |
| 1931 | Kent, Harry Llewellyn | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1931 | Sandzen, Birger | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1930 | Sisson, Edward Octavius | Doctor of Science | |
| 1928 | Mason, Silas Cheever | Doctor of Science | |
| 1927 | Bartholomew, Elam | Doctor of Science | |
| 1927 | Boss, Andrew | Doctor of Science | |
| 1927 | Knaus, Warren | Doctor of Science | |
| 1925 | Calvin, Henrietta | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1925 | Jones, Nellie Sawyer Kedzie | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1925 | Marlatt, Abby L. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1925 | Potter, Andrey A. | Doctor of Engineering | |
| 1923 | Kellerman, Karl Frederic | Doctor of Science | |
| 1922 | Piper, Charles Vancouver | Doctor of Science | |
| 1922 | Swingle, Walter Tennyson | Doctor of Science | |
| 1921 | Marlatt, Charles Lester | Doctor of Science | |
| 1920 | Coe, Frank Winston | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1920 | Harbord, James Guthrie | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1920 | Helmick, Eli Alva | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Coburn, F. D. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Fairchild, Edward T. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Hill, Joseph | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Nichols, Ernest R. | Doctor of Philosophy | |
| 1909 | Scott, Charles F. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Strong, Frank | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Stubbs, Walter R. | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1909 | Williams, Walter | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1908 | Walters, J. D. | Doctor of Arts | |
| 1908 | Willard, Julius T. | Doctor of Science | |
| 1907 | Fairchild, Edward T. | Master of Arts | |
| 1904 | Rupp, Alice | Master of Arts | |
| 1902 | Thompson, George F. | Master of Science | |
| 1898 | Bartholomew, Elam | Master of Science | |
| 1897 | Olin, Oscar E. | Master of Arts | |
| 1883 | Walters, J. D. | Master of Science | |
| 1877 | Fraser, John | Doctor of Laws | |
| 1873 | Riley, C. V. | Master of Arts | |
| 1872 | Platt, J. E. | Master of Arts | |
| 1868 | Reynolds, Charles E., Rev. | Doctor Of Divinity |