Syracuse University to give 3 honorary degrees at 2025 commencement
Three people will receive honorary degrees during SU’s 2025 commencement ceremony. Cartoonist Bob Mankoff, environmental educator Ali Meders-Knight and philanthropist Judith Greenberg Seinfeld will be “honored for their outstanding achievements.” Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor
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Syracuse University will award three honorary degrees at its 2025 commencement ceremony, according to a Tuesday news release. Two of the recipients are SU alumni.
Cartoonist Bob Mankoff, environmental activist and educator Ali Meders-Knight and philanthropist and businessperson Judith Greenberg Seinfeld will be honored for “their outstanding achievements in their professional careers and the contributions they have made to society,” the release states.
Mankoff, a 1966 SU graduate, was born in Queens, New York. He is best known for his career as a cartoonist and editor at The New Yorker, where he contributed nearly 1,000 cartoons and served as cartoon editor for 20 years. His published work has also appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal and Esquire.
He is now the cartoon editor at the online newsletter Air Mail and co-runs Botnik Studios, a collective of writers, artists and programmers who develop software technology to create digital comedy.
Mankoff will receive the Doctor of Letters degree, which honors contributors for their work in the humanities or fields like literature, arts or sciences. He will also deliver the alumni keynote address at the College of Arts and Sciences & Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs convocation on Saturday.
Meders-Knight, a Mechoopda tribal member and executive director of California Open Lands, has spent over 20 years applying traditional Indigenous knowledge to ecosystem restoration and community education.
She serves on the United States Forest Service’s Tribal Relations committee for Region 5, working with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal governments to promote healthy, resilient landscapes. In March 2022, Meders-Knight testified before the U.S. House of Representatives about the role of traditional Indigenous knowledge and tribal leadership in restoring California forests and preventing wildfires.
She was also named Environmentalist of the Year by the Butte Environmental Council in 2019. Four years later, she participated in the Ray Smith Symposium and collaborated with Haudenosaunee leaders and environmentalists, discussing the relevance of her work to the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, where SU is located.
Meders-Knight will receive the Doctor of Humane Letters degree, which recognizes contributions to society through humanitarian efforts, philanthropy and public service.
Seinfeld, a 1956 SU graduate and life trustee, is the president of Heritage Management Co., a real estate investment firm based in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She has funded housing projects, scholarships and faculty awards across several of SU’s schools and programs.
She previously ran a successful jewelry design business and has produced several Tony Award-winning plays. Seinfeld also co-founded the Nantucket Comedy Festival and has served on boards supporting the arts, health care and human rights.
She was elected to SU’s Board of Trustees in 2002, and now serves as a life trustee on the Academic Affairs and Facilities committees. Seinfeld previously served on the boards for the School of Education and the School of Architecture. She will also receive the Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of her philanthropic work.
Mankoff, Meders-Knight and Seinfeld will receive their honorary degrees Sunday during SU’s commencement ceremony in the JMA Wireless Dome.
