SU to award 6 honorary degrees at 2026 commencement ceremony
Students and Faculty gather in the JMA Wireless Dome for the commencement ceremony. SU will award six honorary degrees at the 2026 commencement ceremony on May 10, according to a Wednesday release. Outgoing chancellor Kent D. Syverud is being honored at the ceremony, citing the “record applicants and enrollment” during his term. Maxine Brackbill | Daily Orange File Photo
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Syracuse University will award honorary degrees to outgoing Chancellor Kent Syverud, Dr. Ruth Chen and four others at the 2026 commencement ceremony, according to a Wednesday release.
To award such degrees, the university bypasses typical degree requirements to be awarded to a distinguished person in their field of work or to society. SU’s University Senate deliberates over each nominee, with the Board of Trustees deciding the final recipients.
Syverud will be honored at the ceremony for the “record applications and enrollment” during his term, his impact on economic “resurgence” in the central New York region and his support for veterans and military families.
“Chancellor Syverud has led Syracuse University through 12 years of transformational change, reshaping the campus, strengthening research and academic excellence, and expanding Syracuse University’s impact in Central New York and beyond,” the release said.
Professor of Practice in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and Environmental Toxicologist Chen, wife of Syverud, was chosen as a recipient for her “commitment to students, scholarship, service and the public good,” the release said.
Before working as a professor at SU, Chen was state toxicologist for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, where she assessed and managed toxic substances and provided expert advice to other state divisions, according to the release.
The four additional recipients include:
- Dr. Mantosh Dewan, president of SUNY Upstate Medical University
- Clifford J. Ensley, former Syracuse athlete and founder of Leisure Merchandising Corporation
- Linda M. LeMura, president of LeMoyne College
- Joanne M. Mahoney, president of SUNY ESF
Dewan and Chen will each receive a Doctor of Science, and Ensley and LeMura a Doctor of Humane Letters. Both Mahoney and Syverud will be given a Doctor of Laws.
The six recipients will be awarded their honorary doctorates on May 10 at the university-wide commencement ceremony.
