Word: awarded
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...honorary Master's certainly is not a relic of the past. Although definitely secondary to doctorates on Commencement Day, the M.A. award still fulfills two major functions. First, the M.A. may be used to honor those without a college education who have completed noteworthy service. Ernie Pyle, famed World War II correspondent, was voted an honorary M.A. before his death: since he had not graduated from any college, the Corporation awarded him a Master's degree. The M.A. is often given to those distinguishing themselves in areas little noticed by the public, especially those within the confines of the University...
Despite, or perhaps on account of the long history of honorary degrees at Harvard, there is no real agreement on the first recipient of a special award. Intellectual historians point to Nathaniel Appleton, a Cambridge minister who received the S.T.D. in 1771, as the first undisputed honorary doctor. They eliminate seventeenth-century tutors William Brattle and John Leverett, for they were required to prepare a "Theological" dissertation; President Mather received his award to enhance his position atop the Harvard hierarchy...
...most of the nineteenth century, the LL.D. was regarded as the highest honor accorded by Harvard. Until after the Civil War, it clearly outranked the other honorary degrees, which at that time included the M.A., S.T.D., and M.D. Now there is no "rank list" of honorary doctorates, since all awards recognize high degrees of individual merit. To correlate better the degree with achievement, many new types of award have been established...
This greater amount of correlation can be shown by the history of the doctorate in science. Established in 1887, the number of S.D. degrees awarded has grown almost steadily since then. In fact, this degree has become the third most numerous Harvard honorary award, ranking close behind the LL.D...
Some honorary awards, however, have been little used after their establishment. An honorary degree in Medicine was first given in 1783, and during the first part of the nineteenth century the special M.D. became a fairly regular Commencement award. With the introduction of the doctorate in science the M.D. fell into disuse. It was revived in 1909 for Charles William Eliot in recognition of his reorganization of the Harvard Medical School, but has not been awarded since. The Doctorate of Dental Medicine, which was first given out in 1870, has likewise had little...