Since 1984, it has been a tradition at The American University of Paris to award honorary degrees as a way of recognizing a distinguished persons contributions to a specific field or to society in general. An honorary degree is very often awarded to distinguished individuals whose accomplishments are consistent with the mission and core values of AUP.
Deborah Roberts is an award-winning ABC News correspondent and co-anchor of the prestigious news magazine, 20/20. A media veteran, Roberts has traveled the world for her reporting. She also serves as a substitute anchor for Good Morning America as well as a guest co-host on The View.
Her in-depth coverage of current events has earned her a Peabody Award for the 20/20 special Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor. She has been awarded multiple Emmy簧 Awards for international and national coverage of world events, including the AIDS crisis in Africa and maternal mortality in Bangladesh.
Roberts is the author of Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life, a New York Times Bestseller. Shes also authored a book with her husband, Al Roker, called Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom For Modern Times. She currently resides in New York City with her husband. They have two children.
Honorary degrees have been awarded at AUP's commencement ceremony since 1984. Honorary degree recipients often give lectures or presentations in the days preceding commencement. These events are open to the public and provide graduates and their families with the opportunity to meet awardees in informal settings. One or more of the recipients is often invited to give a commencement address before the assembled faculty, graduates and parents an event that is often the highlight of the ceremony. The following renowned scholars, artists, writers, political figures泭and researchers have received honorary degrees from AUP.泭
1984
Honorable Arthur Hartman
1985
Pierre Salinger
1986
Gene Kelly
Sir Stephen Spender
1987
Vicomte Etienne Davignon
Elizabeth McCormack
1988
Daniel Socolow
Simone Veil
1989
Helen Ahrweiler
Georges Duby
Luc Montagnier
Jessye Norman
1990
I. M. Pei
William Styron
1991
---
1992
Maurice Allais
Francois Perigot
1993
Bernard Kouchner
Simon Weisenthal
1994
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Olivia de Havilland
1995
Glenn W. Ferguson
Jeannine Manuel
Frederico Mayor
H. E. Saeed Salman
1996
Christiane Amanpour
Pamela Harriman
Richard C. Holbrooke
Harry Wu
1997
Van Gordon Sauter
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
1998
Russell Porter
The Honorable Felix G. Rohatyn
1999
Chloe Wellingham Aaron
2000
Martin Gray
2001
Peter W. Goldmark
Willem Peppler
2002
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
The Honorable R. Sargent Shriver, Jr.
2003
Sir Crispin Tickell
2004
Yehuda Elkana
2005
Dr. Taslima Nasreen
Dame Muriel Spark
Dr. Tzvetan Todorov
2006
Barry Eichengreen
Mavis Gallant
Michel Rocard
2007
Edmond Alphandery
James Ivory
2008
Daniel Cohen
Paul Muldoon
2009
Naif Abdullah Al-Rukaibi
Leslie Caron
Reza Deghati
Christine Lagarde
2010
J.M. Coetzee
Eugene Lang
Robert Wilson
2011
Jane Goodall
Rory Stewart
2012
Richard Ned Lebow
David McCullough
Archie Shepp
2013
Louise Arbour
Martha Nussbaum
2014
Edward A. Frieman
Lillian Greene-Chamberlain
Judith Hermanson Ogilvie
Nicholas Vreeland
2015
Lisa Anderson
Margee Ensign
Benjamin Millepied
2016
Justice Stephen Breyer
Bertie Lubner
Kenneth Roth
2017
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi 98
Her Excellency Huda Ebrahim Alkhamis '83
Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns
2018
Rachael Denhollander
Claudia Rankine
Kaija Saariaho
2019
Margaret MacMillan
Marian Goodman
Ali Rahnema
2020
---
2021
Daniel Rose '00
2022
Obioma Nnaemeka
Corinne Mentzelopoulos
Leila Conners 89
2023
Craig R. Stapleton
Celeste Schenck
泭
泭