Honorary Degree Citations

The College recognized four distinguished leaders at 175th Commencement

President Daniel H. Weiss conferred honorary degrees upon award-winning TV journalist Joan Lunden, who delivered the Commencement address; Edward W. Ahart ’69, incoming chair of the Board of Trustees and managing partner and chairman of the law firm of Schenck, Price, Smith & King, Florham Park, N.J.; Father Thomas J. Hagan, O.S.F.S., former Catholic chaplain at Lafayette and the founder of the humanitarian organization Hands Together; and Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), the champion of freedom and leader in the American and French revolutions for whom Lafayette College is named (Doctor of Public Service, posthumously). Count Gilbert de Pusy La Fayette, a descendant of the Marquis de Lafayette, accepted the degree.

Read about the honorands.

The candidates were introduced by Alan R. Griffith ’64, chair of the Board of Trustees. Weiss read the citations.

EDWARD W. AHART, in addition to holding offices in your fraternity and Student Council as an undergraduate and winning the Frank Kline Baker Award as a Spanish major, you assisted Lafayette’s admissions office in various capacities.  Little did you imagine, as you guided prospective students around this campus, that four decades later your college would call upon you to provide guidance of a very different sort.

Among the distinctive qualities the Board recognized in electing you to serve as chair is your willingness to provide leadership wherever it is needed, from holding a high-profile position such as the presidency of the Alumni Association to joining your daughter Alison, Class of 2003, to lead the singing of the Alma Mater at a Marquis Society dinner.  As an alumnus and as a trustee, you have demonstrated a deep and consistent commitment to the College’s best interests, a commitment that earned you the Joseph E. Bell, Class of 1928, Award for Distinguished Service.

The willingness with which you serve your college is matched by the special empathy and wisdom with which you accomplish that work.   No matter how contentious the issue, you approach it in a manner that is positive, thoughtful, sensitive, and well-informed.  You believe in Lafayette’s potential to do an even better job of enriching and enhancing each student’s educational experience, and we look forward to working with you to achieve that vision.

THEREFORE, by the authority granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the Trustees of Lafayette College and by them delegated to me, I award you the degree of DOCTOR OF LAWS, honoris causa, with all the rights, honors, and privileges thereto appertaining, in token whereof I present you with this diploma and direct that you be vested in the hood emblematic of the degree.

May twenty-second
Two thousand and ten

Daniel H. Weiss, President

FATHER THOMAS J. HAGAN, you have a unique gift for seeing opportunities for service that have been overlooked by others and inspiring young people to help you address those needs. When you discovered that the soup kitchen downtown was closed on weekends, for example, you and members of our Newman Association opened one.   Students of all faiths answered your call for tutors in the local prison, mentors for area children, and volunteers to help improve conditions for Easton’s homeless.

It was when you led a group of Lafayette students to Haiti in 1985, however, that you found your true calling.  Although it took a devastating earthquake a quarter-century later to jolt the rest of the world into awareness, your heart was engaged immediately.  The “Father Tom” who was so beloved here on College Hill is now “Pere Tom,” a resident of Port-au-Prince’s Cite Soleil slum.  There you address the needs of your neighbors by giving them a hand, a hug, a home, hope – and a sense of their own dignity and worth, an especially meaningful message during these desperately difficult days.

Faith, prayer, humility, and hard work have always provided the foundation for your good works.  Another constant has been your commitment to instill in young people “respect for the bond of love that binds us all together” and the courage to “explore the hidden and obscure places of humanity.”

THEREFORE, by the authority granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the Trustees of Lafayette College and by them delegated to me, I award you the degree of DOCTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE, honoris causa, with all the rights, honors, and privileges thereto appertaining, in token whereof I present you with this diploma and direct that you be vested in the hood emblematic of the degree.

May twenty-second
Two thousand and ten

Daniel H. Weiss, President

The decision of leading citizens of Easton to establish a college was admirable and visionary.  But it was the name which they chose for the new institution that was their true inspiration.

MARIE JOSEPH PAUL YVES ROCH GILBERT du MOTIER, THE MARQUIS de LAFAYETTE, as we prepare to confer degrees upon the members of the 175^th class to graduate from Lafayette, we celebrate with renewed gratitude the foresight of our founders in associating your name with our college.  By doing so, they underscored their belief in the fundamental connection between an educated citizenry and the free society on whose behalf you had fought so valiantly.

On June 30, 1832, not long after the first class was held at Lafayette College, five of those early students wrote to inform you of the high regard in which they held your name, noting that it was “inscribed upon every leaf of the tree of Liberty, whether cultivated in the eastern or western hemisphere.”  They concluded their letter by saying, “We remain with such feelings of love and veneration as young Americans shall always cherish for LaFayette.”

This college has remained steadfast in its commitment to instill in young Americans — and in the young men and women who enroll here from other countries – an appreciation for the ideals which guided your thoughts and your actions.  We are both honored and humbled to bear your name.  Vive Lafayette!

THEREFORE, by the authority granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the Trustees of Lafayette College and by them delegated to me, I award you the honorary and posthumous degree of DOCTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE, honoris causa, with all the rights, honors, and privileges thereto appertaining, in token whereof I present your descendant, Count Gilbert de Pusy La Fayette, with this diploma as an expression of our enduring love, veneration, and pride.

May twenty-second
Two thousand and ten

Daniel H. Weiss, President

You know you are doing something right when you have been admired by people as different from one another as Burt Reynolds and Dr. Henry Kissinger.   JOAN LUNDEN, your appeal to such a diverse fan base during your tenure as host of Good Morning, America was a reflection of the consummate professionalism and approachable personality that made you the perfect choice to awaken a groggy nation at 7 a.m. for seventeen years.

The two factors you singled out relatively early in your career as most essential for success in broadcast journalism – believability and trust – have remained the hallmarks of your work.  Achieved over time through, in your words, a blend of such qualities as “a high level of empathy, interest, sincerity, directness, humor, intelligence, and a certain charisma,” a reputation for believability and trust is earned only by those who gain – and maintain – the utmost respect and confidence of their audience.

The stature you achieved as a nationally recognized media figure has provided you with the perfect platform for advancing a number of important causes on television and through other media.  A passionate advocate for issues related to wellness and well-being, in particular the health and welfare of women and children, you ­­­­­­­­­­continue to educate and entertain us, often reinforcing your messages with helpful insights gained through your own experiences as a working mother.

THEREFORE, by the authority granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the Trustees of Lafayette College and by them delegated to me, I award you the degree of DOCTOR OF JOURNALISM, honoris causa, with all the rights, honors, and privileges thereto appertaining, in token whereof I present you with this diploma and direct that you be vested in the hood emblematic of the degree.

May twenty-second
Two thousand and ten

Daniel H. Weiss, President