President Tilghman receives honorary degrees

Acclaimed for her leadership and scientific contributions, President Shirley M. Tilghman recently has received honorary degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Amherst College.

She received an honorary doctor of science degree from RPI in ceremonies May 17.

At Amherst on May 25, she was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters. The day before commencement, she spoke to the graduates, their families, friends and the college and the public in a conversation titled "The Public Good of Private Colleges and Universities."

"As we critique some of the things that colleges and universities are engaged in today, we must always continue to remember we are the best in the world at higher education," Tilghman said in the talk. 

"As we think about our higher education system," she added, "we should approach it from two important perspectives. One is that we can always be better. On the other hand, we should not harm unnecessarily a system that has served this country and the world enormously well over the last hundred years."