Brown confers honorary doctorates on six accomplished leaders

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - At its 258th Commencement on Sunday, May 24, Brown University conferred honorary doctorates on six candidates who have achieved great distinction in a variety of fields. The recipients were:

• Joseph F. Dunford Jr. - Military and national security leader
• Richard A. Friedman and Susan Pilch Friedman (joint degree) - Business leader and champion of Brown, community leader and champion of Brown, respectively
• Peter Howitt - Nobel Prize-winning economist
• Sherrilyn Ifill - Civil rights lawyer
• Fei-Fei Li - Artificial intelligence pioneer

Honorary degrees are awarded by the Board of Fellows of the Corporation of Brown University. They were conferred by University President Christina H. Paxson during Commencement exercises.

Below is the text from the honorary degree citations read aloud during the ceremony and presented to each recipient. Biographical notes are included in the University's announcement of the 2026 recipients.

Joseph F. Dunford Jr.
Doctor of Laws
Military and national security leader

General, strategist and devoted public servant, you spent more than four decades in the United States Marine Corps, embodying the motto Semper Fidelis in service to your nation and the world. From leading infantry platoons to serving as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking military officer in the country, you have navigated some of the most complex security challenges of the 21st century with calm, strategic wisdom. Your leadership as the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the men and women under your command and a profound understanding of the global stakes of modern conflict. Throughout your distinguished career, you have been a voice of steady counsel for presidents and a tireless advocate for the integrity of the armed forces. On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we recognize your service as chair of the board of the Adams Presidential Center, which promotes civic engagement and inspires people to be active, informed citizens. For your lifetime of extraordinary leadership, your exemplary character and your steadfast commitment to the defense of democracy and the pursuit of global stability, we honor you with the degree of Doctor of Laws.

Richard A. Friedman
Doctor of Humane Letters
Business leader and champion of Brown

Susan Pilch Friedman
Doctor of Humane Letters
Community leader and champion of Brown

Alumni, leaders and transformational benefactors, you began your shared journey here on College Hill, a lifelong partnership of service that has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of this great University and so many other institutions. As a longstanding member of the Corporation of Brown University and its Board of Fellows, you, Rich, have provided the steady guidance and strategic foresight essential to the University's growth. Susan, as a founding member of the Women's Leadership Council and the energy and vision behind the Women's Launchpad mentoring program, you have been a source of inspiration to countless Brown students and alumnae. Through philanthropy that is as thoughtful as it is generous, your collective impact is visible across the campus, from the vibrant, 24-hour hub of the Friedman Study Center to the historic revitalization of Wilson Hall into a modern and welcoming academic space, renamed Friedman Hall. Beyond our gates, your work through the Friedman Family Foundation has improved lives through vital support for healthcare, education and the Jewish community. With profound gratitude for your enduring loyalty, your leadership and your deep-seated belief in the power of a Brown education to change the world, we are proud to award you both the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Peter Howitt
Doctor of Humane Letters
Nobel Prize-winning economist

Economist, theorist, teacher and Nobel laureate, your groundbreaking research has revolutionized our understanding of how societies grow, innovate and thrive. As a professor emeritus of economics at Brown, you have long been a cornerstone of our academic community, inspiring generations of students to look beneath the surface of market forces to find the engines of progress. For decades, your insights have guided central banks and policymakers across the globe, offering clarity on the essential roles of competition and innovation in a stable economy. By demonstrating that growth is not just a matter of accumulation but of constant, vibrant renewal, you have provided a guiding light for navigating the economic challenges of the future. You are a beloved and productive advisor to generations of Brown students, and your legacy on this campus and beyond will be felt for decades to come. In recognition of your monumental contributions to economic science and your distinguished service to this University, we celebrate you with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Sherrilyn Ifill
Doctor of Laws
Civil rights lawyer

Jurist, scholar, advocate and tireless defender of democracy, you have dedicated your career to the pursuit of racial justice and the fulfillment of the American promise. As the former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, you led the nation's premier civil rights law organization through a pivotal era of racial reckoning, using the power of the law to fight for voting rights, educational equity and the dismantling of systemic injustice. Through your founding leadership of the 14th Amendment Center at Howard University, you continue to champion the transformative power of the U.S. Constitution to protect the marginalized. Your acclaimed scholarship has forced us to confront the difficult legacies of our past as a necessary step toward true reconciliation. For your moral clarity, your strategic brilliance in the courtroom and the classroom, and your unwavering commitment to building a more just and inclusive America, we are honored to present you with the degree of Doctor of Laws.

Fei-Fei Li
Doctor of Science
Artificial intelligence pioneer

Scientist, pioneer, visionary, you have stood at and led the vanguard of a technological revolution that is redefining the boundaries of human potential. Your leadership in the creation of ImageNet - a monumental dataset that propelled the deep learning explosion - transformed the field of computer vision and laid the foundation for the modern age of artificial intelligence. Yet, even as you have pushed the limits of what machines can see and do, you have remained steadfastly focused on what it means to be human. As co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and co-founder of the nonprofit organization AI4ALL, you have become a leading global voice for the ethical development of technology, ensuring that innovation is guided by compassion, inclusion and the public good. You have consistently reminded us that the most powerful algorithms must be designed to uplift, rather than replace, the human experience. For your extraordinary scientific achievements and your commitment to a future in which technology serves all of humanity, we honor you with the degree of Doctor of Science.