Three distinguished leaders to be recognized by Brandeis with honorary degrees
Brandeis will award honorary degrees to Shirley Ann Jackson, Jim Obergefell and Jonathan D. Sarna ’75, GSAS MA’75
April 2, 2025
Brandeis will award honorary degrees to theoretical physicist and higher-education leader, Shirley Ann Jackson; LGBTQ+ rights pioneer, speaker and activist Jim Obergefell; and historian of American Judaism and University Professor Jonathan D. Sarna ’75, GSAS MA’75 at the University’s 74th Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 18.
Jackson, the first African American woman to earn a PhD at MIT, and who later served as the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 1999-2022, has earned many honors, including the National Medal of Science, the highest award bestowed by the U.S. president to individuals who advance knowledge in science and engineering. She will give the keynote during the afternoon graduate ceremony.
Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, has dedicated his life to advocating for equality and human rights. He is the co-founder of Equality Vines, a cause-based premium wine label that donates to organizations working to further equality for all.
Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, is a world-renowned historian, Jewish communal leader and long-serving member of the Brandeis faculty who is retiring this year after 46 years in academia. He will address students and families during the morning undergraduate Commencement exercises.
“We could not be more thrilled to honor these three individuals for their momentous contributions — Jonathan Sarna who has had such a profound impact on generations of Brandeis students; Shirley Ann Jackson for her trailblazing contributions to science and to higher education; and Jim Obergefell for his bravery in the face of adversity,” said Interim President Arthur Levine. “Their body of work is extensive and inspiring. It is with great pride that we celebrate each of them for their accomplishments as we confer degrees upon the Class of 2025.”
Doctor of Science
Jackson, a theoretical physicist whom Time magazine described as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science,” has held senior leadership positions in academia, government, industry and research. In 2014, then-President Barack Obama appointed her co-chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Earlier, she served on the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology. More recently, she was a member of the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board and the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board and currently serves on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board. She was also a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Doctor of Laws
Obergefell, today, writes and speaks on LGBTQ+ and civil rights issues, and is the co-founder of Equality Vines, a cause-based premium wine label that makes per-bottle donations to organizations working to further equality for all. He co-authored “Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality,” a book about the events leading to the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. He is also executive producer of the JustMarried Project, which has developed a documentary series, a podcast and a coffee-table book to tell the stories of same-sex couples who serve as agents of social change.
Doctor of Humane Letters
Scholar, teacher and author, Sarna was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009 and has written or edited more than 30 books on American Jewish history and life, including “American Judaism” (2004), widely considered the definitive history of American Jewry, which earned the Everett Jewish Book of the Year Award from the Jewish Book Council. He serves as the chief historian of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia; co-chairs the Academic Advisory and Editorial Board of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati; and is a past president of the Association for Jewish Studies.
