President Sorensen awarded honorary doctorate from University of Illinois

President Andrew Sorensen has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Illinois, the second such honor that he has received this spring.

Sorensen was honored with a doctoral degree in university administration during commencement exercises May 11 at the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Chancellor Richard Herman wrote that the degree is “a reflection of the higher regard in which you are held and an acknowledgement of the vast accomplishments you have made in your career.”

The citation read at the commencement ceremony praises Sorensen as a distinguished professor in the academic community and a recognized leader in American higher education who is known as an advocate for the highest standards of excellence in public education.

“Your leadership in the field of higher education has had an enormous impact on our society and on the academic enterprise,” the citation read. “You have continuously demonstrated energy and creativity in establishing collaboration between your universities and private sectors. As president of the University of South Carolina, you are an inclusive leader, an advocate for quality and academic excellence and a voice of reason in both academics and intercollegiate athletics.”

In April, the Medical University of South Carolina awarded Sorensen an honorary doctorate in medical science. Sorensen was cited for his vision and leadership, for promoting the academic ascendancy of the University of South Carolina in areas such as nanoscience and fuel cells and for building critical partnerships with other institutions, including Health Sciences South Carolina.

Sorensen, who is stepping down from the university presidency once a new president is named, is the only University of South Carolina president to be awarded an honorary doctorate from MUSC.

He plans to return to teaching and research at the university’s School of Medicine, capping a six-year tenure as president and a distinguished career as a scholar, administrator and professor. He will become a distinguished professor of the university and a distinguished president emeritus.

He has held academic posts at numerous universities, including Lincoln University, Harvard University, Cornell University and the University of Rochester.

He also served as provost at the University of Florida, president of the University of Alabama, dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and executive director of the AIDS Institute at Johns Hopkins University.