Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa

Lynn C. Pasquerella is president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Prior to her appointment at AAC&U, Pasquerella served as the 18th president of Mount Holyoke College and provost at the University of Hartford.

For 23 years, Pasquerella was a member of the URI community. She began as a philosophy professor in 1985, after earning her Ph.D. at Brown University. She held a variety of leadership roles, including philosophy department chair, interim vice provost for research, vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school. Recently named one of the top 35 women leaders in higher education by Diverse Issues in Higher Ed, Pasquerella shaped URI through her work with the Instructional Development Program, the Center for Ethics and Public Service, the Multicultural Center and research projects aimed at diversifying STEM fields.

Pasquerella is the host of Northeast Public Radio’s The Academic Minute, showcasing cutting- edge research and scholarship by faculty across the country. She currently serves as the president of Phi Beta Kappa Society, as a member of the advisory board of the Newman’s Own Foundation, sits on the board of directors of the Lingnan Foundation and the National Humanities Alliance and is on the ethics committee of George Washington University Hospital.