Former Salzburg Global Chair Walter E Massey Receives Honorary Doctorate from Harvard University

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Former Salzburg Global Chair Walter E Massey Receives Honorary Doctorate from Harvard University

Massey awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Harvard’s 366th Commencement exercises

Walter Massey speaking at Salzburg Global during the June Board of Directors Weekend in 2014

Longtime Salzburg Global supporter Walter E. Massey has been presented an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Harvard University.

Massey, who served as Chair of the Board of Directors at Salzburg Global between 2007 and 2010, received the honor on Thursday.

He joined nine other honorary degree recipients at Harvard University’s 366th Commencement exercises

This included Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg; actors James Earl Jones and Dame Judi Dench; composer John Williams; human rights activist Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe; the former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Norman R. Augustine; leading feminist literary critic and author Sandra M. Gilbert; theoretical computer scientist Michael Rabin; and founding director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital Huda Y. Zoghbi.

Massey has had several spells on Salzburg Global’s Board of Directors dating back to 1995. He has also attended a number of sessions organized by the Seminar, including Session 368 Scientific Development and the Democratic Process.

During this session, Massey acted as co-chair and worked with participants to identify ways in which science can be used to optimize the process of democratization and enhance economic development.

Massey is the current Chancellor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), having previously served as President of the School from 2010 to 2016. He began his career as a theoretical physicist before taking on several leading administrative roles in academia. He has been Dean at Brown University, Vice President of Research at the University of Chicago, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs for the University of California system, and President of Morehouse College.

In addition to these roles, Massey has served as Director of Argonne National Laboratory, Director of the National Science Foundation, and Board Chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization. Massey sits on the board of directors for McDonald’s and has previously served as director and Chairman of the Board of Bank of America.