UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax Receives Honorary Doctorate from Morehouse College
May 22 2024 - 4:07PM
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) proudly announces that Dr. Michael
L. Lomax, president and CEO, has been awarded an honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters from his alma mater, Morehouse College. The degree
is bestowed to those who have made outstanding contributions to
society through humanitarian and philanthropic efforts.
Dr. Lomax was honored on May 19, 2024, during Morehouse's
live-streamed 140th commencement ceremony, which featured President
Joseph R. Biden as the commencement speaker. This recognition
celebrates Dr. Lomax’s dedicated leadership and impactful
contributions to promoting higher education in the African American
community. The ceremony highlighted Dr. Lomax’s diligent advocacy
for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which
helped these institutions reach their highest fundraising
goals.
“We are immensely proud of Dr. Lomax and his unwavering
commitment to educational excellence,” said UNCF Board of Directors
Chair Milton H. Jones, Jr. “This honorary doctorate from Morehouse
College is a testament to his visionary leadership and tireless
advocacy for students of color.”
Upon receiving his honorary degree, Dr. Lomax Dr. Lomax thanked
the university for shaping his journey and underscored his
commitment to expanding educational opportunities for
underprivileged students. He emphasized the importance of giving
back to the community and the role of education in transforming
lives.“This was a special personal moment for me, and I am
eternally grateful to my alma mater Morehouse College. But more
importantly, it was an opportunity for all of us at UNCF to amplify
our HBCUs as Morehouse welcomed President Biden to the campus as
their commencement speaker and awarded him an honorary degree,”
said Dr. Lomax.
“This was an event that attracted global attention, and it came
at a time when US and global colleges and universities have been
demonstrating and protesting the war in Gaza and Israel. At
this challenging and heartbreaking time in history, the world
cannot easily find common ground. The combatants cannot find
peace, and so many innocent civilians are victims of brutality and
violence,” Dr. Lomax said.
“Morehouse did not solve the problem, but they provided an
opportunity for the president to address the war and speak directly
to students who are going out into a dangerous world and will have
to solve the problems that older generations have failed to
address. I cannot tell you how impressed I was by the
Morehouse students who expressed their views thoughtfully and
powerfully. They also let the president speak and make the
case for the United States' position and approach,” noted Dr.
Lomax.
During Morehouse's Baccalaureate services on Saturday, May 18,
Dr. Lomax's official portrait was unveiled. This portrait will hang
in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel—the world’s most
prominent religious memorial honoring the Morehouse alumnus. The
picture, displayed in the Morehouse International Hall of Honor,
features more than 200 original oil portraits of distinguished
leaders in the global, civil, and human rights nonviolent
movement.
Since 2004, Dr. Lomax has steered UNCF to become the nation's
largest private provider of scholarships and educational support
for African American students. Under his leadership, UNCF has
raised over $5 billion, providing financial assistance to more than
500,000 students and supporting 37 HBCUs.
Dr. Lomax congratulated the first graduating class of Lomax
Scholars who earned need-based scholarships of up to $10,000 for
exemplary academic performance at HBCUs.
Dr. Lomax's career spans decades and is marked by notable
achievements in academia and public service. Before joining UNCF,
he served as president of Dillard University in New Orleans and
held positions at Emory University, Spelman College, and Morehouse
College. Additionally, Dr. Lomax remains a driving force in various
civic and educational organizations, including the National
Alliance of Public Charter Schools and the KIPP Foundation.
The ceremony is now available to view on Morehouse’s YouTube
channel.
For more information about Dr. Lomax and his work with UNCF,
please visit UNCF.org.
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About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and
most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the
community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education
and development through scholarships and other programs, supports
and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and
advocates for the importance of minority education and
college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and
universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black
colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of
bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees
and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher
education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including
scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer
enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today,
UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and
universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch
of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A
mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or
for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on X (formerly
Twitter) at @UNCF.
- Dr. Lomax and Biden
- Dr. Lomax at Morehouse
Roy Betts
United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF)
240.703.3384
roy.betts@uncf.org