The University announced on January 4 that professors Randall Kennedy and Bernd Sturmfels will receive honorary degrees at the 538th Convocation, which will take place on June 1.
Randall Kennedy, the Michael R. Klein Professor at Harvard Law School, is best known for his work in contracts, race relations, and criminal law. He is the author of Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity and Adoption, which examines racial biases in intimate relationships, and testified before Congress on the modern usage of the N-word.
In an interview with the Maroon, Kennedy said his focus on often controversial topics arises from a desire for interesting conversation.
“Much of what I’ve written stems from conversations,” Kennedy said. “If I encounter a subject and it has provoked a number of very vigorous conversations, then here’s something to write about.”
While the University adheres to a general nomination process that involves reviews by divisional committees and approval by the dean of their respective departments, nominations are often a surprise for their recipients.
Kennedy said that he has “tremendous respect” for the University and is thankful for the support he has received from the University of Chicago Law School during his career. He remembered receiving a request from the Law School to contribute to the Supreme Court Review, a scholarly journal published by the University of Chicago Press that evaluates Supreme Court decisions, only to have his submission later turned down. Kennedy has since seen the University as “academics who take their craft seriously” and has written in appreciation of the criticism he received from the journal towards advancing his legal academic career.
Bernd Sturmfels is the director of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences and a professor emeritus in mathematics and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He has written 12 books and more than 200 research articles on the applications of abstract mathematical concepts.
“What I’m really known for in this context is bringing algebraic geometry to application,” Sturmfels said in an interview with the Maroon. “I would say this particular award is for turning a very pure subject of mathematics into many different fields.”
Sturmfels credits Lek-Heng Lim, a professor in the Department of Statistics, for the nomination. Lim collaborated with Sturmfels during his postdoc at UC Berkeley, with Sturmfels embodying an advisory role. During his two years as an advisor, Sturmfels helped put Lim into contact with another colleague of his, Chris Hillar, with whom Lim then produced a highly cited research paper. “[Sturmfels] was very kind to me and involved me in his research group meetings,” Lim said.
When Lim set out to nominate his previous advisor for this award, he helped collect letters of recommendation from faculty not only at the University of Chicago but also at other universities. “He was outstanding not only to me but to other people in the community,” Lim said. “A lot of others owe their careers to Sturmfels and are very supportive of his nomination.” As the catalyst for Sturmfels’s nomination, Lim will read a brief statement explaining Sturmfels’s accomplishments at Convocation.
Kennedy and Sturmfels will both speak at Convocation during the reception of their honorary degrees.
