Which university awarded J.K. Rowling an honorary degree in 2008 after her commencement address?
Answer
Harvard University
Harvard University awarded J.K. Rowling an honorary degree in 2008 after her commencement address.
Rowling delivered Harvard’s commencement speech on 5 June 2008. Her address discussed the value of failure and the importance of imagination, drawing on personal experiences and the social impact of empathy. Harvard subsequently awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
The speech became widely known through recordings and a later book edition titled Very Good Lives. The book preserves the commencement address and directs proceeds to charitable causes, including Lumos and Harvard’s financial-aid fund.
This honor is sometimes confused with Rowling’s studies at Exeter University, where she read French and Classics. Harvard was not her undergraduate institution; it was the university where she gave the notable commencement address and received the honorary degree.