Donald Stewart
On the recommendation of Chancellor Donald J. Reaves and with concurrence of the faculty committee on honorary degrees, the Board of Trustees of Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) voted unanimously to award the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to Dr. Donald M. Stewart and Earl Monroe at its meeting on March 19. Stewart served as president and chief executive officer of The College Board and president of Spelman College, while Monroe is a WSSU alumnus who was a star on the university’s 1967 NCAA Division II National Championship basketball team.
“Donald Stewart has made tremendous contributions to higher education over his career,” said Reaves. “While he was leading The College Board, he helped to expand efforts to improve the academic preparation of minority and financially disadvantaged students. Additionally, he served as president of Spelman College for 10 years, serving as the last male president at that historically Black women’s college in Atlanta. Donald also has a storied career in the not-for-profit arena working with the Ford Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust. After retiring as chief executive officer of The Trust, he is now a visiting professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies.”
Earl "The Pearl" Monroe
A 1967 WSSU graduate known as “Earl the Pearl,” Monroe was the number two choice in the 1967 NBA draft and became a standout player with the Baltimore Bullets, earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors. He later joined the New York Knicks where he was a member of the 1973 NBA-title winning team. In 1990, Monroe was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
“Earl played a key role in WSSU being the first all-Black school to win the NCAA Division II National Title,” Reaves said. “Because of him, many more people became aware of our university. There has never been any doubt that Earl certainly helped herald in a new era in basketball, but he has also been a great ambassador for Winston-Salem State University. Additionally, he has been active in various community programs, receiving many honors for his work such as the Harlem Professional Inspirational Award, the Most Outstanding Model for American Youth Award, and the YMCA Citizenship Award.”
Stewart and Monroe will receive their degrees during WSSU’s Spring Commencement on May 8 at 2 p.m. in the Lawrence Joel Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, where Stewart will serve as the commencement speaker.
