Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami, will deliver the University of Michigan’s Winter 2016 commencement address.
Frenk, who will receive a honorary Doctors of Law degree during the ceremony as well, has also served as Mexico’s Secretary of Public Health. During his career in the public health field, he has been involved in a number of efforts to increase access to healthcare, including successfully providing it to millions of previously uninsured Mexicans as Secretary of Health.
Along with Frenk, three other individuals will receive honorary degrees during the commencement ceremony.
Michael Johns, a University of Michigan alum and former vice president of medical affairs, will receive a honorary degree in science. Johns is a current professor at the Schools of Medicine at Public Health at Emory University and previous Dean of the John Hopkins Medical School. He was also the first otorhinolaryngologist, or ear, nose and throat specialist, to be elected to the Institute of of Medicine.
Maxine Frankel, founder of the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation, will receive a degree in fine arts. Frankel has been a long-time supporter of the arts of the University, donating the lead gift to UMMA in 2006 to build a 53,000-square-foot addition to the museum, providing an auditorium, space for contemporary art and class space. She has also served on the board and national council of the University of Michigan Musical Society.
Also passionate about the arts is honorary degree recipient Ronald Levin Carter, who will receive a degree in music. A graduate from the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan Conservatory of Music, Carter is a current professor at The Juilliard School. As a jazz artists and previous Artist-in-Residence at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Carter’s work with fellow jazz artists Miles Davis is recognized as transforming the direction of the genre.