View source for Social:Doctor of Humane Letters

{{short description|Honorary doctorate}}
The degree of '''Doctor of Humane Letters''' ({{Lang-la|Litterarum humanarum doctor}}; '''DHumLitt''', '''DHL''', or '''LHD''') is an [[Social:Honorary degree|honorary degree]] awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eells |first1=Walter Crosby |last2=Haswell |first2=Harold |title=Academic degrees: earned and honorary degrees conferred by institutions of higher education in the United States |series=&#91;United States. Office of Education&#93; Bulletin ;1960, no. 28 |date=1960 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education |location=Washington, DC |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001069070 |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> 

The criteria for awarding the degree differ from institution to institution; however, it is typically given to persons outside the university invited to be keynote speakers at the most important university events, or to faculty members or alumni of the institution who have, in the eyes of the institution or the wider world, distinguished themselves in some way.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctor of Humane Letters |url=https://internationalinstituteofphilanthropy.org/doctorate-of-humane-letters |website=International Institute of Philanthropy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416061236/https://internationalinstituteofphilanthropy.org/doctorate-of-humane-letters |access-date=12 August 2021|archive-date=2017-04-16 }}</ref> 

The flexibility in interpretation has resulted in universities awarding unique variants of the degree.  For example, in 1996 Southampton College awarded [[Social:Kermit the Frog|Kermit the Frog]] an honorary "doctorate of Amphibious Letters" in recognition for his contribution to children's education.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dr. Kermit |url=https://www.npr.org/1996/05/20/1043492/dr-kermit |access-date=12 August 2021 |date=20 May 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Carlin |first1=Romano |title=Dishonorary Degrees |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/dishonorary-degrees/ |access-date=12 August 2021 |work=The Chronicle of Higher Education |issue=v. 54 i. 44 |date=11 July 2008}}</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Humane Letters, Doctor Of}}
[[Category:Doctoral degrees]]



{{Sourceattribution|Doctor of Humane Letters}}