09/22/2026
60 years ago today, Saint Peter’s became the only Catholic college or university to award an honorary degree to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King accepted his degree and spoke at the annual Michaelmas Convocation in an unseasonably hot Dineen Auditorium, now called Roy Irving Theater.
During his remarks to students, Dr. King “declared the American Dream of all men being created equal has, as yet, been unfulfilled. He denounced segregation as sinful and bitterly condemned those who profess the principles of democracy but in truth practice the antithesis of those principles.”
(Pauw Wow, student newspaper article)
Dr. King’s speech and honorary degree presentation commenced despite numerous letters of complaint to university administrators, as well as a bomb threat which was received just as the convocation was starting.
By awarding the degree to Dr. King, Saint Peter’s College took a stand. College leaders, including President Victor Yanitelli, SJ, ignored criticism from alumni and local business leaders, encouraging them to refrain from endorsing the growing Civil Rights movement and to ignore issues of segregation and inequality persisting around the country. Instead, sixty years ago, the Saint Peter’s community publicly joined Dr. King in his fight to make his dream a reality while boldly honoring King’s record of service to his fellow humans.
