Bill Gates will be receiving an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University during 2023’s commencement ceremony on May 13, the university announced Thursday.
Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver the keynote address during the graduation ceremony.
“It is our privilege to recognize Bill Gates for his pioneering work in science and technology and his longstanding thought leadership and philanthropic commitment to creating a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy life and live up to their full potential,” NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera said, in a statement announcing the speakers.
Gates is one of four who will be recognized with honorary doctoral degrees from Northern Arizona University during the commencement ceremonies on May 12 and 13.
Arturo A. Massol-Deyá, executive director of Casa Pueblo, an environmental community-based organization, will deliver the first keynote address of the weekend. Ty White, the 2023 Arizona Education Foundation Teacher of the Year, will follow, as well as David P. Franke, a principal at Franke & Company and president of the Northern Arizona University Foundation Board.
Gates founded the successful tech company Microsoft in 1975 with his friend Paul Allen. He also founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he started with his then-wife Melinda French Gates in 2008.
The Gates Foundation states that it is focused on expanding opportunities to save and improve the lives of people around the world by addressing global health and development issues, agricultural development, water sanitation and hygiene practices, pandemic prevention, and disease eradication, among other issues.
Gates and his ex-wife Melinda recently celebrated their daughter Jennifer Gates’ 27th birthday and wrote her a heartwarming birthday tribute on Wednesday.
“Happy birthday, Jenn! You continue to amaze me with your intelligence, creativity, and compassion,” Gates wrote alongside a photo of the two smiling. “I feel incredibly lucky to be your dad, and I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. Love you always!”
The Epoch Times reached out to NAU officials for comment.