Honorary Degree Citation
Doctor of Humane Letters
Florence L. Denmark
Florence L. Denmark, PhD, you are a true pioneer in the field of psychology. Your research,
publications, advocacy, and educational efforts have helped turn the psychology of women
into a well-respected and internationally recognized area of study. Your visionary work—
particularly that addressing gender discrimination, violence toward women, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, and aging—has helped make the world a better place for all.
Your career as an academic and a scholar has been long and illustrious—from being the first
baccalaureate student to graduate with honors in two majors from the University of
Pennsylvania to your receipt of an MA and a PhD from the same University, to your years as
a professor at CUNY, to your position as the Robert Scott Pace Distinguished Research
Professor in the Psychology Department here at Pace University. You have published more
than 25 books and monographs, authored more than 150 articles, chapters, and other
writings, and been recognized as an accomplished scientist who has earned international
distinction for your seminal work.
You have served as president of the American Psychological Association, the International
Council of Psychologists, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the New York State
Psychology Association; you have chaired the Psychology Section of the New York Academy
of Sciences; and you currently hold the prestigious position of International Council of
Psychologists NGO main representative to the United Nations. Your lifelong dedication to
advancing knowledge, the field of psychology, public service, and the growth and
development of students is inspiring. The Association of Women in Psychology is just one of
the many organizations that has recognized your tireless efforts—not only in the field of
psychology but also "for your selfless mentoring of women around the world."
Your accomplishments and professional commitments exemplify the true meaning of Pace
University’s motto, Opportunitas—addressing discrimination and exclusion, working tirelessly
to teach and mentor, exploring new fields of research and pushing boundaries, and
contributing to our community and culture in a strikingly significant way.
As a result of your multitude of professional accomplishments and unswerving service to the
profession, you received the American Psychological Association Gold Medal Award for
Lifetime Achievement for Psychology in the Public Interest in 2004. Today we gather to
present you with yet another honor.
Florence L. Denmark, for your groundbreaking scholarship, your role as an inspirational
educator, your support as a colleague, your creativity, and your caring, Pace University is very
proud to confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, with all the
rights and privileges pertaining thereunto.