Each year at Commencement, through the conferral of honorary degrees, Denison University recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their field.

Philip A. Glotzbach, Skidmore College president emeritus, will deliver the keynote address at Denison University’s 183rd Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 11.

As Skidmore’s president for 17 years, from 2003 to 2020, Glotzbach led efforts that invigorated the college’s liberal arts education through new academic programs, student apartments, and buildings for arts and sciences — including a new music center and the Center for Integrated Sciences, the largest single academic building project in Skidmore’s history. Glotzbach is the author of a forthcoming book, Embrace Your Freedom: Winning Strategies to Succeed in College and In Life, a primer for college students to gain the most from their educational experience, and for parents to support them in doing so.

His keynote — which he promises will be a brief take on a much larger topic — is titled: “Don’t give up on democracy.”