Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III

NEW YORK  -- The President of SUNY College at Old Westbury, Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III has just received a honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Morehouse College during a celebratory reception hosted by SUNY College at Old Westbury and the Morehouse Manhattan Alumni Association. The President of Morehouse College, Dr. Robert M. Franklin, presented Dr. Butts with the prestigious degree amongst a host of colleagues, political associates and friends' including invited guest, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Congressman Charles Rangel, Oscar Winner Maryann DeLeo and others.

Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III was awarded this prestigious degree for his unyielding commitment to educational justice and economic empowerment within academia and the global community. As President of SUNY College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts has garnered recognition for preparing Old Westbury students to succeed in the global marketplace, earning accreditation from National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, securing funding to continue to expand its campus. Noted as one of the most diverse public college campuses in America, SUNY College at Old Westbury is located in Nassau County, New York and has over 4,300 students with an emphasis on liberal arts and professional fields. In addition to his twelve years of leadership at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts is the pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and sits on the boards of Abyssinian Development Corporation, Youth On The Move, National Black Leadership Commission of AIDS, the American Red Cross of Greater New York, and the Levin Institute.

Joining Dr. Butts in celebration was the program's Master of Ceremonies, President of the Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce, Mr. Garrick Utley, Manhattan Morehouse Alumni Association President, Davon Snipes and SUNY Board of Trustees member Mrs. Geri Warren-Merrick. The private reception was held March 2, 2011 at The SUNY Global Center, 116 East 55th Street, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

About SUNY Old Westbury College:
Located on the historic North Shore of New York's Long Island, the State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a small public college that seeks to teach its more than 4,300 students to lead at work, in the community and in life. In an environment that demands academic excellence and offers close interaction among students and faculty, Old Westbury offers baccalaureate degrees in more than 40 majors through three academic schools - Arts & Sciences, Business and Education including degrees that have earned accreditation from the prestigious National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education. On the graduate level, Old Westbury offers 15 graduate degree programs in accounting, adolescence education, mental health counseling and taxation. U.S. News and World Report named the institution, in 2010, the most diverse student body among liberal arts colleges in America.