Beverly Daniel Tatum Named Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
Tatum will offer remarks to the Class of 2025 during commencement, May 18, 2025.
By: Carey Manzolillo Thursday, April 17, 2025 09:01 AM
Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., an award-winning psychologist widely known for her expertise on race relations and as a thought leader in higher education, will offer remarks to the Muhlenberg College Class of 2025 during commencement on Sunday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at the PPL Center in Allentown. Tatum will also receive an honorary degree alongside Jacy Good ’08, a nationally known and awarded advocate and public speaker for cell-free roads.
Tatum’s 13 years as the president of Spelman College (2002-2015) were marked by innovation and growth and led to her being named president emerita. Her visionary leadership was recognized in 2013 with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award, and in spring 2017, she was named the Mimi and Peter E. Haas distinguished visitor at Stanford University. She later served as interim president at Mount Holyoke College from 2022-2023.
The author of several books, Tatum penned the New York Times bestseller, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About Race.” Her forthcoming book to be released in September, “Peril and Promise: College Leadership in Turbulent Times,” addresses the contemporary challenges and opportunities facing higher education in a time of rapid social change.
Tatum holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, as well as a master’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan, and a master’s degree in religious studies from Hartford International University. In 2014, she received the American Psychological Association’s Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. An active civic leader, she currently serves as board chair of the Tull Charitable Foundation in Atlanta and is a member of the Board of Directors for Sesame Workshop as well as the Educational Testing Service.
