Oprah Winfrey Receives Honorary Doctorate Degree

By Christine Fenno Posted Jun 26th 2011 09:11AM

Call her Dr. Oprah Winfrey! On Friday, the media mogul visited South Africa, where she was given an honorary doctorate degree in education from the University of the Free State.

The talk-show queen, who wrapped the 25th and final season of her legendary daytime series in May, dressed in formal cap and gown for the affair.

Guests in attendance report that she was moved to tears while on stage for the presentation of the honor.

The university of approximately 30,000 students in the central farming town of Bloemfontein rolled out the red carpet, staging a ceremony for one that the Chicago Sun-Times says rivaled the type of pomp and circumstance normally drummed up for a whole graduating class.

The citation that came with her degree says Winfrey has become a true South African. "She did so because she believed that there was important work to be done here, and she wanted to be part of what Nelson Mandela and others had begun."

Winfrey famously opened her South African school for girls in 2007, and weathered a scandal in which a dormitory staffer was accused of sexually assaulting students.

A different scandal plagued the University of the Free State five years ago, when white students were caught humiliating black housekeeping staffers and objecting to integration of the historically white college. Winfrey eventually reached out to Jonathan Jensen, the new rector and first black administrator of the college, whose success in achieving a public reconciliation between the two sides set a tone of forgiveness for the entire student body. Once the TV icon agreed to speak at the school, the school decided to turn her visit into a grand ceremony.

In the auditorium, Winfrey knelt on a padded stool, flashing her red stiletto heels as the doctorate degree was bestowed in front of a jubliant audience of more than 4,000.

"What has happened here at Free State in terms of racial reconciliation, of peace, of harmony, of one heart understanding and opening itself to another heart is nothing short of a miracle," she said. "It is truly what the new South Africa is all about."

Tags: oprah winfrey

Comments

(29)

Sunday 26 June

By MsNette

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Congrats to Oprah, she deserves this.

Monday 27 June

By Charlie Taylor

SO SAD FOR THOSE THAT HAD TO DO THE WORK TO EARD A DOCTORATE BUT I DO LAUGH WHEN PhD'S REFER TO THEMSELVES AS DOCTOR SO AND SO. EVEN MEDICAL DOCTORS CRINGE THAT DENTISTS AND OSEOPATHICS ARE DOCTORS.

By linda

She's nothing! As a person she's an ignorant, biggot, fat, unbalanced lier. Opie couldn't find her way out of a paperbag!

By donna

She is the most beautiful woman of the world....intellectual capabilities are so glowing to the world....Outstanding,intelligent, energetic,non racial,caring and she is a hero to all women. You either love her for being one of God's best creations or hate her because of jealously.
Be blessed Oprah.

By Marisol

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Hahahaha @ Linda....You po pathetic envious creature. On top of all the nasty things that you called Ms Winfrey, she's still a "Billionare" :-)

By Veronique

Poor ignorant Linda!! You can't even spell the word, liar! Go back to school to improve your English, and also find what's missing in your life that has made you such an unhappy, angry person. Best of luck.

By dnkrpd

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And YOU get a doctorate! And YOU get a doctorate! And YOU get a doctorate!.............

By kat

Linda how many millions have you earned being so ignorant?

By KC

It seems OW is a great gal but seriously, I'm really tired of hearing about her. She received a doctorate-great let's move on...

By Selma Y. Cadogan

Perhaps!

By mdennish

Honorary degrees remind me of a##holes and opinions. Everyone seems to have one. At least she did something worthwhile in order to get the honor. A lot of people get honorary degrees just for being able to stand erect and mouth a few words.

By mary

Do YOU have one?

By the_fool

Hey maybe she can do all her new shows from there?!

By Brittney

Hey, Goat. What is it to you where she got the ride, Lol. Ya loser. Million and billionaires could care less what folks like you say because they can by your place of work, just to fire you.

By Ima E

This is ridicules. I hate honorary degrees people should have to do the work. It cheapens the work people with doctorates have to do, and artificially inflates the honorees importance.

By frank

that's pretty good for aperah not even making it out of grade school

By Jara

Frank, before your dumba** respond to a blog, at least know your subject. Ophrah has a degree from Tennesse University.

She attended Tennessee State University on a scholarship. She left school 2 credits short of a degree in order to get a job.

Frank, sounds like u didn't make it out of grade school. You can't even spell Ms. Winfrey's name. What planet do u live on?

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

a degree from tennesse U...wow. I guess I got confused and thought because she has the intelligence of a grade school kid...she never made it to HS.

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