Three to receive honorary degrees at OU’s fall commencement ceremonies

During its December 2024 commencement ceremonies, Oakland University will present three individuals with honorary degrees in recognition of outstanding achievements in their respective fields.

Austin Channing Brown has been selected to receive a Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa.

Austin Channing Brown is an author and speaker providing inspired leadership on racial justice in America. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, which was also a Reese's Book Club pick in 2020.

Through her writing and storytelling, Brown awakens people to the current realities of systemic racism and the everyday actions that make it possible. But she refuses to leave people in despair, boldly declaring that "hope is a duty" and challenging her audiences to rise to the occasion that hope demands.

Brown has also released a young reader's edition of I'm Still Here and contributed to the anthologies Hungry Hearts and You Are Your Best Thing. She is currently working on her third book which will release in 2025. In addition to her books, Austin has produced a number of media projects to educate people about racial justice - from newsletters to video series, and workshops to online courses. Since her career began, she has remained committed to using her creative resources to celebrate blackness and defeat white supremacy.

Brown has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from North Park University in Chicago, Ill., and a Master of Arts in Social Justice from Marygrove College in Detroit. She lives with her husband, son, and puppy Mowgli in Metro Detroit.

Brown will be honored at the 6 p.m. ceremony on Friday, December 13.

Kym Worthy has been selected to receive a Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa.

Kym Worthy has navigated politics and ethics with a compass of integrity and honorable character through some of the most high-profile cases in the state of Michigan. She is admired for her grit, determination, an unwavering courage to hold others accountable for their actions while upholding the laws that were created to honor the victims through justice.

Worthy is recognized as the first African-American and first female to hold the position of Wayne County Prosecutor. She also has the distinction of being the longest serving elected prosecutor of color in the United States. As the elected prosecutor she became internationally recognized for prosecuting former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in 2008.

Worthy received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. She attended high school in Alexandria, Virginia and is a graduate of T.C. Williams High School, which was later renamed Alexandria City High School.

Worthy started as an assistant prosecutor in the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in 1984. She served in this position for 11 years, becoming the first African American special assignment prosecutor under Prosecutor John O'Hair. One of her most notable cases was the prosecution of police officers Walter Budzyn and Larry Nevers in the beating death of Malice Green. Worthy had an over 90% conviction rate. In 1994, she was elected to the Detroit Recorder's Court (now the Wayne County Circuit Court). From 1994 until August 2003, she was a judge on the Wayne County Circuit Court.

Since becoming the elected prosecutor in 2004 through the present, Worthy has had a continuous focus on violent crimes, family violence and police misconduct.

In addition, Worthy has been an adjunct professor of criminal law at the University of Detroit/Mercy and has lectured at Harvard Law School, the University of Notre Dame Law School, Wayne State University Law School and the Universite des Sciences Sociales in Toulouse, France. She has lectured for the National College of District Attorneys, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, the Detroit Police Department and other local schools and agencies.

She is on the Board of Directors for: the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan - Past President, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, United States Figure Skating, the Sickle Cell Diseases Association of America - Michigan Chapter - Board Chair, the Dearborn Figure Skating Club, and the Joyful Heart Foundation - Vice Chair.

Worthy is also a member of the National Black Prosecutors Association, Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Michigan Democratic Party, and Greater Grace Temple.

Her hobbies include jigsaw puzzles, word games, film noir movies, and the occasional Boston Cooler. Her proudest accomplishment is being the mother of three daughters - Anastasia, Anniston, and Alessandra.

Worthy will be honored at the 9 a.m. ceremony on Saturday, December 14.

Telva McGruder has been selected to receive a Doctor of Science Honoris Causa.

As the executive director of Global Body Manufacturing Engineering at General Motors, Telva McGruder leads the next phase of transformation toward an increasingly automated and digital manufacturing approach for body and paint systems at General Motors. The team embraces technology focused on predictive analytics to run safely, sustainably, and efficiently while ensuring operational excellence and quality for the global portfolio.

Previously, McGruder was chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at GM where she championed the progress toward a high-performing, inclusive culture while shepherding global impact in diversity. The team fostered partnerships and initiatives that promoted equity inside and outside of the company. Her passion for culture and sustainable solutions for people and processes intersected and fueled notable impacts while leading facility engineering, facility management, and corporate energy strategy in the GM Sustainable Workplaces organization.

Earlier in her career, McGruder held positions of increasing responsibility and influence within manufacturing engineering and at several manufacturing locations where she motivated teams to rethink the possible in project execution, maintenance, quality, operations, and labor negotiations.

McGruder earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University. Along with her professional accomplishments, McGruder is dedicated to teaching, leading, and supporting initiatives inside and outside of General Motors. She volunteers with organizations that uplift the skills and capabilities of girls and women as a member of the Board of Directors for Girls Scouts of the USA, a member of the Catalyst Advisory Board, and a member of the Inforum Board of Directors.

Her skills and values inspire her to serve on advisory boards for the Oakland University School of Health Sciences, the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, and the University of Michigan Erb Institute.

Understanding the importance of ensuring students are exposed to experiences that light their curiosity and decrease barriers to education, she supports Engineering Tomorrow and College, Career and Beyond. She is a positive, driven individual with a keen sense of what is important and greatly enjoys wonderful life experiences with her husband, son, and two daughters.

McGruder will be honored at the 2 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, December 14.

About OU's Honorary Degrees

Honorary degrees are awarded by OU's Board of Trustees in recognition of distinguished accomplishment and service within the scope of the arts and letters, sciences, professions and public service as recognized and supported by the University. The awarding of honorary degrees reaffirms Oakland University's scholarly, creative and humanitarian values, and ties the university to the community at large.

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