Screenshots and collages by Harvard Magazine And now the pandemic has forced another tradition, nearly sacrosanct, to yield, at least slightly. Harvard has always insisted that honorary-degree recipients be present on campus to receive their accolades (none were conferred last year). But given this second consecutive online ceremony, those recognitions and conferrals will proceed—remotely—too. During the May 27 proceedings, “Honoring the Harvard Class of 2021” (as the graduation is being called, since the classes of 2020 and 2021 have been promised a future in-person Commencement), scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., Harvard plans to confer honorary degrees on four women and three men. Ordinarily, the principal speaker of the day would receive an honorary degree as well, but this year’s guest, Ruth J. Simmons, Ph.D. ’73, LL.D. ’02—president emerita of Smith College and Brown University, now president of Prairie View A&M—already has one (“Opening minds, opening doors, opening eyes to new opportunities, she has spurred higher education higher with inspiring providence,” her citation read), to go with her earned Harvard doctorate.