Taylor Swift to receive Honorary Doctorate from NYU, speak at commencement ceremony in May

American Singer Taylor Swift has a huge fanbase worldwide. The songwriter is one of the world's top-line vocalists and has won 11 Grammys. She is also well-known for supporting independent music shops and vinyl culture.

Taylor Swift is filling in another blank space on her illustrious resume as the You Belong with Me singer is all set to receive an honorary doctorate degree from New York University and will speak to the class of 2022 at the school’s graduation ceremony. 

Taylor Swift to receive Honorary Doctorate from NYU

The New York University, NYU, on Monday in a statement announced that the university will award Taylor Swift an honorary doctorate of fine arts on 18 May. Moreover, the leading singer will also address the class of 2022 at Yankee Stadium. It will be the first time NYU graduates will gather for a graduation ceremony after 2019. The in-person functions for the class of 2020 and 2021 were previously called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The university referred to Taylor as "one of the most prolific and celebrated artists of her generation" in their statement and they hailed her for her accomplishments including being an 11-time Grammy winner and being the "only solo artist this century to have three albums reach No. 1 in one year."

For the unversed, past recipients of an honorary degree from NYU include former President Bill Clinton, civil rights leader John Lewis, 18-time Grammy winner Aretha Franklin, and actor Billy Crystal, who also received a bachelor of fine arts from the university as a student. Also, a few days back, the New York University’s Clive Davis Institute launched its first-ever course dedicated to Taylor Swift.

All about the course dedicated to Taylor Swift

The course started on January 26, 2022, and continued till March 9, 2022. As per Variety, the course's description reads, "This course proposes to deconstruct both the appeal and aversions to Taylor Swift through close readings of her music and public discourse as it relates to her own growth as an artist and a celebrity." It continues, "Through readings, lectures and more, the class delves into analyses of the culture and politics of teen girlhood in pop music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power as it relates to her image and the images of those who have both preceded and succeeded her." "We’ll also consider topics like copyright and ownership, American nationalism and the ongoing impact of social media on the pop music industry", it further reads.

Image: Instagram@taylorswift