Leading economic journalist, editor, columnist, business and economic interpreter, Dr. Leonard Silk, presently Economics Columnist for The New York Times, has achieved distinction in interpreting the issues and concepts of economics for business and for the general reader with wit and clarity.

Leonard Silk received his doctorate in Economics from Duke University. In a distinguished career, he has been a member of the faculty or a research fellow at various academic institutions. From time to time, he has served the government of the United States in the Air Force, as Chief of Economic Research for Housing in the Housing and Home Finance Agency, and as Assistant Economic Commissioner for the U.S. Mission to NATO and other European regional organizations. Since 1954, he has been economics columnist and editor, first for Business Week and then for The New York Times. Extending his analysis from the column to the page, he has written more than 15 books on topics that encompass Forecasting Business Trends, the Research Revolution, the Evolution of Capitalism, Ethics and Business, and Economics in the Real World.

For his achievement, he has received many honors, including being elected to Phi Beta Kappa, being a Fulbright Scholar to Norway, and receiving awards for outstanding journalism and for business news reporting from abroad. Two years ago, he was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at SMU. Here as elsewhere he has been extremely generous with his time and expertise for students, faculty, and the community at large.

For Dr. Silk's substantial contribution to improving the economic literacy of the public and for his outstanding achievement in bridging the gap between the world of journalism and the world of the university, serving each with distinction, Southern Methodist University is proud to confer upon Leonard Silk the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.