​ California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Around the world, there is one name synonymous with culinary genius: Julia Child. A person of extraordinary talent and grace, she prides herself most in the words she choses to describe her life...author and teacher.

A California native, Ms. Child graduated from Smith College and attended the internationally renowned Le Cordon Bleu. She was among the first to successfully combine culinary mastery and the roles of educator and communicator. She has published more than ten widely read books, taught hundreds of thousands to cook through her eight television series, and is cofounder of numerous culinary arts institutes, associations and fellowships.

In recognition of her scholarship and commitment to excellence, Ms. Child is the recipient of two Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award and the Ralph Lowell Award. She is an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa and has received honorary degrees from such prestigious universities as Harvard, Rutgers and Boston University.

Ms. Child is an avid supporter of the culinary arts in academia and has often guest-lectured at universities throughout the United States. In 1991 she came to the Collins School of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona as part of the Distinguished Chef Series. Her affiliation with the Collins School has been an important component of the school's international reputation and strong growth.

In recognition of her extraordinary career as master chef, educator, scholar and communicator, and for her untiring commitment to academic culinary arts programs, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are proud to confer upon Julia Child the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.