Hoda Kotb

Doctor of Humane Letters

Hoda Kotb stands as one of the most beloved and trusted voices in American journalism, having spent her remarkable career bringing human stories to life with warmth and wisdom, rigor and compassion, authenticity and grace.

Across decades of reporting, writing, and broadcasting, she has embodied the highest ideals of storytelling: curiosity joined to care, truth pursued with humanity, and the dignity of every story honored. As a Dateline NBC correspondent, she reported with courage and compassion from places of conflict, crisis, and profound human need, covering stories from Hurricane Katrina to the war in Iraq, from Olympic triumphs to the struggles and promise of urban schools. Her work has earned some of the most significant honors in the media business, including multiple Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award, recognizing both the excellence of her craft and the humanity with which she practices it.

On the TODAY show, Hoda invited millions of viewers into a daily conversation marked not only by insight and good humor but by connection. She understood that journalism is not merely the telling of events but the telling of lives. Audiences cherished her candor, her joy, and her willingness to share her own story, including her experience with cancer, using a moment of vulnerability to encourage early diagnosis, treatment, and hope for others.

That same spirit animates her work as a bestselling author and, now, as the founder and CEO of the wellness platform Joy 101. In every chapter of her life, she has used her public prominence not simply to inform but to uplift; not simply to succeed but to serve. In doing so, she reflects values at the heart of Fordham’s Jesuit mission: wisdom joined to compassion, achievement measured by generosity, and a life’s work placed in service of others.

For her accomplishments in journalism and her commitment to using her public prominence to enrich and uplift the lives of others, we, the President and Trustees of Fordham University, in solemn convocation assembled and in accord with the chartered authority bestowed on us by the Regents of the University of the State of New York, declare Hoda Kotb Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. That she may enjoy all rights and privileges of this, our highest honor, we have issued these letters patent under our hand and the corporate seal of the University on this, the 16th day of May in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six.