Texas Christian University and Brite Divinity School will present degrees to more than 700 candidates Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena on the TCU campus. Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. will confer the degrees and deliver the commencement address at two separate ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
During the morning ceremony, TCU will present a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa to Jennifer Giddings Brooks, Ed.D. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech pathology from TCU and a doctorate in education from Texas Woman’s University. During her time at TCU, Brooks was involved in student government and was the first Black TCU student tapped for membership in the Mortar Board national honor society. In 1970, she became the first Black homecoming queen at TCU and in the Southwest Conference, which generated national news stories in Jet magazine and other publications. Brooks has a distinguished record in educational administration, including her work as a research evaluator, which was celebrated last year with the dedication of two historical markers in downtown Fort Worth.
Deeply committed to her community, Brooks serves or has provided leadership on the
boards of numerous nonprofit agencies. She has been honored with several awards, including
Legacy in Education, Power of One, Bank of America’s Local Hero, Outstanding Texan,
Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth and Great Woman of Texas. She received a special commendation
from the 106th U.S. Congress and in 2021, her portrait was unveiled at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center at TCU.
In addition to the honorary degree, the morning commencement ceremony will recognize the degree candidates from AddRan College of Liberal Arts, College of Fine Arts and Neeley School of Business. The afternoon ceremony will recognize graduates of Brite Divinity School, Bob Schieffer College of Communication, College of Education, College of Science & Engineering and Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences. There will be a reception for graduates and their families in between ceremonies at the Brown-Lupton University Union. TCU enforces a clear bag policy for all campus events.