Jack White Received An Honorary Doctorate Degree For His Philanthropic Work In Detroit

Jack White is known to wear many hats. He founded the Grammy-winning band The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and even his own record label Third Man Records. Now, White is wearing another hat; a graduation cap. The “Seven Nation Army” rocker received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, formally changing his title to “Dr. White.”

White was awarded his degree from Wayne State University for his philanthropic work to help revive the city of Detroit. He worked to help restore a major park in the city, saved a Masonic temple from foreclosure, and his label Third Man Records brought new life to an area of the city.

White attended film classes at Wayne State in 1995 before pursuing a career in music. “As a teenager, I was a busboy in this building, so it’s nice to be back here for a different reason,” White said on stage at the graduation ceremony.

“I had an epiphany that has stayed with me to this day: That not all of art and creation was by happy accident,” White continued. “That much of it was done with purpose and it was not only okay to do this, but the fulfillment of creativity to be able to convey ideas and metaphors at every possible moment.”

“I learned more from that one film (Citizen Kane) and one scene in The Graduate, about expression and purpose, to last me a lifetime.”