U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joined the Husky family yesterday as he received an honorary degree. He joins the Dalai Lama, Bill Gates and Robert Gates as recent honorary-degree recipients.

He accepted the doctor of laws degree at Meany Hall and also delivered the Severyns-Ravenholt lecture, which the political science department sponsors.

The secretary general opened the lecture with a quote from a man he called a Seattle philosopher: “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”

That philosopher, he said, is Jimi Hendrix.

“I may not be the first sitting U.N. sec. gen. to give a public address in Seattle, but I’m certainly the first to quote Hendrix,” he said, prompting laughs from the crowd of about 1,000 students, faculty and staff.

Following the jokes, Secretary General Ban spoke of the U.N.’s involvement in the issues of the day. He called for fair elections in Afghanistan, improving women’s rights worldwide, and helping the poor. In addressing the university community, he thanked the UW for its commitment to climate neutrality; the university officially signed its Climate Action Plan earlier this month.

As the eighth U.N. secretary general, Ban has put his political muscle behind fighting climate change by addressing the issue on a global scale. He has called it “the defining challenge of our era.”

After succeeding Kofi Annan as the secretary general in 2006, Ban said he hoped to act as a “world moderator” and guide countries on the big issues like climate change.

“I give voice to the voiceless,” he said. “I defend the defenseless.”

But Ban's leadership as secretary general has received mixed reviews. He earned the nickname “The Bureaucrat” during past jobs with the Korean government, a term some have used to criticize him.

His UW appearance was only one part of a busy two-day trip to Seattle involving a meeting with Bill Gates and a downtown appearance at the World Affairs Council.

The decision to award him with an honorary degree followed recommendations from the faculty and Board of Regents.

The university presented Ban with the honorary doctor of laws degree because of his accomplishments and contributions to a better world, said Mark Emmert, UW president.

The UW has typically awarded commencement speakers with honorary degrees, while also awarding degrees to well-known world leaders like the Dalai Lama and Bill Gates. The UW has been awarding honorary degrees since 2002, reviving a rarely used university practice.

Reach reporter Andrew Doughman at news@dailyuw.com.