U.S. Sen. Katie Britt receives honorary degree from Tuskegee University

U.S. Senator Katie Britt (center) with Tuskegee University President and CEO Dr. Mark Brown (left) and Norma Clayton, chair of the Tuskegee University Board of Trustees (right) – Photo from Office of U.S. Senator Katie Britt

U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) has received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Tuskegee University during its homecoming weekend convocation.

The University said it was honoring Britt in recognition of her steadfast leadership and advocacy on behalf of the university.

“Senator Britt’s actions, as a friend of Tuskegee, it’s not just talk,” Dr. Mark Brown, President and CEO of Tuskegee University, said during the convocation. “She has successfully launched the successful Aviation Science Program in our College of Engineering as a result of her support. Ma’am, your instrumental support and $6.7 million is transforming the future of flight education and honoring the proud legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.”

“When I was traveling the state campaigning, I came here and it was undeniable what I felt when I met with students, met with faculty and met with the administration here at Tuskegee,” Sen. Britt said. It’s one of the reasons that I made a commitment that day to always be your partner, because I believe you don’t just represent the future, you all represent the now.”

Last year, following Sen. Britt’s efforts to secure $6.7 million in funding, Tuskegee announced its plans to launch a new flight school degree program. She also directly secured $5.29 million to expand the program in the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which has advanced in the Senate.

Earlier this year, following the announcement that Alabama’s Tuskegee Airmen had been temporarily removed from the U.S. Air Force’s basic training curriculum, Sen. Britt intervened immediately to ensure this Alabama and American history was restored. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth thanked Senator Britt for pointing out the “malicious compliance” and acted swiftly to reinstate the Tuskegee Airmen to Air Force curriculum.

Sen. Britt also took action when the U.S. Department of Agriculture briefly suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, which provides federal scholarships to agriculture students at 1890 Land-Grant Institutions. Her support prompted USDA to reopen applications just one week later.

— Information from Tuskegee University and the Office of U.S. Senator Katie Britt