Nathaniel “Nate” Thomas, Pioneer of Outreach and Inclusivity, to Receive Honorary Doctor of Engineering from Illinois Tech
CHICAGO—May 11, 2024—Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) will posthumously award an Honorary Doctor of Engineering, honoris causa, to the late Nathaniel “Nate” Thomas, who established the trailblazing Early Identification Program for minority recruitment in 1974. Thomas, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 84, served in a number of executive positions in his 22 years at the university and was instrumental in helping Illinois Tech expand outreach, recruitment, and campus services to African American and Hispanic students from Chicago and across the United States.
