I believe Stallman's doctorate is honorary. Courtesy of Wikipedia:
>With regard to the use of this honorific, the policies of institutions of higher education generally ask that recipients "refrain from adopting the misleading title" and that a recipient of an honorary doctorate should restrict the use of the title "Dr" before their name to any engagement with the institution of higher education in question and not within the broader community.
This, however, does not overshadow his contribution to computing and I must say that as of 2025, he has been right about most things (with the possible exception of secure boot).
Dr. Stallman has received 15 honorary doctorates (see: https://www.stallman.org/articles/dr-stallman.html). After a certain point, the consistency of such recognition speaks for itself. Georgia Tech also awards honorary doctorates through the statewide university system, and as such, there is no institutional policy dictating how individuals are to address one another.
I appreciate the concern and agree that RMS has been extraordinarily influential in the field of computing. We will be posting videos of the event afterward, so if you’re interested in hearing what he has to say in 2025, please keep an eye out!
The event is free and open to the public. This will be Dr. Stallman’s first talk at a U.S. college since his cancer diagnosis and successful recovery in 2019. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that we will be accepting cash-only donations for our fundraiser at the event.
If you’ll be in Atlanta that week - or simply want the opportunity to see and meet Dr. Stallman - this is a rare chance you won’t want to miss!
The first and only time I met Richard Stallman was at a small private talk in Palo Alto at MacAurthur Park. About 20 people at most I would say. His rigor and attentiveness to detail stood out brightly, even amongst a room full of PhDs and others. I was startled by the talk at the time and I have to say that those ideas have never left me since then. The content of his careful polemic have only grown in weight and relevancy today, whatever your own views are.
It is an honor and achievement of a society that Richard Stallman may speak and say what he chooses to say, in 2025.
Thank you! I agree - it’s an honor to host RMS for a talk! We will be posting video recordings of the event online afterward, so please keep an eye out if you’re interested in hearing what he has to say in 2025.
> It is an honor and achievement of a society that Richard Stallman may speak and say what he chooses to say, in 2025.
Georgia Tech, as a public institution, takes the First Amendment very seriously (see: https://provost.gatech.edu/academic-freedom-and-freedom-expr...). Our student organization has worked hard with the College of Computing and other members of the administration to ensure that all of RMS's requests have been met.
>With regard to the use of this honorific, the policies of institutions of higher education generally ask that recipients "refrain from adopting the misleading title" and that a recipient of an honorary doctorate should restrict the use of the title "Dr" before their name to any engagement with the institution of higher education in question and not within the broader community.
This, however, does not overshadow his contribution to computing and I must say that as of 2025, he has been right about most things (with the possible exception of secure boot).
I appreciate the concern and agree that RMS has been extraordinarily influential in the field of computing. We will be posting videos of the event afterward, so if you’re interested in hearing what he has to say in 2025, please keep an eye out!
If you’ll be in Atlanta that week - or simply want the opportunity to see and meet Dr. Stallman - this is a rare chance you won’t want to miss!
It is an honor and achievement of a society that Richard Stallman may speak and say what he chooses to say, in 2025.
> It is an honor and achievement of a society that Richard Stallman may speak and say what he chooses to say, in 2025.
Georgia Tech, as a public institution, takes the First Amendment very seriously (see: https://provost.gatech.edu/academic-freedom-and-freedom-expr...). Our student organization has worked hard with the College of Computing and other members of the administration to ensure that all of RMS's requests have been met.