Renowned social scientist Bruce Frier to receive honorary degree at Unified Commencement

During the 2026 Unified Commencement ceremony, Tulane will confer honorary degrees upon three extraordinary individuals for their remarkable achievements. Bruce W. Frier will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for his extraordinary scholarly influence as a professor and author of groundbreaking works that explore how ancient legal systems shaped economic, social and political life.

Frier is the John and Teresa D'Arms Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Classics and Roman Law, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies and Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Michigan, where he has spent over five decades crossing disciplinary boundaries to expand understanding of Roman social and economic history.

Frier is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost experts in Roman legal history. Renowned equally as a teacher and mentor, Frier has inspired generations of students to engage deeply with the humanities and broadened insight into the foundations of contemporary culture.

Frier's publications include "Landlords and Tenants in Imperial Rome," "The Rise of the Roman Jurists," "A Casebook on the Roman Law of Delict," "A Casebook on Roman Family Law" and "The Modern Law of Contracts," now in its fourth edition and written with Michigan Law faculty colleague J.J. White. Frier is also the general editor of a three-volume annotated translation of the Codex of Justinian, published in 2016.

He is also a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was a fellow of the American Academy in Rome and taught at Bryn Mawr College before joining the University of Michigan's Department of Classical Studies in 1969.

Tulane's 2026 Unified Commencement will be held at Caesars Superdome on Saturday, May 16, at 5 p.m. The ceremony will include live jazz, a second line with graduates and a keynote address by Sterling K. Brown, the award-winning actor known for his performances in the television series "This Is Us" and his Oscar-nominated role in the film "American Fiction."