Vikki Heywood, former executive director of the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree at Ohio State’s Autumn Commencement on December 16. Heywood was nominated by President E. Gordon Gee. Honorary degrees are a method by which the university expresses its highest ideals and recognizes extraordinary distinction.

According to the honor, Vikki Heywood has left an indelible impact on the theatre industry in the United Kingdom and beyond. Throughout her distinguished career, she has shepherded hundreds of productions and pioneered signature educational and research programs around the world. As executive director of the RSC, she helped return to prominence one of the leading programs in the country, and spearheaded a stunningly successful rebuilding of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. With good cheer, drive, and vision, she forged a groundbreaking educational and artistic collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Ohio State University.