Princeton Honors Aretha Franklin

Princeton University honored Aretha Franklin Tuesday with an honorary Doctor of Music degree.

Franklin, who has recorded 223 albums and racked up 21 Grammy wins, was definitely dressed for the occasion. Wearing a graduation cap complete with gold tassel, the music legend accepted the honor during Princeton’s 265th commencement ceremony, according to the Star-Ledger.

In awarding Franklin her honorary degree, university orator Stephen Oxman could not resist peppering his remarks with references to some of the singer’s best-known recordings.

“With her singular ‘Amazing Grace,’ she continues to traverse musical ‘bridges over troubled water,’ and by reminding us to ‘think,’ ‘do right’ and ‘call’ on her, the Queen of Soul will forever command the world’s ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T,’” Oxman said.

Franklin was one of five receiving honorary degrees during the two-hour ceremony. Other recipients included former Princeton basketball coach Peter Carril, a Miami Dade College president, a Princeton social science professor, a Nobel Prize-winning physics professor and a University of Texas-Austin math professor.

Needless to say, Franklin was the only Grammy winner in the bunch.