DETROIT - Michigan First Lady Michelle Engler will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Wayne State University during commencement ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, in Detroit's Cobo Arena. She will join 3,000degree recipients in the university's winter graduation class.

Also receiving honorary doctoral degrees will be philosopher-art historian Arthur Danto and producer-director Woodie King Jr., both of New York City. Danto will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree and King an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

T. Norris Hitchman and Vivilore Heavner Hitchman of Dearborn (formerly of Grosse Pointe) will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the WSU Alumni Association.

WSU President Irvin D. Reid will confer 1,474 bachelor's, 1,269 master's 204 doctoral and three advanced pharmacy degrees during the colorful ceremonies in honor of the newest WSU graduates.

Among them will be seniors Sandra Gumma and Neel B. Shah of Farmington Hills, who will receive David D. Henry Awards for exceptional scholastic achievement, leadership and service.

Engler is being honored for her volunteer work on behalf of Michigan citizens. She chairs the Michigan Community Service Commission, a body through which citizens help improve the quality of life of others through service and volunteerism. This year she helped launch the Ambassadors of Good Health program, which is dedicated to improving the health and well being of people in the state.

Michigan's First Lady serves on boards of directors for the national Points of Light Foundation, the Michigan Nonprofit Association, the Library of Michigan Foundation and America's Promise-The Alliance for Youth. She is active in promoting Michigan Harvest Gathering, a public/private effort to gather food to feed the hungry. Earlier this year, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Catch, a charitable organization for sick, injured and needy children.

She was recognized as one of Michigan's most prominent women during the Michigan Women's Commission 30th anniversary celebration this year. An attorney, Engler holds a law degree and a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas and is a member of both the Michigan and Texas bar associations.

Danto has been the art critic for The Nation since 1984. Since 1975, he has been editor and president of the board of trustees for the Journal of Philosophy. A leading essayist and author, he has written more than 15 books including The Seat of the Soul: Selected Essays; After the End of Art; Embodied Meanings; and Beyond the Brillo Box.

He earned a bachelor's degree from WSU in 1948 and also holds doctoral and master's degrees from Columbia University, where he is the Johnsonian Professor Emeritus of Philosophy. He completed postgraduate studies at the Universite de Paris and has been the recipient of many prestigious fellowships and grants, including two Guggenheims and a Fulbright.

Earlier this year, he received an Arts Achievement Award from WSU's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.

King, who attended WSU and has close ties to Detroit area theatre, is the founder and executive director of the New Federal Theatre, a leading African-American theatrical institution in Manhattan that has launched the careers of many famous artists. He has produced more than 150 plays on and off Broadway, regionally as well as internationally.

In the early 1960s, King founded the Concept East Theatre in Detroit, one of the first black community theatre projects. In New York City, he founded the Mobilization for Youth Program, which introduced low-income youth to the artistic and technical aspects of theatre, His production of For Colored Girls Who Consider Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf was nominated for a1997 Tony Award for best play.

King has taught drama as a visiting professor at several universities including Yale and Columbia. He has been a mentor to such well-known African-American artists as Denzel Washington, Debbie Allen, Morgan Freeman and Charles S. Dutton. In 1995, he received an Arts Achievement Award from WSU.

Husband and wife T. Norris and Vivilore Heavner Hitchman are being recognized for exemplary service to the university and to the community. Both have bachelor's degrees from WSU, he in economics and she in liberal arts. He also has an MBA from Harvard University.

The Hitchmans have established several scholarship funds at WSU. They have given more than $4 million to the university through the scholarships and other contributions, helping scores of students to gain an education that has fostered successful careers. They also have been instrumental in fund-raising campaigns for the university.