Honorary Degrees 2009 Photo Gallery

The lives of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast took a U-turn on Feb. 19, 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066.

The presidential action authorized the mass evacuation and imprisonment of Japanese Americans in Washington, Oregon, California, and parts of Arizona for most of World War II.

Approximately 700 Japanese Americans were enrolled at the four University of California campuses in existence in 1942 — Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. All had to leave school because of the internment order. Many never returned to UC to finish their studies. Some eventually earned degrees from other universities, while others never returned to college.

On July 16, 2009, the University of California Board of Regents agreed to grant special honorary degrees to Japanese American students who were enrolled at UC but never received a UC degree as a result of the internment.

In 2009, UC Berkeley honored 42 former Cal students of Japanese descent.