Membership Benefits

The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society was established through a partnership between Yale University and Howard University in order to recognize the life and academic contributions of Edward Alexander Bouchet. Bouchet was the first African American to earn a doctoral degree from an American university; he earned his doctorate in Physics from Yale University in 1876.

The purpose of The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is to recognize outstanding scholarly achievement and promote diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. The Bouchet Graduate Honor Society seeks to develop a national network of scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy. Now with 19 chapters across the nation, each institutional chapter offers its own unique set of member supports and benefits.

The U-M chapter of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is committed to intellectual excellence and interdisciplinary work, with the additional goal of using this knowledge in the service of society. Rackham is proud to be able to offer its life-time members the following benefits upon induction:

• All-expense paid trip to Yale University to attend the national induction ceremony
• A special reception at the Rackham Graduate School after the Yale induction
• $1,000 stipend
• A box of U-M Bouchet Graduate Honor Society business cards
• Professional headshots
• $1,000 of additional research travel funding for members who submit an abstract to the annual Edward A. Bouchet Conference at Yale University which immediately follows the induction ceremony