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Andrew Cuomo
Governor Andrew Cuomo, we at Yeshiva University honor
your lifelong commitment to public service and the legacy of
leadership you invoke to make government work for the
people of this great state. A true friend of the State of Israel,
you were literally on the front lines during last summer’s
Gaza conflict. As New Yorkers and as Jews, we celebrate
that you demand from us and from yourself a commitment
to do what is best for others.
In 1983, Mario Cuomo, then governor of New York, received
the same Doctor of Laws Degree that I am about to confer
on you. In so doing, my predecessor, President Norman
Lamm, said

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“you have shown a rare quality of leadership as you have
sought ways to make government more humane and
responsive to the needs of the citizen.” It’s a great tribute to
who you are that the same words apply to you.
You once said you were elected to come to make the New
York State government work better, and that's what you are
doing. You are a source of immense pride for your
constituents and for the first family of New York, especially
Sandra Lee and your daughters Mariah, Cara and
Michaela, and your mother Matilda.
Born in Queens to Matilda and Mario Cuomo, the children
of immigrants, you come from a family who believed in the
power of the American dream. Your parents, true life

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partners for over 60 years, deeply valued education. You,
along with your siblings, Maria, Margaret, Madeline, and
Christopher, never forgot the Cuomo family tradition of
academic excellence and distinction in the service of the
community. These values resonate with us as they are the
values of Yeshiva University.
After graduating from Archbishop Molloy High School in
1975, you completed Fordham University and Albany Law
School in 1982. You began your career as campaign
manager for your father, then served as an assistant district
attorney in New York City before entering private practice.
You founded the Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged
and were appointed Chairman of the New York City
Homeless Commission, where you served from 1990 to 1993.

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You joined the Clinton Administration in 1993 when you
were appointed assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development and in 1997 became
Secretary. Under your leadership, HUD was transformed
into a revitalized engine for economic development and
unprecedented housing opportunities.
You were elected Attorney General of New York in 2006. As
the state’s top legal officer, you made restoring public trust
in government and protecting New York taxpayers the top
priorities of your administration.
You were elected Governor of the State of New York in
2010, and were reelected in 2014. Since assuming office, you
have been committed to economic stimulus, to being

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sensitive to human rights for all citizens, and for prioritizing
our community’s educational needs as well as the needs of
other communities.
We are grateful that you have chosen to live a life of public
service; your determination and championship of tolerant
values makes our society a better place for us all. As a
forceful voice for economic opportunity and justice, you
stand by your convictions.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Yeshiva is honored to
welcome you into our tradition of multiple generations of
alumni. It is my privilege to confer upon you the degree of
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. In token thereof, and with
high regard, I hand you this diploma.