Sen. Bernie Sanders is finally getting a degree from Brooklyn College — 58 years after he enrolled!
The Midwood-born former presidential hopeful is returning to his native land to give the school’s commencement address at Barclays Center in May, where may also receive an honorary doctorate.
“We are honored to be able to welcome Bernie home this spring to this great college, and to have him send off the Class of 2017,” said college president Michelle Anderson.
Sanders (I–Vermont) enrolled at Brooklyn College after graduating from James Madison High School in 1959, but only stayed there a year before transferring to the University of Chicago, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
The self-proclaimed socialist hasn’t lived in the borough since Robert Wagner was mayor, but he milked his Brooklyn bona fides while stumping here during the 2016 Democratic primaries, albeit to limited success — a record 28,000 people turned out to see him speak in Prospect Park but 60 percent of borough Democrats ultimately voted for his rival Hillary Clinton.
If the school’s board approves the degree, Sanders will likely score a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the college — an honor he will share with musician Harry Belafonte, filmmaker Ken Burns, developer Bruce Ratner, and Title IX godmother Bernice Sandler.
