Public radio talk show host Diane Rehm will receive an honorary degree at Shepherd University’s 139th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 5.

The resolution was approved during an executive session of the Shepherd University Board of Governors at its Nov. 17 meeting. Rehm will also deliver the commencement address.

The Diane Rehm Show, produced at WAMU 88.5 FM in Washington, D.C., is distributed by National Public Radio and is heard by more than 2.3 million listeners on 160 stations nationwide. The program also is broadcast in Germany, Japan and Finland and on U.S. military bases worldwide by the Armed Forces Network.

Rehm began her radio career in 1973 as a volunteer producer at WAMU. She was then hired as an assistant producer and six years later became the host of the morning talk show Kaleidoscope, which became The Diane Rehm Show in 1984.

The author of three autobiographical books, Rehm received a Peabody award in 2010 and was named a fellow by the Society of Professional Journalists. She received the Excellence in Journalism Award from the American News Women’s Club in 2011.

In other business, the board approved the renaming of Birch and Maple residence halls in honor of David L. Dunlop, former Shepherd president, and the late Charles F. Printz, professor emeritus of business administration and Shepherd alumnus. A dedication ceremony is planned for the spring.