William Henry Gates III (“Bill” Gates) was born in Seattle, Washington on October 28, 1955. In his early teens he became interested in computer programming and entered Harvard University in 1973. While at Harvard he developed the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800, the world’s first personal computer. In 1975, while in his junior year at Harvard, he and his childhood friend Paul Allen founded Microsoft Corporation. Convinced that the personal computer would eventually become a useful tool in every home, he decided to drop out of university
and devote himself to the development of personal computer software.
Bill Gates’ organizational and creative achievements in his chosen field of personal computer software, and his enormous contribution to the rapid development of the software industry, have been universally acknowledged. At present he is both Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation, the world’s leading
vendor of computer software.
Published in 1995, Bill Gates’ book The Road Ahead topped the New York Times best seller list for seven weeks. In 1999 he and Collins Hemingway co-authored Business @ the Speed of Thought, in which he explains how a novel implementation of digital processes can accomplish a fundamental resolution of business problems. This book entered the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com best seller lists. It has been translated into 25 languages and published in
over 60 countries.
Bill Gates has donated the royalties from both of these books to non-profit organizations supporting technology-based education and skill improvement. In addition to his enthusiasm for computers, he and his wife Melinda have donated no less than 24 billion dollars to philanthropic foundations active in the fields of global health and education, with the earnest hope that progress in these fields will help people throughout the world in the 21st century. At present these donations are supporting the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to improve health throughout the world, groups that seek to improve the quality of life through the provision of access to education and technology, and community projects in the
Pacific Northwest area of the United States.
In this way, Bill Gates has not only contributed greatly to the computer software industry as a whole but has also contributed to numerous global projects.
Microsoft Corporation, of which Bill Gates is the Chairman, has made a major contribution to the development of Waseda University. Since last year it has worked with Waseda University to train specialist in the field of computer security, providing
free seminars and sponsored lectures.
Accordingly, the President, Executive Board, Board of Trustees, and Faculty of
Waseda University are unanimous in conferring upon
William Henry Gates III
the Doctor of Science degree, honoris causa.
Vivat universitas scientiarum! Laudate quem universitas honorabit!
