 I'm always looking for that lever, that one variable, that one thing you can do to change to actually make programs better or people's lives better. And as a result, that means I have to be practical. My work is in public administration and public policy. I believe that public administration is a design science. It's concerned not just how things are, but how they could be. I think what drives Ken is he's interested in good questions and questions that really lend themselves to helping organizations do better and provide better services. He's known for many things, but one of the things is research on race and politics especially. And it turns out the schools are one location where we have a lot of really great data. I spend a fair amount of time in Europe, and one of their questions is, how do we educate immigrant children? Well, I've spent a lot of time in Texas. We have some ideas about that. Sometimes if you focus on the research, you miss all the other things that make him deserving. He's extremely generous with his students. He invests in them and socializes them to how it is to be an academic. So he really has changed the generation of scholars and trained us to be better at our craft. My favorite statement is, a student of mine has not been denied tenure at a university since 1982. What I think makes him unique is that he can not only manage his teaching requirements and his own research, but he also truly makes time for students in helping them develop their skills as a researcher. My students are partners. They are told when they get there that the time when they're just consuming knowledge is over. We're producing knowledge. I see it as an apprenticeship program. We work through projects together. I challenge them. As I like to say, I don't produce clones. I produce independent scholars. He wants you to really explore the field that you feel passionate and most strong about. He never dismisses any of your thoughts. You never have to worry about feeling inadequate when you go and speak with Ken. He always has some new idea for something no one else has ever thought of. The fact that he's been doing that for decades means that he's just amassed this huge body of work. I've only been dean here for a few months, but I don't know that I'll ever surpass the accomplishment of hiring Ken Meyer. It is truly a game changer for us to have him in the School of Public Affairs. I would like to invite Professor Ken Meyer to come forward. It is very difficult in one minute to explain why it's a great honor for our university that Ken Meyer has accepted to become honorary doctor at our university. So let me start with the most important. Ken Meyer is one of the leading, if not the leading, scholar in the fields of public administration and public policy. His research is widely referenced and used in many contexts. And his service to the disciplines of public administration and public policy is second to none. Equally important today, Ken Meyer has many relations to Aarhus. He has closely cooperated with a number of scholars from Aarhus B.S.S., including Lotte Bjarnasen, Simone Kallemannasen, V.B. Keleeman Nielsen, only to mention a few. Over the years, he has been a great inspiration and excellent advisor to many scholars, especially younger ones from our faculty. We thank you for that deeply. In this way, Ken Meyer is a true role model for young and established scholars. The way he combines excellent research, tele-development and international cooperation is truly amazing. It is therefore my great privilege, a pleasure to confer on you the degree of Dr. Skiantiarum Politicaum Honoris Causa at Aarhus University. Congratulations, Professor Meyer.