"We must be loud and clear in our unwavering support of music and the arts and those who create it," Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow declared onstage at the 59th GRAMMY Awards.

A leading figure in the music industry, Portnow is due to receive recognition of his own this spring when Berklee College of Music President Roger H. Brown presents him with an honorary doctor of music degree for his "enduring contributions to American and International culture."

This year's impressive class of Berklee honorary doctorate recipients also includes 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year Lionel Richie, GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, acclaimed producer/songwriter Todd Rundgren, and South Korean psychedelic guitarist Shin Joong Hyun. The group joins past recipients such as GRAMMY winners Aretha Franklin, Placido Domingo, Quincy Jones, and Alison Krauss.

The private commencement ceremony will take place May 13 in Boston.

Watch Neil Portnow's 59th GRAMMY Awards speech: "Music Binds Us Together"