Connecticut are Quinnipiac University, Fairfield University, Central Connecticut State University, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Hartford. The name "Connecticut" originated with the Mohegan word "quonehtacut", meaning "place of long tidal river". Connecticut's official nickname is "The Constitution State", adopted in 1959 and based on its colonial constitution of 1638–1639 which was the first in America and, arguably, the world. Connecticut is also unofficially known as "The Nutmeg State," whose origin is unknown. It may have come from its sailors returning from voyages with nutmeg, which was a very valuable spice in the 18th and 19th centuries. It may have
Commencement at Central Connecticut State University conferee has given the commencement address. Although significant non-degree honors have historically been awarded by the institution, honorary doctorates were not conferred until after Central Connecticut State College was renamed Central Connecticut State University in 1983. U.S. President Jimmy Carter became the first recipient on April 16, 1985, receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters. The most recent awardees are Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., former US Senator and Governor of Connecticut (D.P.S., 2009) and Leszek Balcerowicz, professor, Warsaw School of Economics and former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (Sc.D., 2011). In addition to Carter, U.S. Presidents Gerald R. Ford (L.H.D., 1988),