Main caption: Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs on May 2 was presented the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal by University at Buffalo President Satish Tripathi during the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ commencement ceremony.
Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs this month received the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal, the highest honor presented by the University at Buffalo (UB).
Mr. Jacobs serves as UB Council chair emeritus after stepping down in March and announcing that Jerry Jacobs Jr., Delaware North CEO and Mr. Jacobs’ eldest son, would be his successor as UB Council chair.
The Norton Medal is presented annually during commencement season in public recognition of a person who has, in Norton’s words, “performed some great thing which is identified with Buffalo … a great civic or political act, a great book, a great work of art, a great scientific achievement or any other thing which, in itself, is truly great and ennobling, and which dignifies the performer and Buffalo in the eyes of the world.”
UB President Satish Tripathi presented Mr. Jacobs with the Norton Medal on May 2 at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ commencement ceremony.
Mr. Jacobs was appointed to the UB Council in 1997 and was chairman from 1998 to 2025. He was named chair emeritus for his distinguished leadership and significant contributions to the university.
In addition to serving as Delaware North Chairman, Mr. Jacobs owns the Boston Bruins and serves as chairman of the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors. In 2018, he received the sport’s highest honor when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Excerpts from a UB article announcing Mr. Jacobs’ recognition are below.
An alumnus of UB’s School of Management and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, Jacobs holds honorary doctorates in humane letters from UB, Canisius College, Niagara University and Johnson & Wales University. In 2015, the Jacobs family donated $30 million to advance UB’s medical school, which was renamed the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Jacobs has served Western New York for more than four decades with his business expertise and philanthropic leadership, and Delaware North has received multiple awards for social responsibility, community service and environmental stewardship.
A longtime friend and supporter of UB, Jacobs has served as chairman, trustee and di